We are just two days away from UFC 266 in Las Vegas, and while there are two title fights on deck I think the main event for many fans will be the return of Nick Diaz. The former Strikeforce welterweight champion and former UFC title challenger will finally head back into the Octagon for the first time since 2015, and his opponent will be former UFC welterweight king Robbie Lawler in a five-round rematch. Diaz KO’d Lawler way back in 2004 when they were 20 and 22 years old, respectively.
As for the actual title fights, men’s featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega will be in the main event, while women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko takes on Lauren Murphy in the co-main event.
Before they go inside the Octagon and before they even weigh-in on Friday, there’s the matter of the pre-fight press conference. The big names get their time to shine and talk to media, and you can watch the live stream of Thursday’s presser at the top of the page (via MMA Fighting) starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.
Here’s who will be in attendance (we assume):
Dana White – UFC President
Alexander Volkanovski – UFC featherweight champion
Brian Ortega – No. 2 UFC featherweight
Valentina Shevchenko – UFC women’s flyweight champion
Lauren Murphy – No. 3 UFC women’s flyweight
Nick Diaz – UFC middleweight
Robbie Lawler – Former UFC welterweight champion