Why is Nate Diaz famous? The viral moment that shot the Stockton slugger to UFC superstardom

Nate Diaz is currently one of the most popular MMA fighters in the world. While the Stockton native has had many iconic moments in the cage, his call-out to Conor McGregor in 2015 instantly shot him to fame.

After a brilliant victory against Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 17, Nate Diaz made one of the sport's most famous call-outs to its biggest star. Taking a shot at Conor McGregor, Diaz said:

"Conor McGregor, you're taking everything I worked for, motherf***er. I'm gonna fight your f***ing ass. You know what's the real fight, what's the real money fight — me. Not these clowns that you already punked at the press conference. Ain't nobody wants to see that. You know you can beat them already. It's an easy fight. You want the real sh*t. Right here!"

Check out Nate Diaz's call-out below:

While McGregor granted Diaz's wish by accepting the call-out, this was not the only moment that rose the Stockton native to fame. Diaz winning season five of The Ultimate Fighter helped boost his popularity and also proved to the fans that he was not just Nick Diaz's brother.

In 2008, Nate Diaz fought Kurt Pellegrino. While the fight was expected to be an entertaining one, the finishing sequence caught everyone's attention. While locking up a triangle on his opponent, Diaz threw up double fingers. This moment, along with his victory, helped raise the fighters' stock.

Read about: Nate Diaz's Girlfriend

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Has Nate Diaz ever been a champion?

Nate Diaz is a mixed martial artist of a very high caliber. Despite that, the former TUF season five winner could never become a world champion. He definitely had the tools for the same, but championship gold was not written in the fighter's destiny.

While Diaz did not win a title, the Stockton-born fighter competed twice for the same. His first title opportunity came at World Extreme Cagefighting when Diaz fought Hermes Franca. However, things did not go Diaz's way as he lost the bout via submission in the 2nd round.

His next opportunity for gold came when he fought former 155-pound UFC champion Benson Henderson. Riding on a three-fight win streak, many fighters expected Diaz to win UFC gold. But the same was not possible as he lost a unanimous decision to Henderson.

Even though Diaz could never get his hands on the championship gold, his performances against Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson proved that the fighter had what it takes to be a champion.

Fighting in the UFC for 15 years, Diaz will now feature in the the last fight of his UFC contract when he takes on Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 279.