Ronda
—  Municipality  —
Coat of arms
Ronda Location in Andalusia
Ronda Location in Spain
Coordinates: 36°44′14″N 5°9′53″W / 36.73722°N 5.16472°W / 36.73722; -5.16472Coordinates: 36°44′14″N 5°9′53″W / 36.73722°N 5.16472°W / 36.73722; -5.16472
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Málaga
Comarca	Serranía de Ronda
Government
• Alcalde	Antonio María Marín Lara (PSOE)
Area
• Total	481.31 km2 (185.83 sq mi)
Elevation	723 m (2,372 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	36,827
• Density	77/km2 (200/sq mi)
Demonym	Rondeños
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	29400
Dialing code	95287, 95219
Website	Official website

View in Ronda looking toward the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor

The Puente Nuevo bridge in Ronda

The view from Ronda

Ronda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈronda]) is a city in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.

History[link]

Around the city are remains of prehistoric settlements dating to the Neolithic Age, including the rock paintings of Cueva de la Pileta. Ronda was however first settled by the early Celts, who, in the 6th century BC, called it Arunda. Later Phoenician settlers established themselves nearby to found Acinipo, known locally as Ronda la Vieja, Arunda or Old Ronda. The current Ronda is however of Roman origins,^[1] having been founded as a fortified post in the Second Punic War, by Scipio Africanus. Ronda received the title of city at the time of Julius Caesar.

In the 5th century AD Ronda was conquered by the Suebi, led by Rechila, being reconquered in the following century by the Eastern Roman Empire, under whose rule Acinipo was abandoned. Later the Visigoth king Leovigild captured the city. Ronda was part of the Visigoth reign until 713, when it fell to the Arabs, who named it Izn-Rand Onda ("city of the castle") and made it the capital of the Takurunna province.

It was the hometown of the polymath Abbas Ibn Firnas (810–887), an inventor, engineer, aviator, physician, Arabic poet, and Andalusian musician.

After the disintegration of the caliphate of Córdoba, Ronda became the capital of a small kingdom ruled by the Berber Banu Ifran, the taifa of Ronda. During this period Ronda received most of its Islamic architectural heritage. In 1065 Ronda was conquered by the taifa of Seville led by Abbad II al-Mu'tadid. Both the poet Salih ben Sharif al-Rundi (1204–1285) and the Sufi scholar Ibn Abbad al-Rundi (1333–1390) were born in Ronda.

The Islamic domination of Ronda ended in 1485, when it was conquered by the Marquis of Cádiz after a brief siege. Subsequently, mostly of the city's old edifices were renewed or adapted to Christian roles, while numerous others were built in newly-created quarters such as the Mercadillo and the San Francisco ones. The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda was founded in the town in 1572, with military finalities.

The Spanish Inquisitions affected the Muslims living in Spain greatly. Shortly after 1492, when the last outpost of Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula, Granada, was conquered, the Spanish decreed that all Muslims and Jews must either vacate the peninsula without their belongings or convert to Christianity. Many people overtly converted to keep their possessions, while secretly practiced their religion. Muslims who converted only overtly were called Moriscos. Moriscos were required to wear upon their caps and turbans a blue crescent, which brought upon them taunts and violence of a fanatical population. Traveling without a permit meant a death sentence. This systematic suppression forced the Muslims to seek refuge in mountainous regions of southern Andalucian cities such as Ronda.

On May 25, 1566 Philip II decreed that the use of the Arabic language (written or spoken) to be illegal, doors to home to remain open on Fridays to verify that no Muslim Friday prayers are conducted, and heavy taxation on Moriscos trades. This led to several rebellions, one being that of Ronda under the leadership of Al-Fihrey. After a ferocious battle, Al-Fihrey's insurgent army was able to defeat the Spanish army sent to suppress them under the leadership of Alfonso de Aguilar. So violent the retribution was, that no Spanish soldier captured was spared his life, including Alfonso himself. This prompted Phillip II to order the mass slaughter of all Moriscos in Ronda. Those few who survived were sold into slavery.

In the early 19th century, the Napoleonic invasion and the subsequent Peninsular War caused much suffering in Ronda, whose inhabitants were reduced from 15,600 to 5,000 in three years. Ronda's area became the base first of guerrilla warriors, then of numerous bandits, whose deeds inspired artists such as Washington Irving, Prosper Mérimée and Gustave Doré. In the 19th century the economy of Ronda was mainly based on agricultural activities. In 1918 the city was the seat of the Assembly of Ronda, in which the Andalusian flag, coat of arms and anthem were designed.

Ronda's Romero family--from the grandfather, Francisco, who was born in 1698, through his son Juan, to Juan's famous son, Pedro, who died in 1839--played a principal role in the development of modern Spanish bullfighting. With the family responsible for such innovations as the use of the cape, or muleta, and a sword especially designed for the kill, Pedro in particular transformed bullfighting into "an art and a skill in its own right, and not simply ... a clownishly macho preamble to the bull's slaughter."^[2]

Ronda was heavily affected by the Spanish Civil War, after which much of the population emigrated elsewhere. The famous scene in Chapter 10 of Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", describing the 1936 execution of Fascist sympathisers in a (fictional) village who are thrown off a cliff, is considered to be modeled on actual events at the time in Ronda.^[3]

Geography[link]

Ronda is situated in a very mountainous area about 750 m above mean sea level. The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches. The Spanish Fir (Abies pinsapo) is endemic to the mountains surrounding Ronda.

Main sights[link]

Three bridges, Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge", also known as the Puente San Miguel), Puente Viejo ("Old Bridge", also known as the Puente Árabe or "Arab Bridge") and Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"), span the canyon. The term "nuevo" is a bit of a misnomer, as the building of this bridge commenced in 1751 and took until 1793 to complete. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 metres (390 ft) above the canyon floor, and all three serve as some of the city's most impressive features.

The ‘Corrida Goyesca’ is a unique and historical bullfight that takes place once a year in Ronda in the Plaza de toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.^[4] It was built in 1784 in the Neoclassical style by the architect José Martin de Aldehuela, who also designed the Puente Nuevo.

The partially intact Baños árabes ("Arab baths") are found below the city and date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

The former town hall, which sits next to the Puente Nuevo, is the site of a parador, and has a view of the Tajo canyon.

Cultural influence[link]

American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions. Their collective accounts have contributed to Ronda's popularity over time.

In the first decades of the 20th century the famous German poet Rainer Maria Rilke spent extended periods in Ronda. There he kept a permanent room at the Hotel Reina Victoria (built in 1906) where his room remains to this day as he left it, a mini-museum of Rilkeana. According to the hotel's publicity, Rilke wrote (though probably not in Spanish) "He buscado por todas partes la ciudad soñada, y al fin la he encontrado en Ronda" and "No hay nada más inesperado en España que esta ciudad salvaje y montañera" ("I have sought everywhere the city of my dreams, and I have finally found it in Ronda" and "There is nothing that is more startling in Spain than this wild and mountainous city.")

Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the execution of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans murder the Nationalists by throwing them from cliffs in an Andalusian village, and Hemingway allegedly based the account on killings that took place in Ronda at the cliffs of El Tajo. Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his novels here as well, such as Fiesta.^[4]

Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda (e.g. Welles' unfinished film about Don Quixote). After Welles died in 1985, his ashes were buried in a well, located on the rural property of his friend, the retired bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez.

English writer George Eliot's book Daniel Deronda ("Daniel of Ronda") tells the story of Spanish Jew brought up as an Englishman. There have been some speculation that Eliot's ancestors may have lived in Ronda prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

In the fashion world Italian designer Giorgio Armani was pleased to announce that he specially designed the bullfighting costume, called ‘Goyesco’ for famed bullfighter and testimonial Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez, on the occasion of the ‘Corrida Goyesca’, that took place on September 6, 2009 in Ronda. Cayetano’s suit of lights was in the Goyaesque style, comprises a jacket, trousers and cloack in techno satin in a shade of Armani greige. The three pieces are embroidered with sequins, small glitter stones and thread, all matching the colour of the background fabric.^[4][5]

Transportation[link]

Ronda is accessible via highways and by rail from Algeciras and from Córdoba.

The single track railway between Ronda and Algeciras was built between 1890 and 1892 by the Gibraltar Railway Company. It enabled the British military officers to escape the summer heat of Gibraltar. The railway was built by James Morrison, an engineer, in partnership with, Sir Alexander Henderson, a financier. The station at Ronda was opened in 1892.

Sister cities[link]

• Cuenca, Spain
• Chefchaouen, Morocco ^[6]
• Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
• Ontinyent, Spain

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ronda Tourist Board
• Ronda images

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ronda

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Medal record
Women's Judo
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	2008 Beijing	70kg
World Championships
Silver	2007 Rio de Janeiro	Middleweight
Pan American Games
Gold	2007 Rio de Janeiro	70kg
Pan American Judo Championships
Gold	2004	63kg
Gold	2005 Caguas	63kg
Silver	2006 Buenos Aires	63kg

Ronda Rousey (born February 1, 1987) is an American judoka and mixed martial artist and the current Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has finished all of her opponents by armbar in the first round. She formerly trained at the Olympic Training Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts under guidance of Jimmy Pedro and is now part of Team Hayastan in Santa Monica, California.

Rousey trains under Gokor Chivichyan and Edmond Tarverdyan of the Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale, CA.^[1] Rousey also trains with Leo Frincu and Gene Lebell, along with Team Hayastan fighters such as Manny Gamburyan, Karen Darabedyan, Sako Chivitchian and Sevak Magakian. She is managed by Darin Harvey of Fight Tribe MMA.^[2]

Rousey is currently the #1-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com,^[3] and is ranked #1 at 135 pounds and #2 at 145 pounds according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.^[4]

Olympic judo career[link]

At just 17, Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the youngest judo player in the entire Games. Also in 2004, Rousey won a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

In April 2006, she became the first U.S. female athlete in nearly 10 years to win an A-Level tournament as she went 5-0 to claim gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain. Later that year, the 19-year-old won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, becoming the first U.S. athlete ever to win two Junior World medals.

In February 2007, Rousey moved up to 70 kg where she is currently ranked as one of the top three women in the world. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Judo Championships in the middleweight division and the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan Am Games.

In August 2008, Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She lost her quarterfinal to the Dutch ex-world champion Edith Bosch but qualified for a Bronze medal match through the repechage bracket. Rousey defeated Annett Boehm by Yuko to win a bronze medal (note: Judo offers two bronze medals per weight class). With the victory, Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's judo since its inception as an Olympic sport in 1992.^[5]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010. She defeated Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.^[6]

She entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament on November 12, 2010 and submitted promotional veteran Autumn Richardson with an armbar in 57 seconds.^[7]

Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals on January 7, 2011 and won by technical submission due to an armbar in 24 seconds. She then announced plans to turn pro and was replaced in the tournament.^[8]

Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut on March 27, 2011 at King of the Cage: Turning Point. She submitted Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.^[6][9]

Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet in an MMA bout at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: School of Hard Knocks 12 on June 17, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.^[10] She submitted Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds.^[11]

Verbal attacks[link]

Rousey is notable for introducing trash talking to Women's MMA. In many interviews Rousey has used harsh vocabulary and openly downplayed her opponents. Rousey doesn't deny the accusations and is not apologetic for something she explains is a way to generate more publicity for the sport.^[12][13]

Strikeforce[link]

Rousey was scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.^[14] The fight was pushed back and eventually took place on the Strikeforce Challengers 18 main card on August 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[15] Rousey defeated D'Alelio by technical submission due to an armbar early in the first round. The victory was controversial as referee Steve Mazzagatti only stopped the fight because D’Alelio appeared to make a brief sound. According to instructions given to fighters before they compete, this is typically deemed to be a verbal submission. Mazzagatti initially did nothing, but after Rousey looked at him and stated that D’Alelio had submitted, he stopped the fight. D'Alelio admitted after the fight that she let out a verbal indication of pain.^[16]

Rousey faced Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 on November 18, 2011 in Las Vegas.^[17] She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round, dislocating Budd's elbow in the process. Following the fight, she announced plans to move down to 135 pounds to challenge Miesha Tate, the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion at the time.^[18]

Rousey challenged Tate for her Strikeforce title on March 3, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. She defeated Tate by submission due to an armbar in the first round, again dislocating her opponent's elbow, to become the new Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion.^[19]

Personal life[link]

Rousey was formerly a vegan.^[20] Her mother, Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, also had a decorated Judo career and was the first American to win a World Judo Championship with her victory in 1984.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed martial arts[link]

• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time; current)

• Tuff-N-Uff
  • Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Women's Featherweight Tournament Semifinalist

• Women's MMA Awards
  • 2011 Female Fighter of the Year
  • 2011 Female Featherweight of the Year
  • 2011 Female Newcomer of the Year

• Inside MMA
  • 2011 Female Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award

• MiddleEasy
  • 2011 No-Tap Submission of the Year vs. Julia Budd on November 18

• Fight Matrix
  • 2011 Female Rookie of the Year

Judo[link]

• International Olympic Committee
  • 2008 Summer Olympics Senior Bronze Medalist

• International Judo Federation
  • 2008 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2008 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2007 Jigoro Kano Cup Senior Silver Medalist
  • 2007 Finnish Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2007 World Judo Championships Senior Silver Medalist
  • 2007 German Open Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2007 Pan American Games Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2007 Pan American Championships Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2007 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2007 British Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 Finnish Open Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2006 Swedish Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 World Judo Championships Junior Bronze Medalist
  • 2006 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 Pan American Championships Senior Silver Medalist
  • 2006 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2005 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2005 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2005 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2004 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2004 Ontario Open Junior Gold Medalist
  • 2004 World Judo Championships Junior Gold Medalist
  • 2004 Rendez-Vous Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2004 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2003 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2001 Coupe Canada Senior Cup Gold Medalist

• USA Judo
  • USA Senior National Championship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
  • USA Senior Olympic Team Trials Winner (2004, 2008)
  • 2007 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2006 US Open Junior Gold Medalist
  • 2005 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2005 US Open Junior Silver Medalist
  • 2004 US Open Senior Bronze Medalist
  • 2003 US Open Senior Silver Medalist
  • 2003 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
  • 2002 US Open Junior Gold Medalist

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Amateur record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Olympic profile at sports-reference.com
• USA judo - Ronda Rousey bio
• Video clips with Ronda on judovision.org
• Interview with Ronda Rousey at JudoInfo.com
• See Ronda in The HyeFighters Show!

Medal record
Competitor for  United States
Women's Grappling
World Championships
Silver	2008 Lucerne	-72 kg (No-Gi)

Miesha Tate (pronounced /ˈmiːʃə/; born August 18, 1986) is a professional mixed martial artist. She is the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion and the current Freestyle Cage Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has also competed and won a silver medal in the FILA Grappling Championships.^[2]

Tate is currently the #6-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com^[3] and the #3-ranked 135-pound female fighter according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.^[4]

Early life[link]

Tate wrestled on the boys' wrestling team in high school. In 2005, she won the high school women's state championship and went on to win nationals at the World Team Trials in the 158 lb division.^[2]

While attending Central Washington University Miesha's colleague, Rosalia Watson, encouraged her to attend the mixed martial arts club with her. Soon after attending, Tate officially joined the mixed martial arts sport club at Central Washington University that was run by her current boyfriend and trainer, Bryan Caraway.^[5] She amassed a 5-1 amateur record in MMA before turning pro.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Tate debuted in mixed martial arts in 2007 at the one-night HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix. She defeated Jan Finney in the opening round, but was knocked out later in the night by a head kick from eventual tournament champion Kaitlin Young.

On June 27, 2008, Tate faced Cung Le protégé Elaina Maxwell at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson.^[6] Tate moved up in weight for the fight and defeated Maxwell by Unanimous Decision.^[7]

Tate won three more times and captured the FCF Women's Bantamweight Championship by defeating Liz Carreiro at Freestyle Cage Fighting on April 4, 2009.^[8]

She returned to Strikeforce at Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Aina on May 15, 2009. Tate was originally scheduled to face Kim Couture, but Couture withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons and Tate was matched up against undefeated Canadian Sarah Kaufman instead.^[9] In a competitive fight, Tate was defeated by Unanimous Decision, but it marked the first time that Kaufman had gone to a decision.^[10]

Tate knocked out Sarah Oriza eight seconds into the second round at a CageSport MMA event on October 3, 2009.^[11]

She successfully defended her FCF title by defeating Valerie Coolbaugh in the first round by armbar at FCF 38 on January 16, 2010.^[12]

Tate faced Zoila Gurgel at Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe on March 26, 2010.^[2] Tate won the fight by armbar submission in the second round.^[13]

Tate is scheduled to be part of the one-night Strikeforce 135-pound women's tournament on August 13, 2010 at Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor.^[14] A random drawing was held on the day of the weigh-ins to determine first-round matchups^[15] and Tate faced Maiju Kujala in the opening round of the tournament.^[16]

Tate defeated Kujala by unanimous decision after two rounds to advance to the tournament final. She then defeated Hitomi Akano by unanimous decision after three rounds to become Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Tournament Champion.^[17]

Tate was scheduled to challenge Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship on March 5, 2011, but withdrew from the fight after suffering a knee injury in training.^[18]

In order to unify all weight classes, Zuffa changed the title held by Marloes Coenen from Welterweight to Bantamweight prior to the fight taking place. Tate's fight with Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship was rescheduled for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30, 2011. Tate defeated Coenen via submission (arm-triangle choke) to become the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. “I think I’m not in reality quite yet,” Tate said shortly after winning the women’s bantamweight title. “I can’t believe that I have a belt to take home with me. I really had to dig deep those last couple rounds. Like I said, I had a tough end to my training camp, but I just feel like I went out there and I did what I needed to do and I won the fight and I’m world champion.”^[19]

Tate's first defense of her Strikeforce title was against Ronda Rousey on March 3, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio.^[20] The fight served as the main event of Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.^[21] She lost the fight via submission in the first round due to an armbar after appearing to dislocate her elbow.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Tate is dating fellow Team Alpha Male fighter Bryan Caraway.^[5]

Film[link]

Tate is featured in the mixed martial arts documentary Fight Life, set for release in the summer of 2011. The film is directed by indie filmmaker James Z. Feng and produced by RiLL Films.^[23]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed martial arts[link]

• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time)
  • Strikeforce 2010 Women's Bantamweight Tournament Winner

• Freestyle Cage Fighting
  • FCF Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time)

• HOOKnSHOOT
  • BodogFIGHT 2007 Women's Bantamweight Tournament Semifinalist

• World MMA Awards
  • 2011 Female Fighter of the Year

• Women's MMA Awards
  • 2011 Submission of the Year vs. Marloes Coenen on July 30
  • 2010 Female Fighter of the Year
  • 2010 Female Bantamweight of the Year
  • 2009 Submission of the Year vs. Lizbeth Carreiro on July 4

• ESPN
  • 2011 Submission of the Month vs. Marloes Coenen on July 30

Submission grappling[link]

• International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
  • 2008 FILA Grappling World Championships Senior Women' No-Gi Silver Medalist

• USA Wrestling
  • FILA World Team Trials Senior Women's No-Gi Runner-up (2009)
  • FILA World Team Trials Senior Women's Gi Winner (2008)

Amateur wrestling[link]

• Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
  • WIAA Girls High School State Championship (2005)
  • WIAA Girls All-State (2005)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

See also[link]

• List of female mixed martial artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional MMA record for Miesha Tate from Sherdog

Nick Diaz
Born	Nicholas Robert Diaz (1983-08-02) August 2, 1983 (age 28) Stockton, California, United States
Other names	El Diablo
Nationality	American [1]
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	169 lb (77 kg; 12 st 1 lb)
Division	Lightweight (2007) Welterweight (2001–2006) – (2008–present)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Style	Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo[2]
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Stockton, California
Team	Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu El Niño Sports Combat Sports Academy Fairtex Gym
Trainer	Cesar Gracie, Richard Perez, Val Ignatov
Rank	Black Belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	2001–present
Professional boxing record
Total	1
Wins	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	35
Wins	26
By knockout	13
By submission	8
By decision	5
Losses	8
By knockout	2
By decision	6
No contests	1
Other information
Notable relatives	Nate Diaz, brother
Website	diazbrothers.com
Boxing record from Boxrec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: 18 September 2011

Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is a American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent.^[3] He is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, WEC and IFC Welterweight Champion. He has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Pride Fighting Championships and Elite Xtreme Combat. Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Cesar Gracie on May 8, 2007. Diaz trains at the Diaz brother's Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Lodi, California. Diaz holds the distinction of having never been submitted, and has been finished by strikes only once in 35 fights. He is currently ranked the #4 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, ESPN, MMAWeekly,^[4] and USA Today.^[5]

Biography[link]

Diaz was born in Stockton , California. He is the older brother of UFC fighter Nate Diaz. He went to Tokay High School in Lodi for one year before dropping out. While a freshman, he was a member of the swimming team. Diaz has stated in the past that he is thankful his mother got him into swimming classes because swimming is one of the main reasons why his cardio is so impressive during his fights. Diaz has also said on multiple occasions that he had a hard childhood and grew up without his biological father.

Diaz originally started training in martial arts because he was being bullied by other teenagers who were bigger than he was. He then watched the UFC for the first time and soon wanted to be able to fight in the organization. His younger brother, Nathan is also a professional MMA fighter in the Lightweight division and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nick also regularly competes in triathlons as part of his training. Diaz started training in Sambo at the age of 16 under a Bulgarian National Sambo Champion Val Ignatov.^[2] In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Diaz stated that he still trains Sambo under the same coach hence the reason his ground game is different from other MMA fighters that only train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.^[2]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

After years of practicing various combats sports and martial arts, Diaz became a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2001 just after his 18th birthday and won his first fight, submitting Mike Wick with a triangle choke at IFC Warriors Challenge 15. Diaz would become a champion in just his second professional fight, defeating Chris Lytle for the IFC United States Welterweight title in July 2002 at IFC Warriors Challenge 17.

Diaz was then invited to participate in Ultimate Athlete's King of the Mountain, a single-night tournament that took place two months later. He won his first two fights but eventually lost in the finals to Jeremy Jackson (fighter) by TKO. Diaz would fight in Warriors Quest and Shooto against Harris "Hitman" Sarmiento and Kuniyoshi Hironaka respectively before winning the WEC's Welterweight Title in 2003 at WEC 6, submitting Joe Hurley with a kimura.

Diaz returned to defend his IFC Welterweight belt against the man who defeated him one year earlier, Jeremy Jackson at IFC Warriors Challenge 18. This time around it was Diaz who was able to get the win, winning by TKO in the first round. Taking notice of his success, the UFC signed Diaz over the summer and he made his debut at UFC 44, completing the trilogy against Jeremy Jackson and submitting him with an armbar in the last round of the back and forth fight that Diaz appeared to be winning on the scorecards.

Rise[link]

Diaz returned to the Octagon at UFC 47, set to take on highly-touted Welterweight Robbie Lawler. Lawler was a heavy favorite coming into the fight but it was Diaz who took the offensive, chasing Lawler around the cage for the majority of the bout. In the second round, Diaz taunted Lawler, who swung wildly and missed, allowing Diaz to connect with a right hook that knocked Lawler out. Diaz was then matched up with Karo Parisyan at UFC 49, but ended up losing a hard-fought split decision. He rebounded with wins over Drew Fickett at UFC 51 and Koji Oishi at UFC 53 before losing for the second time in the UFC at the hands of The Ultimate Fighter Middleweight winner Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale.

The two came into the fight with a good amount of bad blood between them. They reportedly exchanged heated e-mails before and after the official signing of the fight, which was spurred on by Diaz's public opinion that Sanchez and the rest of The Ultimate Fighter participants were being given an easier path to the top compared to the rest of the fighters in the UFC.

Things went to another level in the locker room before the fight when Diaz taunted Sanchez and threw a shoe at him.[3] Diaz was obviously confident coming into the bout but was unable to achieve success in the match, ultimately losing to Sanchez by unanimous decision. During the televised post-fight interview in the ring, Diaz continued the controversy by declaring that he respected Sanchez fighting ability but did not think he deserved to be there, despite Sanchez's win.

Diaz's next fight was against Joe Riggs at UFC 57. Similar to his treatment of Sanchez, Diaz made sure that he taunted his opponent plenty before their fight starting at the official press conference at the event in which Diaz confronted Riggs and the two exchanged words. They continued their conversation at the official weigh-ins in which both fighters had to be separated by UFC president Dana White and other officials present.

Riggs prevailed in a hard-fought battle, winning by unanimous decision and giving Diaz his second straight loss. After the fight, the two were taken to the hospital for observation and post-fight tests. It was there that Diaz and Riggs had an altercation, but when the police arrived no charges were laid.

Diaz lost his third consecutive match in a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 59. The UFC subsequently terminated his contract and released him during the spring of 2006.

Return to UFC[link]

Diaz returned to his hometown of Stockton and participated in the International Cage Fighting Organization's inaugural event, defeating Ray Steinbeiss by split decision. Diaz was slated to fight in his hometown again against John Alessio when he received an unexpected call the night before the fight from the UFC asking to fill in for an ill Thiago Alves at UFC 62.

After Alessio pulled out, Diaz took advantage of the opportunity, submitting Josh Neer in the third round. Seemingly back in the UFC, Diaz stopped newcomer Gleison Tibau with strikes in his next fight at UFC 65. However, even after the win and the reassurance that the UFC would give him another fight, Diaz decided to sign with the Gracie Fighting Championships and leave the UFC.^[6] GFC had Diaz scheduled to fight Thomas Denny in January 2007, but due to poor ticket sales the event was ultimately scrapped.^[6]

Pride FC[link]

Diaz was signed to a two-fight deal with Pride Fighting Championships with the first scheduled to be against current Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title fight on February 24 in Las Vegas. Pride 33 was Diaz's first fight in the Pride organization and at the weight of 160 lb. While Gomi started the fight strong, once knocking Diaz to the ground, and twice ending up in his guard, the Californian dominated the standup battle with his unorthodox style, picking his opponent apart with quick and accurate jabs and looping punches.^[7] At the end of the first round, apparently due to poor cardio on Gomi's part, the Japanese fighter was clearly stunned, throwing much wilder punches and barely maintaining his defense. At one point though, the fight was stopped to check a cut suffered under Diaz' eye. The second stanza saw a continuation of wild punches by Gomi, then eventually taking the fight to the ground and leaving himself open to a Gogoplata submission by Diaz and tapping at 1:46 of the round.^[7] This was the second successful Gogoplata attempt in Pride's history (the first performed by Shinya Aoki on Joachim Hansen less than two months earlier at Pride's New Year's event).

On April 10, 2007, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Diaz failed the drug test that was taken shortly before his win over Takanori Gomi, testing positive for marijuana. The NSAC declared the fight a "No Contest" and suspended him for 6 months with a fine of 20% of his earnings ($3,000) won from the fight against Gomi. The Commission felt that the result of Diaz's THC test, an enormous 175, was a contributing factor in his performance during the fight. Commission Chairman Dr. Tony Alamo said that while a result of 15 is considered positive, the NSAC has a threshold of 50 for athletes. He also believes they "feel very comfortable that everyone that tests positive in Nevada is truly positive."

Dr. Alamo went on to say, "Mr. Diaz was 145. This creates a unique situation. I was there at this fight and believe that you were intoxicated and... that it made you numb to the pain. Did it help you win? I think it did." Despite Diaz being surrounded by other athletes and video cameras for several hours before the fight, Alamo gave no explanation for why he believed Diaz had used marijuana in the hours preceding the event. Diaz himself dismissed the assertion that marijuana was a Performance-enhancing drug, or that he was smoking it prior to the fight.^[8][9][10]

EliteXC[link]

Diaz made his debut for EliteXC in Hawaii on September 15, 2007 on Showtime. He won a hard fought split decision over his opponent Mike Aina.^[11] MMA Weekly reported that Nick Diaz signed a two year deal with EliteXC and in his next fight, fought KJ Noons for the vacant 160 pound title. Once the fight began, the two exchanged rather evenly on the feet until Noons dropped Diaz with a well timed right counterpunch. Diaz attempted several takedowns, all of which were stuffed by Noons, on one occasion with a swift right knee which opened up a notable gash on Diaz's face, eventually resulting in a loss via doctor stoppage due to multiple cuts on his forehead. A disappointed Diaz left the arena immediately and on his way out he flipped off the doctor from the arena entrance and shoved the camera out of his face.^[12] Interestingly, he stated in pre-fight interviews that the only way he was going to lose this fight was from a cut above his eye.^[13]

After losing the Noons fight via-doc stoppage due to a cut, Diaz had surgery and had the bone filed down on his eyebrows to prevent any bad cuts in future bouts. Diaz came into his next fight at EliteXC's "Return of the KING" event in Honolulu, Hawaii against Muhsin Corbbrey 9 pounds over the weight limit.^[14] Diaz earned a tough win over Corbbrey, following the main event an altercation between Nick and his brother Nate broke out with KJ Noons and his corner. EliteXC executives asked Diaz to come to the ring and make a statement about a possible title rematch with Noons. Noons, a Native of Hawaii, asked the crowd their opinion, resulting in an echo of boos for Diaz.^[15] After Nick spoke over the microphone to Noons, saying, "don't be scared homie,"^[16] Carl Noons, KJ's father, lunged at him prompting Nate Diaz to throw a water bottle at the elder Noons.^[17] The Diaz brothers were quickly escorted out of the cage by a group of security staff. During interviews the next day Nick claimed Carl was intoxicated and overreacting. Meanwhile Carl claimed his incident was prompted by the thrown bottle. Video replay of the event showed Nate throwing the bottle after Carl jumped at Nick. No one was injured as the Diaz brothers left the arena entrance "throwing the bird" to the fans and Noons' corner.^[18]

Nick went on to face well-traveled veteran Thomas "Wildman" Denny at the EliteXC Event "Unfinished Business" in Nick's hometown of Stockton, California. After a sluggish start to the fight, Diaz found his range and punished Denny during the latter half of the First Round.^[19] Diaz continued to keep the fight standing and maintained a high-paced tempo for the remainder of the fight, earning an impressive TKO victory over the veteran Denny 0:30 into Round Two.^[19] Diaz was rumoured to have a rematch against the current EliteXC Lightweight Champion KJ Noons, airing on CBS October 4, 2008. However, KJ Noons and his camp refused to accept the match. Mark Dion, KJ's manager was quoted as saying "As far as Nick Diaz, he's not the No. 1 contender out there.".^[20] Diaz was scheduled to face Eddie Alvarez for the EliteXC 160 pound title on November 8, 2008 before the company ceased operations.^[21]

Strikeforce and Dream[link]

Diaz was victorious in Dream 3, defeating Katsuya Inoue by corner stoppage (TKO) in the first round.^[22] With Strikeforce's acquisition of ProElite's assets, CEO Scott Coker had announced that Nick will face off against MMA legend Frank Shamrock at a catchweight of 179 lb, at their upcoming event Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz in Shamrock's hometown of San Jose on April 11 at the HP Pavilion.^[23] Nick was successful in the fight, defeating Shamrock via TKO, due to strikes in the second round. Throughout the fight, Diaz was dominant in all areas using effective positioning on the ground, once mounting Frank in the end of the first round and then finally finishing in the second round due to a body shot crumpling Frank to the mat and then following up with punches before referee John McCarthy called a halt to the bout. In the interview he stated "It's hard to hate the guy, he's been doing what I've been wanting to do and saying what I've wanted to say for a long time".

At Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Diaz met Scott Smith at a catchweight of 180 pounds. Although Smith took Diaz down once in the first round, Diaz controlled the majority of the bout with his superior boxing, utilizing his reach, stalking jabs and repeatedly punishing Smith with hooks to the body, twice dropping him in the second and third round. Upon landing the body shot that dropped Smith in the third round, Smith assumed a turtle position and Diaz took his back until securing a rear naked choke to finish the bout at 1:41 of the final round.

It was announced that Diaz would be fighting Joe Riggs ^[24] at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg taking place on August 15, in which would have been a rematch of their first fight that took place at UFC 57: Couture vs Liddell 3, in which both fighters fought in the cage and then again at the local hospital later in the evening.^[25] The fight would have been for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship but, Joe Riggs had to pull out of the bout due to an adverse reaction to a drug. Diaz was then scheduled to instead face Jay Hieron for the Welterweight Championship.^[26] This fight has since been canceled due to Diaz's failure to attain his license after not attending a pre-fight drug test.^[27] Jesse Taylor replaced Diaz and the title was no longer on the line, Hieron defeated Taylor by unanimous decision.

Diaz faced Strikeforce newcomer Marius Žaromskis to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion on January 30, 2010 at Strikeforce: Miami.^[28] Žaromskis came out aggressively and the two men exchanged on the feet until Diaz tied his opponent up in the clinch and landed numerous knees to Žaromskis' right leg. Diaz then scored a takedown and looked for a guillotine choke – quickly shrugged off by his opponent. The two men continued to exchange, with Diaz utilizing his unorthodox boxing skills, until rocked by a Žaromskis left hook and falling to his back. Žaromskis landed few effective shots while Diaz was turtled on the floor, allowing him to recover and stand back up. In the few remaining minutes, Diaz opened up with his boxing range, tagging Žaromskis cleanly several times with combos composed of jabs, hooks and seamless bodyshots; forcing him against the side of the cage where he landed a solid uppercut and continued to punish his opponent leading to the referee to stop the contest at 4:38 of the first round. Diaz was then crowned the inaugural Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.

Diaz defeated Hayato Sakurai by submission (armbar) in a non-title bout at Dream 14.^[29] Diaz defeated KJ Noons in a rematch of their 2007 bout for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Diaz won via Unanimous Decision (48–47, 49–47, 49–46). Diaz defeated Evangelista Santos who had an 18–13^[30] MMA record going into the bout on January 29, 2011 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg via armbar in the second round.^[31] Diaz defeated Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley via TKO (punches) at 4:57 of round 1, and became the first Strikeforce fighter to successfully defend the welterweight belt 3 times in a row.^[32]

Return to UFC[link]

UFC president Dana White stated that a matchup between Diaz and UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was a possible consideration.^[33] Diaz and St.Pierre were rumored to be the next coaches for TUF 14 (The Ultimate Fighter) reality show, but the show debuted on September 21, 2011, with Michael Bisping and Jason Miller as coaches. UFC president Dana White confirmed via Twitter that Diaz would face GSP at UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 29, 2011. Nick Diaz vacated his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship title prior to his bout with Georges St-Pierre ^[34] Dana White made the decision to take Nick Diaz out of the fight and replace him with Carlos Condit, due to Diaz missing multiple flights for a press event to support the fight.^[35] It was announced that Diaz would fight B.J. Penn in the main event at his original fight card, UFC 137.^[36] Diaz won via unanimous decision. Diaz called out Georges St. Pierre in the post-fight interview, who was scheduled to fight Carlos Condit at the same event but had been forced out of the bout with a knee injury.

Following his successful return, Diaz was expected to face Georges St. Pierre for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 143 during Super Bowl weekend.^[37] However, due to a ACL injury sustained by St-Pierre, Diaz faced Carlos Condit in the main event, with the winner being awarded an Interim UFC Welterweight Championship.^[38] Condit defeated Diaz via a unanimous decision. After the fight, Diaz said that he would retire from MMA.^[39] After the event UFC President Dana White said that he believes Diaz will fight again.^[40] It was reported that an immediate rematch with Condit was to be scheduled,^[41] but was cancelled when Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites in a post-fight drug test.^[42] The Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Diaz shortly after the positive test, pending a full disciplinary hearing.^[43]

It was announced at the hearing in May 2012 that Diaz was suspended for one year, retroactive to February 4, 2012, and fined 30 percent of his fight purse earned from the Condit bout. Diaz will be eligible to return to MMA competition in February 2013.^[44]

Diaz was set to take on Braulio Estima in a grappling match at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on May 12, 2012.^[45] However, Diaz no-showed the event. Hours following the event, Diaz was seen liking a YouTube video featuring Estima's reaction on Diaz's no-show, calling it "disrespectful." The day after the event Diaz alleged that Estima failed to make weight within the agreed upon timeframe prior to the fight and also alleged that the promoters of the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo failed to make good on their claims of donating proceeds from the fight to charity.^[46]

Fighting style[link]

Diaz is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie whom he has been training with since he was a teenager. He is accomplished in both gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu. Some of the major titles he has won include the US Purple Belt Open in 2004 and a Pan American Brown Belt Medium Weight Division title in 2005.^[47] He also owns a victory over renowned grappler Jorge Patino in competition via kneebar. He is known for having a modified BJJ style that suits his MMA career very well. Diaz lists his favorite submission as the kimura.^[48] He is widely known for his impressive closed guard which he frequently uses in his fights. Diaz currently teaches jiu-jitsu at his and brother Nathan's school in Lodi, CA.

Diaz is also a professional boxer and fights in the Super Middleweight weight class. He made his professional debut in April 2005 against Alfonso Rocha at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, California.^[49] Diaz was victorious, winning by unanimous decision after four rounds. He has not fought since. Nick and Nate Diaz are now being trained by former WBA and WBC World Champion Luisito Espinosa and are training with the highly skilled Jason "Gumby" Robison. Nick has also recently been training with Olympic Boxing Gold Medalist Andre Ward.^[50]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed Martial Arts[link]

• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Welterweight Championship (One time; first)
  • Most consecutive Welterweight title defenses in Strikeforce history (Three)
  • Most successful Welterweight title defenses in Strikeforce history (Three)
  • 2010 Fight of the Year vs. K.J. Noons on October 9
  • 2010 Male Fighter of the Year