Prepare yourselves for the long-awaited rematch between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler.
The return of Nick Diaz is among us, and we have a new promotional video from the UFC to get ready for it.
Diaz is making his long-awaited return to the Octagon next month at UFC 266, where he meets a familiar foe and fellow legend in Robbie Lawler. This is a rematch 17 years in the making as Diaz previously defeated Lawler by way of stunning second-round knockout at UFC 47. Since then, both men have had very different career paths in the welterweight division.
Diaz was last seen at UFC 183, where he fought former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Diaz went on to lose a unanimous decision to Silva, but it was overturned to a no-contest after Silva tested positive for two banned substances known as drostanolone and androsterone. Diaz also tested positive for marijuana, which led to a ridiculous five-year ban from competition by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), but that would later be reduced to 18 months after a successful appeal.
Diaz was eligible to fight again in 2018, but did not compete following the completion of his suspension. He teased his comeback on a number of occasions and finally landed the fight with Lawler.
Lawler has remained active, but is currently on a four-fight losing streak. He has lost to names like Rafael dos Anjos, Ben Askren, Colby Covington and Neil Magny, with three of those losses coming by way of unanimous decision. He was expected to fight Mike Perry at UFC 255 last year, but was forced to withdraw due to injury and has not stepped inside the Octagon since then.
You can watch the promotional video for Diaz vs. Lawler 2 below, courtesy of the official Twitter account of the UFC:
An absolute banger of a rematch that has FOTN written all over it
[ #UFC266 | Sep. 25 Tickets: https://t.co/I1ZxQ5WYvu ] pic.twitter.com/Ckc6g03ieW
— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2021
UFC 266 takes place on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. It is headlined by a featherweight championship fight between Alexander Volkanovski and No. 2 ranked contender Brian Ortega.