After trading blows for two rounds and some change, Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler share an intimate moment of sportsmanship at UFC 266.
While it’s entertaining to see fighters trade vitriol at each other (to an extent), it’s always a touching moment to see these combatants share genuine sportsmanship. And it’s a bigger bonus if it involves two of the sport’s legends like Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler.
The two respected veterans met again at UFC 266 two weekends ago, 17 years since their first encounter. But this time, the tables have turned, and it was the “Ruthless” one who got his hand raised via third-round TKO.
Lawler and Diaz were seen having a conversation right after, but the words they exchanged weren’t heard by anyone else. But now thanks to the UFC’s cameras shooting for the “Thrill and Agony” featurette, we’re given a clearer idea of what they talked about.
Here’s a rough transcript:
Robbie: Are you good?
Nick: All good, man.
Robbie: Are you good… in life?
Nick inaudibly responds
Robbie: That’s f—ng different. You know what I’m saying?
Robbie: Let f—ng know if I can help.
Days before fight night, Diaz did a tell-all interview with ESPN, where he expressed some apprehensions. After the bout, close teammate Jake Shields also revealed that the 38-year-old Stockton fighter only had six weeks to train and was “pressured” to take the Lawler rematch.
From his end, Lawler has been nothing but grateful towards Diaz for “bringing the best” out of him.