Scouting Report: Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz

Born: April 16, 1985 (Age: 37) in Stockton, California
Division: Welterweight
Height: 6’0”
Reach: 76”
Record: 20-13 (15-11 UFC)
Association: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Stage of Career: Twilight

Summary: Like his older brother Nick, Diaz is not the most technical striker. However, he keeps coming at you while throwing an endless array of punches, which used to be quite fast but are now only slightly faster than average. He can do this for all 25 minutes if necessary, thanks to his endless cardio, and his all-time great chin allows him to weather shots from such a risky approach. Oftentimes, his offense eventually proves too much for the hapless opponent, and Diaz either crashes through strikes or uses his outstanding Brazilian jiu-jitsu to score a submission. He is also highly dangerous in the clinch and can simply defeat opponents there if they have deficiencies. However, his porous defense, lack of technique and his vulnerability to takedowns are issues against the best fighters, especially now that he is past his prime and can no longer rely on his natural gifts.

STRIKING

• Stance: Southpaw.
• Hand Speed: Still slightly above average, though significantly slower than his prime.
• Jab: Average, straight and technical enough, but a bit airy and certainly weak.
• Cross: Rarely throws it, but it is serviceable when he does.
• Left Hook: Decent, fairly hard and fast, but he sometimes slaps with it and there is plenty of room to be countered with his wider arc.
• Right Hook: Similar properties to the left.
• Overhand Right: Comparable to the hooks, but at least a little lighter and, as a result, better.
• Uppercuts: Almost never throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Huge volume puncher who throws a slew of shots in bunches.
• Favorite Combinations: Series of short-range hooks and overhand rights, one after the other.
• Leg Kicks: Rarely throws them, likely a good idea given that he is a taller fighter who likes being at close range and would be liable to get countered hard.
• Body Kicks: Utilizes good, accurate, hard front kicks to the body, and he should use them more, as they are actually the most technical of all his strikes.
• Head Kicks: Practically never throws them.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: Never.

Diaz has a unique standup game, relying on an endless string of strikes to overwhelm opponents. His punches are decent but certainly not the most technical, and he tends to slap with them at times. He loves to throw short hooks and the overhand right again and again. He rarely throws jabs or even crosses. His hand speed has diminished over the years, which is one reason he is not the fighter he used to be. He also has a shockingly good front kick to the body, which he could benefit from throwing more often. Diaz’s own defense is not the best, as he will gladly eat shots to land some of his own.

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CLINCH

• Physical Strength: At least decent, as shown when he absolutely dominated a weaker clinch fighter like Anthony Pettis there.
• Technique: Solid, with a proper distribution of weight and a mastery all the fundamental positions.
• Knees: Strong and underrated. Powerful and accurate, allowing him to nearly knock out Pettis.
• Elbows: Does not throw them. Prefers to throw accurate, short punches.
• Defense against Knees and Elbows: Fair, given his height and the threat of his own offense.

Diaz is highly effective and dangerous in the clinch. He can secure takedowns at close range and can be difficult to take down himself, but he offers excellent striking in tight spaces, with powerful, accurate knees and excellent dirty boxing.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Passable, as he most recently single-legged Pettis off a kick and shows solid-enough technique. • Wrestling in the Clinch: Decent, able to get trips against opponents with vulnerabilities there, but offers little else from an offensive standpoint.
• Takedown Defense: Fair, but he can be grounded by a good wrestler.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Average. He has never been the most athletic competitor, and he has too much of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu mindset in the guard at times.
• Submissions: Exceptional. He can take advantage of hurt opponents or those who have made a mistake. Even good grapplers are vulnerable to his attacks, as he showed against Jim Miller.
• Bottom-Position Defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Serviceable, but he has a tendency to absorb ground-and-pound, and it has become almost impossible to submit anyone with a functional knowledge of the guard.
• Top Control: Better than average. He cuts off escape attempts and excels at transitioning between positions. Plus, opponents have to always be aware of the threat of his submissions.
• Ground-and-Pound: Below average. He throws few strikes, and those he throws are not too impactful. He has been fairly easy to tie up.

Diaz’s grappling can be a strength or a weakness, depending on the opponent. On the one hand, a strong wrestler can take him down and keep him there. On the other, he can take down opponents himself and has underrated top control, along with an array of submissions with which to threaten them once on top. He excels at taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes and finishing them off with submissions when he has them stunned. However, his ground-and-pound is surprisingly limited, causing little to no concern for his counterparts.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism and General Physical Strength: Above average for a fighter in the UFC, but not by much.
• Cardio: Superb. Allows him to keep fighting at a fast pace for all five rounds and remain dangerous until the last few moments.
• Chin: All-time durable. Can weather a slew of huge blows over a long period of time and keep fighting.
• Recuperative Powers: Excellent. Affords him the chance to recover shockingly fast after being badly hurt by big shots.
• Intelligence: Solid. Always stays calm in a fight and takes advantage of opportunities, whether it comes through an opening for a submission or another weakness he can exploit.