When it comes to dishing out disrespect inside the octagon, Nate Diaz has perfected the art of the slap. It’s a move so synonymous with the Stockton native that fans have even dubbed it the ‘Stockton Slap.’ And while a slap might not carry the power of a punch, for Diaz, it’s all about sending a message.
And sometimes, that’s more important than winning fights. At UFC 263 in 2021, Diaz faced former 170 lbs champion Leon Edwards. While Edwards dominated the fight and eventually won, all anyone is ever going to remember is Diaz slapping him across the face, catching him off guard and then finding his chin with a left.
He could have followed up with a blitz against the visibly staggered Edwards, but instead, he decided to point at him and mock. So, was this his best slap yet?
During an interview with Full Violence, the former UFC fighter was asked about his most satisfying slaps in the cage.
“I like when I slapped Leon Edwards. Remember I slapped him and cracked him, bink!” Diaz answered, clearly enjoying the memory of the viral moment. But that wasn’t all.
“Conor’s f*cking ass, remember I slapped him when he hit me right in the shin and I smacked him.”, the younger Diaz brother added, reminiscing about UFC 196 when he won the biggest underdog fight of his career.
Diaz admitted that slapping his opponents has become almost second nature to him. “Sometimes I don’t even do it intentionally,” he explained.
Unfortunately, the last time Diaz stepped into the octagon was when he fought Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 back in 2022. Since then, he has ventured into boxing and celebrity fights, and these slaps have become almost extinct. However, there might be some good news on the horizon.
Diaz wants UFC title shot
The Stockton native is currently exploring all his options. However, nothing seems to be interesting him. And nobody can blame him. The trash talk in the UFC is the worst it has ever been. Alarm bells are ringing over the promotion’s lack of stars, so Diaz can’t exactly be blamed not wanting to return.
However, there are ambitions he still habours.
“Everybody’s boring right now so I’m tryna do other s*it for the moment but I wanna go back and get a UFC title. I don’t want to fight for nothing.”, he said.
Nate Diaz plans to return to the UFC:
“I want to go back and get a UFC title… But right now, there’s nobody entertaining.”
@Full_Violence ▫️ pic.twitter.com/K7vTCUfdxC
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 15, 2025
Diaz then asked the interviewer who the UFC 170lbs champion was, and the interviewer could not remember (it’s Belal Muhammad). The Stockton native then pointed out how this was exactly what he was talking about.