Video: Mayor awards Nate Diaz key to city of Stockton, Kings mascot survives

Former UFC headliner Nate Diaz was awarded a key to the city of Stockton, Calif., over the weekend during a ceremony held at a Stockton Kings basketball game. Mayor Kevin Lincoln was on hand to do the honors, praising The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 champ for representing the city over his nearly 20-year career in combat sports.

“We want to thank you for the grit and determination that you display every time you step into a fight,” Lincoln said. “And I want you to know that grit and determination is built into the very fabric of the city that you represent.”

Fortunately for “Dunkson,” described as the “fun, basketball-loving mascot” of the Kings, Diaz was forced to keep his hands to himself during the ceremony. Sadly, things did not work out as well for San Francisco 49’ers mascot Sourdough Sam, who got popped and dropped after stepping to Diaz at Levi’s Stadium last October.

“I want say it’s an honor, thank you very much to Stockton, California, for rocking with me,” Diaz said. “I’ve been rocking with Stockton this whole time … I’m going to be forever rocking Stockton, I ain’t going nowhere.”

Diaz completed his UFC contract by submitting Tony Ferguson at the UFC 279 pay-per-view (PPV) event back in September and is expected to resurface at some point in 2023. In what capacity remains to be seen but Diaz did start his own “Real Fight” promotion so be on the lookout for that new endeavor somewhere along the way.