Where is UFC superstar Nate Diaz from?

Veteran mixed martial artist Nate Diaz was born and raised in Stockton, California, USA. He continues to reside in Stockton with his elder brother, another legend of the fight game, Nick Diaz.

The Diaz brothers proudly project their sense of belonging to Stockton.

Many moments in Nate Diaz's UFC career have been attributed to his Stockton roots. This article takes a look at some of these moments from his career.

Nate Diaz sprays "209" in the TUF house upon his entry into the UFC

Nate Diaz began his career with the UFC as a lightweight contestant in the fifth season of the promotion's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. TUF splits fighters into teams under two actively competing coaches.

As soon as he stepped onto the UFC landscape, Nate Diaz marked his presence by spray-painting the number "209" all over the house.

209 is the area code for Nate Diaz's place of residence in Stockton, California. 'The Stockton Slugger' wasted no time in announcing his roots and his preferred way of addressing himself: 'West Coast Gangsters.'

"Jorge Masvidal had a good last fight."

"I know my man's a gangster but he ain't no West Coast gangster!"

Nate Diaz returns with a win at #UFC241 and sets up the fans' dream fight 😍@gamebredfighter loves it! Let's go! pic.twitter.com/BVc5JpT3ST
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 18, 2019

Nate Diaz and the infamous Stockton Slap

The Diaz brothers brought along the infamous 'Stockton' slap into the realm of professional MMA. What is a Stockton slap? Essentially, it is just a good old lazy palm slap on the face.

In a sport where fists and kicks fly with devastating velocity, the Diaz brothers often choose to slap their opponents. The loose hand undoubtedly deals damage, staggering his opponents for a while. Moreover, Nate Diaz uses it as a simple trick to faze his opponent mentally.

#OnThisDay in 2013... 📆

🖐 @NateDiaz209 ended his trilogy vs Maynard with a Stockton Slap!

[ Watch more on @UFCFightPass now ] pic.twitter.com/1bnZrEGUPm
— UFC (@ufc) November 30, 2020

The Diaz brothers have familiarized many of the sport's top fighters with the Stockton slap. These include Conor McGregor, BJ Penn, and even the UFC president, Dana White!

Nobody is immune from a Stockton Slap!

Nate Diaz returns to the Octagon to face Anthony Pettis this Saturday. The bout will be Diaz's first appearance in the Octagon since his last fight with Conor McGregor three years ago.pic.twitter.com/2kjmAc494Y
— 32Red (@32Red) August 14, 2019

Nate Diaz now returns to the octagon for the first time since November 2019. 'The Stockton Slugger' will face Leon 'Rocky' Edwards at UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2. The fight will be the first UFC non-title five-round fight to be contested outside the main event.

Do you think Stockton's Nate Diaz will get his hand raised against Leon Edwards at UFC 263? Sound off in the comments section!