UFC welterweight superstar Nick Diaz revealed why he was freaked out by Robbie Lawler before their first fight at UFC 47 back in 2004.

17 years ago, Diaz and Lawler met inside the Octagon at UFC 47, and Diaz scored a first-round KO on his rival. All these years later and now these two are set to rematch at UFC 266 this Saturday night in Las Vegas. It’s a rivalry almost 20 years in the making and the rematch is one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the rest of the year for MMA fans.

Speaking on the UFC 266 Countdown video ahead of this weekend’s pay-per-view card, Diaz was asked to give his honest thoughts about the first fight against Lawler back in 2004. According to Diaz, he was “freaked out” by the prospect of fighting Lawler because he had knocked out several other UFC fighters including Steve Berger and Tiki Ghosn.

“So the thing is with Robbie (Lawler) that kind of freaked me out was that he knocked out Steve Berger, Tiki Ghosn. He knocked these guys out, man. It was like, there was no way I was going to win and everyone was like ‘oh, you’re fighting Robbie Lawler?’ So when I went out there, I just did what I knew and I spooked him,” Diaz said (h/t SportsKeeda).

Diaz would end up winning the first fight by KO, and he will be looking to repeat history this Saturday night when he fights Lawler again in a five-round welterweight bout. For Diaz, this is his first fight in six years since a No Contest against Anderson Silva, while for Lawler he is currently on a four-fight losing skid and needs to bounce back in a big way.

Who do you think wins the rematch this Saturday night between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler at UFC 266?