It had been more than six years since Nick Diaz last set foot in
the Octagon, and while he wasn’t able to make a triumphant return
against Robbie Lawler on Saturday night, he did provide some
entertainment for as long as the fight lasted.
Diaz traded punches with Lawler for two rounds at
UFC 266, often showcasing his trademark volume, but he
eventually ran out of gas in Round 3. That’s when Lawler landed a
right hook that dropped Diaz to a knee before connecting with a
left uppercut that sent the Cesar Gracie protege to his back.
Moments later, Diaz confirmed to referee Jason Herzog that he
didn’t want to continue, ending the bout 44 seconds into the third
frame.
All told, Diaz outlanded Lawler by a 150-to-131 count in
significant strikes, becoming just the 12th fighter in UFC history
to land that many strikes in a loss.
“I’m glad I at least put on a show,” Diaz said during an interview
with Daniel Cormier in the Octagon. “I knew I had it coming. Old
Rob. I had a lot of stress coming into this one, especially being
off a long time. I don’t have no excuses. I had a long time off and
I knew I had it coming.”
Diaz and Lawler initially squared off at UFC 47 on April 2, 2004,
with Diaz winning via second-round knockout. During pre-fight
interviews, Diaz didn’t seem to understand why he was matched with
Lawler again, and he reiterated that sentiment in the immediate
aftermath of the bout.
“I don’t know how this fight got set up,” Diaz said. “I had a whole
switch up in my management setup, the way that the fight got set
up. It was just a bum rap.
“But no excuses, I had it coming, he was in great shape. I knew I
was leaking [blood] here so I didn’t want to make too much of a
mess. I’m glad to be back. I’m glad to put on a show.”
Nick Diaz leaves the Octagon after
delivering a show, but falling short in his comeback fight at
#UFC266 pic.twitter.com/i6ziOP4IuK— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
September 26, 2021
A former Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting champion, Diaz
hasn’t won a mixed martial arts bout since he outpointed B.J. Penn
at UFC 137 in October 2011. The Stockton, Calif., native didn’t
comment further on his Octagon return because he did not attend the
UFC 266 post-fight press conference.