Nate Diaz Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Nate Diaz’s Net Worth: What is It?

The net worth of Nate Diaz, a professional mixed martial artist affiliated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, stands at $8 million. Before claiming victory in the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diaz fought in World Extreme Cagefighting, Pancrase, and Strikeforce. He has been part of the UFC for 15 years, during which he has earned 16 UFC bonus awards.

A standout moment in Diaz’s career was his win over Conor McGregor in March 2016, where he secured a submission victory in the second round. This triumph propelled Diaz into the spotlight, establishing him as one of the most skilled and relentless fighters in the UFC. Although he faced McGregor again later that year and suffered a narrow defeat, it highlighted his determination and grit.

Diverse challenges have marked Diaz’s career as he has squared off against top competitors like Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard, and Rafael dos Anjos. His strengths include striking ability, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expertise, and a fearless fighting style. Additionally, he has received multiple Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night accolades for his remarkable performances in the octagon.

Nate Diaz is the younger sibling of Nick Diaz, a former welterweight champion and current UFC competitor.

Earnings from the Conor McGregor Fight

Reports indicate that Nate received a $2 million fee for participating in the fight against Conor McGregor. He also garnered $250,000 from a Reebok sponsorship, $50,000 for the fight of the night bonus, and $150,000 for appearing at an after-party. Crucially, Diaz’s earnings included a share of the PPV revenue, amounting to $10.5 million. Altogether, Nate secured $13 million from that event, while Conor made $15 million.

Career Beginnings and Early Life

Nate Diaz was born in 1985 in Stockton, California, into a Mexican-American family. He has an older brother named Nick, with whom he started training in martial arts at the age of 11. As a teenager, Diaz attended Tokay High School in Lodi, California.

His professional fighting journey commenced with World Extreme Cagefighting, where he won his debut match against Alejandro Garcia in 2004. A couple of years later, he competed for the WEC Lightweight Championship but lost to Hermes França in the second round. In addition to WEC, Diaz also participated in events organized by Pancrase and Strikeforce.

The Ultimate Fighter 5

In 2007, Diaz made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the fifth season of the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter,” which exclusively featured lightweights. Fighting for Jens Pulver’s team, Diaz won against Rob Emerson in the preliminary round, and then followed up with a victory over Gray Maynard in the quarterfinals. He ultimately faced Manvel Gamburyan in the finals, winning by submission after Gamburyan had to tap out due to an injury.

Beginning His UFC Career

After his success on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diaz experienced early victories in the UFC, notably against Alvin Robinson and Junior Assunção. However, seeking tougher opponents led to a matchup with Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night 13, where Diaz earned a win via triangle-choke submission. He then defeated Josh Neer at UFC Fight Night 15. In 2009, Diaz faced his first UFC loss against Clay Guida at UFC 94, but bounced back by headlining UFC Fight Night 19 and submitting Melvin Guillard with a guillotine choke.

In 2010, after three losses in four fights, Diaz opted to move up a weight class. This decision allowed him to continue…Nate Diaz made his welterweight debut at UFC 111, where he faced Rory Markham. However, after the weigh-ins, the bout was adjusted to a catchweight match. Diaz secured a victory by TKO in the first round. Following this, he opted to fight in both weight classes. In a welterweight contest at UFC 118, he defeated Marcus Davis with a guillotine choke submission, rendering him unconscious.

Further UFC Career

In the early part of 2011, Diaz faced defeats against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. Later in that year, he rebounded by defeating PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi at UFC 135. Another highlight came at UFC 141, where he earned a victory over Donald Cerrone in one of his finest performances. While at UFC on Fox 3, Diaz showcased his skills by defeating Jim Miller with a rolling guillotine choke. In May 2014, however, he was dropped from the UFC’s lightweight rankings due to inactivity.

Diaz made his return to the octagon in December 2014, competing against Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 13. Unfortunately, he missed weight and incurred a fine of 20% of his purse, which was awarded to Anjos. After another year away from the sport, Diaz returned in December 2015 to fight Michael Johnson, winning that bout by unanimous decision. In the following year, he faced off against Conor McGregor at UFC 196, securing a victory by submission and achieving his ninth submission win in the UFC, tying him for the second-most in history.

Controversies

Throughout his tenure in the UFC, Nate Diaz has been involved in controversies due to his sometimes rash and provocative behavior. In 2013, he faced a 90-day suspension and a $20,000 fine from the UFC after using a homophobic slur on Twitter.

A year later, he drew attention for a profanity-laden post-fight interview on live television, specifically when he called out Conor McGregor.

At a 2016 post-fight press conference, he breached a USADA rule by vaping CBD within four hours post-fight. Nonetheless, as CBD is not classified as a performance-enhancing substance, no sanctions were applied, and the USADA later removed CBD from its banned substance list.

In April 2023, footage surfaced showing Diaz choking a man unconscious in the streets of New Orleans.

Honors and Distinctions

Diaz’s professional accolades include multiple Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses. He has also earned honors for Knockout of the Night and Performance of the Night. He was awarded the World MMA Award for Submission of the Year in 2016 for his fight against Conor McGregor.

Diaz is tied with Jim Miller for the most submission wins in the UFC Lightweight division at seven and shares the honor of most Fight of the Night bonuses with Frankie Edgar at eight.

Personal Life

In 2012, Diaz was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from Cesar Gracie’s training facility in Pleasant Hill, California. Along with his brother, he operates a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school known as Nick Diaz Academy in Stockton, California. The Diaz brothers also launched a CBD company called Game Up Nutrition and collaborated with California Finest to produce a licensed line of marijuana pre-rolls.

Diaz has a daughter named Nikayla with his girlfriend, Misty Brown.