Nate Diaz's comeback fight brought the house down at UFC 263 in an epic five-round war against Leon Edwards. Even though he lost the fight in the end, his performance was enough to earn plaudits from every MMA fan and pundit around the world.
Prominent of these was a tweet by former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. The UFC analyst and commentator took to Twitter to say:
"And once again Nate Diaz shows up and even after losng a fight his stock rises. That flurry is all that'll be talked about! It's about memories /| and Diaz leaves people with memories. #ufc263"
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Cormier was talking about the Stockton Slap to left cross combination that Diaz landed in the final minutes of the fifth round of the fight. Diaz was losing every round and needed a finish in the fifth. He landed a great combo that shook Edwards and wobbled him massively.
However, instead of going for the kill, Diaz refrained. Nate Diaz mocking Edwards received a huge cheer from the crowd. The Stockton native couldn't finish the fight in the end but landed a lot of major shots, and Edwards never fully recovered. The British fighter was saved by the bell, and he got away with the win.
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Nate Diaz's fight against Leon Edwards becomes one of the most memorable fights in recent memory
Edwards started the fight in a dominant way. He began landing leg kicks and used them to good measure. The Englishman's punches also landed and proved his all-around game. In what was a surprise to many, Edwards also took Nate Diaz down successfully in the first round.
The three rounds that proceeded got considerably worse for Nate Diaz as he got three massive cuts to his face. One of those cuts was just above his left eye and left his cutman with a massive job to do. However, it was all good in the end. Nate Diaz's penchant for coming alive in the championship rounds came true again.
Even though Edwards won the fourth round, Nate Diaz won the fifth convincingly. All three judges scored the fight 49-46 in favor of Edwards, but the arena was rooting for Nate Diaz's antics. It will be interesting to see what Nate Diaz's future will look like.