UFC 266 takes place later this month with a stacked card headed to the T-Mobile Arena. The fight card features two title fights as Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko put their respective belts on the line against Brian Ortega and Lauren Murphy. However, a non-title fight on the card is perhaps garnering more attention than the main and co-main event. The return of Nick Diaz. 

The elder Diaz brother will return after six years out of action to take on fellow veteran Robbie Lawler. Ahead of their upcoming fight, Lawler shared his memories of their first encounter in a recent interview with Marc Raimondi. He said, “Him being really long, talking a little trash in there, catching me with some good shots early. I think he hit me with like a one-two. Just wasn’t my night. He was harder to hit than I thought. Just needed to be better and I was not that night.”

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Nick Diaz takes on Robbie Lawler 17-years on from their first fight 

Nick Diaz faced Robbie Lawler at UFC 47 in April 2004. Diaz secured a second-round knockout win to extend his win streak to 4-0 at the time. The last time Nick Diaz competed was against Anderson Silva in January 2015. Since then, Diaz has not competed in any capacity.

Earlier this year, rumors circulated that Nick Diaz was plotting a return to the sport. At the time, the news was rubbished by everyone, including Dana White. However, fast forward a few months, Diaz is fighting on the main card of a UFC PPV event 6 years on from his last outing. 

Diaz is 38-years old and therefore, is definitely towards the tail-end of his career. However, both Diaz brothers are astute martial artists and are never out of shape or away from training completely. If Diaz were to secure a win over Lawler, it would open up a host of possibilities for him. Jorge Masvidal has stated that he would definitely like a fight against Nick Diaz if he were to secure a win against Lawler. 

What do you make of Nick Diaz’s return to the sport and how do you think he will fare? Let us know in the comments below!