9. Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer
UFC Fight Night 15
Sept. 17, 2008 | Omaha, Nebraska
There were no lulls in activity between Diaz and Neer, which came as a shock to no one. Diaz outstruck “The Dentist” in all three rounds, as he picked up a split decision in their UFC Fight Night 15 main event at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. All three cageside judges cast 29-28 scorecards: Jeff Mullen and Cecil Peoples for Diaz, Douglas Crosby for Neer.

The two lightweights fought all over the cage -- in the standup, in the clinch and on the ground. Neer had his moments. He slammed Diaz twice in the first round, advanced to the back in the second and attempted various submissions against the Cesar Gracie protégé. None of it slowed down the Californian. Diaz pushed a merciless pace, as he leaned on high-volume punching and slippery scrambles.

The outcome was still in doubt entering Round 3, where Diaz executed a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound. Neer escaped but only for a short time. Diaz later assumed top position again, moved to the back and achieved full mount. Neer reclaimed guard, remained active from his back and scored with upkicks, but he spent too much time playing defense from the bottom -- a fact which no doubt cost him on the scorecards in a memorable back-and-forth encounter.

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