Issue 097
January 2013
FO tips on training the Stockton mean-mugger’s even meaner bag of tricks
UFC 118 & UFC on Fox
Against Marcus Davis in 2010, Diaz tilted him to his side before cranking up the guillotine. And with Jim Miller he used an arm-in headlock and reversed all the way to the mount before attacking the neck.
UFC Fight Night 15
From a whizzer, Nate threw Josh Neer with a great harai goshi on route to a split-decision win in 2008 at UFC Fight Night 15.
UFC 94 & UFC 118
Check out Diaz’s long-range punching against Clay Guida in 2009 and Marcus Davis in 2010. He operates well with his man backed onto the cage wall, where he can dictate the range.
UFC Fight night 12 & 13
Diaz has submitted a string of opponents with his trademark triangle, including: Kurt Pellegrino (UFC Fight Night 13) and Alvin Robinson (UFC Fight Night 12).
THROWS FROM THE WHIZZER
Nate Diaz takedowns owe as much to judo as to the standard American wrestling style employed by most fighters. Diaz’s long limbs come in to play, allowing him to step past his opponent’s legs and execute high-amplitude throws from the whizzer.
EXECUTING
Although frowned upon in some quarters in the sport of judo, a crash mat saves a great deal of wear and tear on the body when drilling high-amplitude, high-impact throws.
FOOTWORK
Start with the whizzer and step through, placing your foot in position to throw, and feel the moment the balance breaks without executing the throw. Step back through the footwork in reverse to return to start position. Repeat three times, then throw.
TRIANGLE CHOKE
Long limbs lend themselves to locking on the triangle, but don’t necessarily make it easy to finish the choke. Developing a good squeeze with the knees is key to making the triangle effective.
DRILL
Drill the triangle from your standard set-up, but when it comes time to finish, don’t use your hands to help you. Squeeze your knees together to get the finish, which will give you the opportunity to ‘flip the bird’ like Diaz did in 2008 against Kurt Pellegrino.
BODY PUNCHING
Just like elder brother Nick, Nate Diaz loves to overwhelm opponents with punches to the head, using his range to keep away from punishment, and then whip in body shots to drain and damage his foes.
DRILL
Have your coach wear a body shield and 16oz sparring gloves. Throw straights and hooks to the body while slipping and staying out of range of the strikes coming back.
GUILLOTINE REVERSAL AND MOUNTED FINISH
In addition to the triangle, Diaz is a master of the guillotine, using his long arms to snake around the neck in the same way his legs collect the triangle.
DRILL
Practice sweeping your training partner from the headlock by sitting out at different angles and achieving the mount. You may be surprised by how many variations this offers depending on the body type of the opponent.
