Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler says he is looking forward to an “exciting” rematch against his rival Nick Diaz at UFC 266.
Lawler and Diaz meet in a five-round welterweight bout that takes place at UFC 266 on September 25. The two previously met back at UFC 47 in 2004, with Diaz KOing Lawler. It’s nearly 20 years later now and Lawler is the one who became the UFC champion, while Diaz has been out of the Octagon for the past decade. But despite Diaz not having fought since October 2011, it isn’t stopping fight fans from being really excited for this rematch.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of UFC 266, Lawler expressed his excitement for this rematch with Diaz. As far as Lawler goes, Diaz always comes to fight, and the fans will be the winners.
“Obviously, we come to fight. Nick Diaz is a no-nonsense — he has antics in the fight — but really, he’s coming to fight, get you out of your game and look to push the pace. Obviously, I like to get into people’s faces and try to land big shots so it’s going to be exciting,” Lawler said (h/t Middle Easy).
Now 40 years old, it’s hard to say how long Lawler plans to continue fighting for. But as far as “Ruthless” is concerned, he is just taking things one fight at a time for his MMA career.
“I mean sh*t, I’ve been doing this full-time since 2000. I don’t know if I have 20 more years left in me. No, not really (thinking about retirement). Just kind of taking it one fight at a time, one training camp at a time. Just enjoying the process. I love training, I love competing. It’s just something I want to do until I don’t have any love for it,” Lawler said.
Who do you think wins the rematch between Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz?