Nick
Diaz’s long-awaited Octagon return is close to becoming a
reality.
The promotion is targeting a welterweight clash between Diaz and
Robbie
Lawler for the UFC 266 co-main event on Sept. 25. UFC president
Dana White initially revealed the booking to
TSN. Verbal agreements have been issued for the bout, but
contracts have yet to be signed.
Lawler and Diaz initially squared off at UFC 47, with Lawler losing
via knockout at the 1:31 mark of Round 2.
Diaz hasn’t competed since January 2015, when he lost a five-round
decision to Anderson
Silva in the UFC 183 headliner — though the official result was
overturned to a no contest after “The Spider” failed a drug test.
Since that bout, Diaz has flirted with a comeback on multiple
occasions, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet. A former
Strikeforce champion, Diaz hasn’t won a fight since taking a
unanimous decision over B.J. Penn at UFC
137 on Oct. 29, 2011. The 37-year-old Stockton, Calif., native won
11 straight fights from May 2008 to October 2011.
A former UFC welterweight champion, Lawler is currently mired in a
four-fight losing streak. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 175,
where he dropped a three-round verdict to Neil Magny in
August 2020. “Ruthless” hasn’t been victorious since he outpointed
Donald
Cerrone at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017.