Does Nate Diaz have a speech impairment? The MMA star's take on potential CTE

Speculation has long abounded that Nate Diaz's combat sports career, marked by several epic battles, has resulted in him being afflicted with CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Many believe it's reflected in his supposedly impaired speech.

For his part, Diaz has disapproved of that hypothesis. Heading into his professional boxing debut, a fight against YouTuber-cum-boxer Jake Paul in Aug. 2023, the veteran fighter's purported speech impairment and CTE concerns became a hot-button topic.

On The Pat McAfee Show in July 2023, Nate Diaz emphasized that he's always spoken that way. He indicated that "every fight is pretty f**ked up" because your opponents harm you with their hands, legs, and other weapons. The Stockton native acknowledged being aware at all times that he could get knocked out, which motivates him to train harder than most others.

He reiterated that he's conscious of a fight's dangers, so he's so tough to knock out. Diaz further noted that as opposed to what some believe, he doesn't eat too many strikes clean, as he rolls with most strikes and mitigates their impact. Moreover, he implied that his tendency to get cut and bleed is because of his history of fighting and scar tissue, exacerbated by elbows and forearm strikes.

Though he has two KO/TKO losses on his professional MMA record, Diaz claimed he'd never been knocked out and stated:

"It might not look like it, but I roll with a lot of these punches that anybody lands. I'm not just walking in like a meathead into punches like a ret**d. People try to talk about me like that, but I've never been knocked out. I've never really been even f**king stunned stupid or nothing like that."

He added:

"And people and these f**kers are talking about how I talk and how I'm f**king, got CTE or some sh**. I'm like, 'Bro, I've been talking this way the whole motherf**king time.' It really got nothing to do with getting hit or none of that, and I'm smarter now than ever."

Check out Nate Diaz's comments below (24:19):

---

When Nate Diaz's jibe at Charles Oliveira elicited a wave of CTE remarks

Nate Diaz notably jibed at Charles Oliveira for withdrawing from his scheduled rematch against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 (Oct. 2024). Diaz insinuated that Oliveira's fear led to the pull-out. Multiple commenters soon lambasted Diaz for his seemingly unprovoked jabs at 'Do Bronx.'

They berated Diaz for supposedly sustaining CTE in his one-sided unanimous decision defeat against Jake Paul in their boxing match that transpired in August.

It wasn't the only time fight fans implied that Nate Diaz possibly suffers from CTE and a CTE-induced speech impediment. A tough-to-comprehend tweet by MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz in May 2024 led many to jestingly speculate whether it was written by Diaz or Justin Gaethje, both often targeted for their speech and supposed CTE.

Presently, Diaz is scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal next in a professional boxing bout on July 6, 2024.