Another controversial fighter that’s come along the UFC is former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.
Before his debut within the promotion at UFC 44, the Stockton native had some buzz around his name as he was competing in International Fighting Championship, Ultimate Athlete, and World Extreme Cagefighting.
In his debut against Jeremy Jackson, Diaz made a strong statement by getting a submission win over the welterweight fighter. Since then, Diaz has excited fans inside and out of the octagon with his antics, and had memorable fights against names such as Robbie Lawler (UFC 47) and Diego Sanchez (The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale) before temporarily leaving the promotion.
He continued to make a name for himself in Strikeforce by becoming the welterweight champion by beating Marius Žaromskis via TKO and managed to defend the belt three times successfully.
Diaz returned with bigger star power and fought B.J. Penn (UFC 137), Georges St-Pierre (UFC 158), and Anderson Silva (UFC 183) before settling with life outside of the octagon. Go back and revisit Nick Diaz’s strong victory over Jeremy Jackson at UFC 44: