Nick Diaz thinks the person responsible for booking his Robbie Lawler rematch, which now takes place in the 185-pound weight class, is a complete “idiot” because the only bout that makes sense for Diaz is a Kamaru Usman welterweight title fight.
That would require matchmakers to overlook the fact that Diaz, 38, has not won a fight in nearly a decade and spent the last six years on the sidelines. Hardly the credentials to warrant a fight against the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
“You know what I’ve been saying lately, Kamaru Usman is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” UFC President Dana White told Yahoo Sports. “Jorge Masvidal twice, Gilbert Burns, Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Leon Edwards … I mean, the list of guys that this guy has beaten is unbelievable, and the way that he beat them. He’s the world champion in that division and he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Does anybody out there think that’s who Nick Diaz should come back and fight after not fighting for seven years? That would be an idiot that would make that fight.”
Diaz (26-9, 2 NC) captured a knockout victory over Lawler when they first went to war at UFC 47 all the way back in April 2004. They’ll finally run it back on the UFC 266 pay-per-view (PPV) main card this Sat. night (Sept. 25) in Las Vegas.
Win or lose, it’s hard to predict whether or not Diaz will continue to fight. One thing we can say for certain is that Diaz is miles away from another welterweight title shot and beating Lawler is unlikely to improve his position since “Ruthless” is no longer ranked in the Top 15.