Both Nick and Nate Diaz currently train under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie at his academy, Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which is located in Stockton, California. Two of the most renowned names in MMA, the Diaz brothers have been staples at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu despite undergoing several ups and downs in their MMA careers.
Nick and Nate Diaz have also been heavily influenced by their upbringing, glimpses of which can be seen in their fighting styles. While Nick Diaz refers to it as a curse, Nate Diaz has summarized the true fighter mentality with one ideology: Always be all the way in when it comes to a fight.
Referring to the 'kill or be killed' state of mind, Nick Diaz told Brett Okamoto from ESPN:
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"I've been a lot more real than other fighters. I'm putting my middle finger up, saying, 'F--- you,' and they're sitting there like we're not even fighting. No, we are fighting. And this will remind you of that real quick. These other guys are trying to make this a sport, but I'm just keeping it real with what the hell is going on."
When Conor McGregor made fun of Nate Diaz for teaching Jiu-Jitsu
Conor McGregor faced Nate Diaz for the first time at UFC 196, when the latter stepped in for Rafael dos Anjos on 11 days' notice. In typical McGregor fashion, Conor would try to get into Diaz's head by referring to his teammates as 'juiceheads,' and making fun of him for teaching kids jiu-jitsu.
Nate Diaz was clearly unphased by the rhetoric as he successfully submitted McGregor at 04:12 in the second round. Speaking about the fight, Richard Perez, the Diaz brothers' long-time boxing coach, said:
"It hypes [Diaz] up. He likes to go talk stuff. It pumps him up even more. That's the way it is."
Speaking about McGregor's takedown attempt which eventually led to the end of the fight, Perez further stated:
"Once Nathan started using his range and his straight-down-the-middle punches and combinations and landed them, I knew it was gonna be over. When he shot at him, he didn't want to take any more punishment. That's why he did that. And that was a big mistake. It worked out right. Once he got him on the ground, it was over. I knew it was over. Because this guy is not a jiu-jitsu man. Nathan is."