Nick Diaz
Active 2003–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 87.0
Scouting report
Nick Diaz trains under Cesar Gracie, who promoted him to black belt on May 8, 2007, and he works on sambo with Valeri Ignatov and boxing with Richard Perez. He competes in triathlons for recreation. He won the inaugural Strikeforce welterweight title on January 30, 2010 with a first-round TKO of Marius Zaromskis, and defended it three times. In the UFC he fought for the interim welterweight title against Carlos Condit in 2012 and for the full title against Georges St-Pierre in 2013, losing both on decisions.
Peak ratings
Nick Diaz: a Stockton triathlete who held the Strikeforce belt
His Strikeforce defenses were K.J. Noons on a decision, Evangelista Santos by armbar and Paul Daley by first-round TKO on April 9, 2011. He vacated the title on June 9, 2011 when the UFC absorbed his contract. His first UFC run started at UFC 44 in 2003 with an armbar of Jeremy Jackson, and it included a knockout of Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. He returned in 2011 with a decision over BJ Penn at UFC 137.
Diaz, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 90, his best striking number. Robbie Lawler was knocked out with a punch at 1:31 of round two at UFC 47, and Koji Oishi at 1:24 of round one at UFC 53.
Kickboxing. 76. Drew Fickett was stopped by punches at 4:40 of round one at UFC 51 in February 2005.
Wrestling. 72. Diego Sanchez won a unanimous decision at the TUF 2 Finale in November 2005, and Joe Riggs and Sean Sherk each beat him on the scorecards in 2006.
BJJ. 89. He took Jeremy Jackson to the third round for an armbar and finished Josh Neer with a kimura at 1:42 of round three at UFC 62, which won Submission of the Night.
Strength. 78. Gleison Tibau was stopped by punches at 2:27 of round two at UFC 65.
Durability. 88. He went five rounds with Condit at UFC 143 in February 2012 and five more with St-Pierre in Montreal in March 2013.
Cardio. 96, his best. He beat Penn on a unanimous decision at UFC 137, which won Fight of the Night, and fought in triathlons.
Fight IQ. 84. He said he was retiring after the Condit loss, and came back for the St-Pierre fight, then retired again after it and returned in July 2014.
Cardio at 96 and a pace that opponents could not match
Of his three Strikeforce defenses, only the Noons rematch went the distance. Santos and Daley were stopped in the first two rounds. His second UFC run began with a Fight of the Night against Penn. For a long fight, nobody else in the pool has a better engine.
Wrestling at 72 and the fights he did not win
He never won a UFC title. After UFC 183 in January 2015, a middleweight fight against Anderson Silva that was originally a decision loss, the result was changed to a no contest. A long hiatus followed. He came back at UFC 266 in September 2021 and lost to Lawler by TKO by retirement in the third round at 0:44.
Keep exploring
Closest welterweight profiles to Nick Diaz, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Jorge Masvidalbest boxing 91 · weakest wrestling 80
- Vicente Luquebest boxing 87 · weakest wrestling 77
- Carlos Conditbest cardio 92 · weakest wrestling 72
- Neil Magnybest cardio 92 · weakest strength 76
- Welterweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Nick Diaz's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Nick Diaz into your build
Nick Diaz enters the pool on any spin landing on welterweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Nick Diaz is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Nick Diaz's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.