Nate Diaz Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Nate Diaz’s Net Worth?

Nate Diaz, a professional mixed martial artist currently with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has a net worth estimated at $8 million. Prior to winning the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diaz fought in promotions such as World Extreme Cagefighting, Pancrase, and Strikeforce. His UFC career spanned 15 years, during which he secured 16 UFC bonus awards.

A standout moment in Diaz’s career was his win against Conor McGregor in March 2016, achieved through a second-round submission. This triumph elevated Diaz’s profile significantly and affirmed his reputation as a skilled and relentless fighter within the UFC. Although Diaz lost in a rematch with McGregor later that year, the bout highlighted his toughness and commitment.

Throughout his career, Diaz has battled against elite competitors including Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard, and Rafael dos Anjos. He is renowned for his striking skills, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expertise, and daring fighting style. Additionally, Diaz has been recognized with multiple Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night awards for his outstanding performances in the octagon.

He is also known as the younger brother of Nick Diaz, a former welterweight champion and current UFC fighter.

Conor McGregor Fight Earnings

Reports indicate that Nate received a $2 million payout for his appearance in the fight against Conor McGregor. He also earned $250,000 through a Reebok sponsorship, $50,000 for the Fight of the Night bonus, and $150,000 for attending an after-party. Most notably, he obtained a share of the PPV revenue, amounting to approximately $10.5 million. In total, Nate’s earnings for that night amounted to $13 million, while Conor earned $15 million.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Nate Diaz was born in Stockton, California, in 1985, to a Mexican-American family. He has an older brother, Nick, with whom he began martial arts training at the age of 11. During his teenage years, Diaz attended Tokay High School in Lodi, California.

Diaz kicked off his professional fighting career by competing mainly for World Extreme Cagefighting. He secured his first victory in 2004 against Alejandro Garcia. However, he lost in the second round two years later while vying for the WEC Lightweight Championship against Hermes França. Aside from the WEC, Diaz also participated in fights for Pancrase and Strikeforce.

“The Ultimate Fighter 5”

In 2007, Diaz made his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a contestant on the fifth season of the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter.” This season featured only lightweight fighters, with Diaz representing Jens Pulver’s team. He initially defeated Rob Emerson in the preliminary round and went on to defeat Gray Maynard in the quarterfinals. In the final match against Manvel Gamburyan, Diaz claimed victory through submission after Gamburyan was compelled to tap out due to injury.

Start of UFC Career

Following his win on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Diaz found early success in the UFC, defeating opponents such as Alvin Robinson and Junior Assunção. Yet, seeking tougher competition led him to face Kurt Pellegrino at UFC Fight Night 13, where he won via triangle choke submission. He later fought and defeated Josh Neer at UFC Fight Night 15. However, in 2009, Diaz faced his first loss in the UFC against Clay Guida at UFC 94. He rebounded when he headlined UFC Fight Night 19, where he submitted Melvin Guillard using a guillotine choke.

In 2010, after experiencing three defeats in four matches,

After weighing the options, Diaz opted to ascend to a higher weight class. He made his welterweight debut at UFC 111 against Rory Markham; however, the bout was later adjusted to a catchweight following the weigh-ins. Diaz emerged victorious with a TKO in the first round. Thereafter, he chose to participate in both weight classes. During a welterweight contest at UFC 118, he achieved a win over Marcus Davis by rendering him unconscious via a guillotine choke submission.

Further UFC Career

In the early months of 2011, Diaz faced defeats against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. However, he later rebounded by defeating PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi at UFC 135. He claimed another win at UFC 141 against Donald Cerrone in what stood out as one of the best performances in his career. Additionally, Diaz delivered an outstanding performance at UFC on Fox 3, defeating Jim Miller using a rolling guillotine choke. By May 2014, the UFC removed Diaz from the lightweight rankings due to inactivity.

Returning to combat in December 2014, Diaz faced Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 13. Unfortunately, he missed weight and faced a 20% fine on his purse, which was awarded to Anjos. After sitting out another year, Diaz returned in December 2015 to take on Michael Johnson, emerging victorious by unanimous decision. In the following year, he fought Conor McGregor at UFC 196, securing a submission win and marking his ninth submission victory within the UFC, tying him for the second-most all time.

Controversies

Nate Diaz has attracted controversy throughout his UFC career, often due to his impulsive and provocative conduct. In 2013, he faced a 90-day suspension and a $20,000 fine from the UFC for using a homophobic slur on Twitter.

In 2015, he garnered attention with a profane post-fight interview aired live, during which he called out fighter Conor McGregor.

During a 2016 post-fight press conference, Diaz violated USADA regulations by smoking a CBD vape pen within four hours after his match. Nevertheless, he faced no sanctions as CBD is not classified as a performance-enhancing drug, leading USADA to subsequently remove the substance from its banned list.

In April 2023, videos surfaced showing Nate choking an individual unconscious on the streets of New Orleans.

Honors and Distinctions

Among his impressive list of accolades, Diaz has earned multiple Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses. He has also been recognized for Knockout of the Night and Performance of the Night distinctions. Notably, in 2016, Diaz received the World MMA Award for Submission of the Year for his contest against Conor McGregor.

Diaz shares the record with Jim Miller for the most submission wins in the UFC Lightweight division, with a total of seven. Furthermore, he is tied with Frankie Edgar for the most Fight of the Night bonuses, achieving eight.

Personal Life

In 2012, Diaz was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from the Cesar Gracie training facility in Pleasant Hill, California. Alongside his brother, he operates a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school located in Stockton, California, named

The Diaz brothers established the Nick Diaz Academy and launched a CBD business named Game Up Nutrition, in addition to collaborating with California Finest for a licensed range of marijuana pre-rolls.

Diaz shares a daughter named Nikayla with his girlfriend Misty Brown.