Since his early years in the UFC, Nate Diaz has been a fan-favorite. But the fight that catapulted him into mainstream superstardom is his UFC 196 headliner against Conor McGregor in March 2016.
Diaz stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Rafael dos Anjos, whom “The Notorious” was challenging for the lightweight title at the time. But being fresh off a vacation in Mexico with almost no training, the Stockton native took the fight at 170 pounds.
The two men fought for nearly two rounds, but it was Diaz who walked off with the rear-naked choke submission.