Did you know that Nate Diaz began his martial arts journey with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, back when he was as a child?

Starting at just 11 years old, Diaz trained under Cesar Gracie, who played a pivotal role in shaping his early development.
And, although Diaz later trained with various elite coaches and partners in MMA, he remained loyal to Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu throughout his career.

In fact, Diaz earned all his BJJ belts from Gracie, and in late 2021, he was awarded his third-degree black belt by Cesar Gracie.

Jiu-Jitsu laid the groundwork for his MMA career, and by his teenage years, Diaz had already participated in his first unofficial bare-knuckle fight.
Just a few years later, he turned professional at 19. And in 2007, he gained widespread attention by winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 5.

Despite his MMA success, Diaz stayed true to his Jiu-Jitsu roots, competing in gi tournaments early in his career.
Eventually, he focused fully on his UFC career, where he fought for over 15 years, amassing a 21-13 record and defeating some of the sport’s biggest names.

Diaz explained the magnitude of significance that Jiu-Jitsu had in shaping his life:

For me, it gave me a lot of direction.

I was in there every night.
I felt good after training and then I had a tournament set up.

It gave me something to do and kept me busy, and the competition level kicked up all the time.
And it took over my life.

So, it was definitely positive.

 

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