New York native Nick Pace seems to be a fighter who finishes in impressive fashion when he finishes a fight. Pace would fight four of his first five pro fights for Ring of Combat, and would also have a fight at Bellator 11 against Collin Tebo in this stretch. Pace impressed many when he fought Tebo, when he knocked Tebo out with a flying knee. After putting together a 5-0 record, he would sign with the WEC to fight Demetrious Johnson.

After a decision loss to the future UFC flyweight champion, Pace would move to the UFC as a part of the UFC/WEC merger, and would fight at the TUF 12 Finale against Will Campuzano. In the third round, Pace forced Campuzano to tap from an odd looking submission called a pillory choke (it has also been dubbed the 'Pace' choke). Pace would have likely earned 'Submission of the Night' honors, but missed weight by three pounds for this bout. Next, Pace took on veteran Ivan Menjivar. Pace would lose a decision, but some would argue that Pace earned the decision victory. Pace would once again miss weight his next time out, when he weighed in five pounds heavy for a fight against Miguel Torres. Pace lost the fight at UFC 139 by unanimous decision, and would be cut from the promotion.