Nick Diaz made his return to the Octagon last night (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) at UFC 266 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, only to have former foe Robbie Lawler put an end to his comeback with a third-round TKO (punches).
Lawler burst out of the gate with heavy combinations along the cage. Diaz shelled up and allowed “Ruthless” to do his best. Lawler wasn’t able to clip Diaz with the shot he wanted and it allowed Diaz to turn the tide. Diaz unloaded punches in bunches and started to bust Lawler’s face up pretty bad.
In Round 2, Lawler landed a nasty liver kick that temporarily fazed Diaz. Diaz would retreat to recover before coming back with more volume striking. Lawler responded with some shots along the cage late into the frame that had Diaz backpedaling again. The third round saw Lawler get revenge 17 years in the making, as he caught Diaz with a nasty check right hook. Diaz fell to a knee as Lawler asked for the fight to be stood back up. Diaz wasn’t able to continue and the fight was waved off.
Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
R U T H L E S S makes his entrance
[ @Ruthless_RL_ | #UFC266 ] pic.twitter.com/M8wwPi6VrQ
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
NICK. DIAZ. IS. BACK.
[ @NickDiaz209 | #UFC266 ] pic.twitter.com/ZhLtZqioJu
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Early action right from the gates!!
[ #UFC266 | TUNE IN NOW | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEWxD2 ] pic.twitter.com/uSzo4IdE6r
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Both getting into their rhythm
[ #UFC266 | TUNE IN NOW | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEWxD2 ] pic.twitter.com/OjkCalmHai
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Legends letting it FLY in the first! ??
[ #UFC266 | TUNE IN NOW | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEEWLu ] pic.twitter.com/latWDhv1Ho
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Lawler walkin’ him down @Ruthless_RL
[ #UFC266 | We’re Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/2qE0lEEWLu ] pic.twitter.com/5LklIeep84
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
REDEMPTION FOR RUTHLESS!
[ @Ruthless_RL| #UFC266 ] pic.twitter.com/2rglBBUhSw
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Nick Diaz speaks after the loss to Robbie Lawler #UFC266 pic.twitter.com/C5XKtosePO
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) September 26, 2021
For complete UFC 266 results and coverage click here.