UFC veteran Nate Diaz has just been given a ‘key to the city’ of Stockton by the city’s mayor, Kevin Lincoln, as recognition for all of the attention he has brought to the 209 area. Diaz is without a doubt one of the most popular MMA fighters to ever set foot in the octagon, thanks to his exciting fights and legendary trash talk. Diaz is a skilled boxer and phenomenal grappler with a third degree on his BJJ black belt, using both of those talents to full effect during his time as a UFC fighter.
Diaz has been doing both combat sports separately since before he had his first MMA fight, and he could’ve reached a pretty high level in either one individually as well. As a purple belt, he even came up against Ryan Hall in the US Open and gave a great account of himself in doing so. Even after he has allowed his UFC contract to come to an end, he’s considering throwing himself fully into boxing once again. This long and storied career is part of why Nate Diaz has now received the key to the city during a Stockton Kings game and the city’s mayor congratulated him on his career:
“We want to thank you for the grit and determination that you display every time you step into a fight, and I want you to know that that grit and determination is built into the very fabric of the city that you represent.”
Diaz has spent a very long time fighting, starting his career all the way back in 2002 when he was just 17 years old. Since then, he’s fought his way up the UFC rankings several times over and brought a lot of attention to the city of Stockton. Diaz graciously accepted the key to the city from Lincoln and used his time to thank the city and its inhabitants for supporting him throughout his time as a fighter:
“I want to say it’s an honour, thank you very much to Stockton, California, for rocking with me. I’ve been rocking with Stockton this whole time … I’m going to be forever rocking Stockton, I ain’t going nowhere.”
Footage of Nate Diaz receiving the keys to the city of Stockton from the city’s mayor, Kevin Lincoln, was uploaded to his official Instagram account:
