Nick Diaz made a long-awaited return to the UFC on September 25, 2021, after being out of action for six years.
However, his comeback did not go as planned as he suffered a third-round technical knockout loss against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.
Diaz had knocked out Lawler in their first encounter back in April 2004, but this time, Lawler emerged victorious.
The announcement of Diaz’s return had initially been met with skepticism by many fans, who believed that it was some kind of prank, especially considering the opponent he was going up against. However, the bout did take place, and Diaz stepped into the octagon after an extended break. He revealed as much in a podcast appearance:
“I went into training camp, and I kind of got backed into it, too,” Diaz said.
“I was in between management, it wasn’t like when I went and found a group to work with and organize my situation. I went back and forth between the people I was working with and some of the old people I was working with during this training camp and my trainers.”
“I couldn’t amount to a level of athletics I needed to be competitive, and I knew that going into the fight,” he continued.
“Then I was going into this fight like, ‘Oh, man. I really got it coming.’ So, I didn’t really go in there to win. I just needed to get that first fight out, I hadn’t fought in a long time. I’d never fought under those conditions.”
There were rumors ahead of the bout that Diaz was not interested in MMA and that he had only accepted it for financial reasons.
As a result, the bout was changed from its original welterweight limit to middleweight. Diaz later confirmed these rumors, stating that he had not been at his best going into the .
Diaz spoke about the difficulties he faced in training camp, stating that he had sustained a neck injury from a biking accident before the camp. This injury had hindered his training, and he was unable to reach the level of athleticism required to compete at the highest level.
Despite the defeat, Diaz still wants to compete again. He has been rehabilitating and undergoing therapeutic treatment to get back to full fitness.
Diaz, the eldest Diaz brother, is now 39 years old and has not won since October 2011 against B.J. Penn. However, he remains determined to compete again, saying that he has no preference in sport and will compete in whichever discipline makes the most sense.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.