8. Reality Check
Nate Diaz at times made it look easy on Season 5 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He submitted Robert Emerson during qualifying, tapped Corey Hill in the quarterfinals and then finished Gray Maynard in the semis. Diaz was an undeniably polarizing presence on the show but backed up all his talk by cruising into the final, where Armenian judoka Manny Gamburyan was waiting.
Though the fight did not unfold as some expected, Diaz nevertheless won via second-round submission. Gamburyan shot in for a second-round takedown and dislocated his shoulder when Diaz stuffed it. “The Anvil” tapped immediately, bringing an end to their tournament final just 20 seconds into round two. Diaz never looked back and went on to submit three of his next four opponents, establishing himself as a force at 155 pounds.
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