Things did not go to plan for UFC fan favorite Nick Diaz in his return from a lengthy layoff.
After a controversial suspension following Diaz’s fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in 2015, years passed by before fans got to see the Stockton native back inside the cage.
Diaz was responsible for some of the most memorable fights and finishes in the sport during his time in the UFC and Strikeforce, where he became the inaugural welterweight champion.
But the fight that marked his comeback after six years away and may well go down as his final foray into the Octagon will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
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Nick Diaz’s comeback ended in a sad finish against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266
On this day, September 25, in 2021, UFC 266 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view was headlined by two title fights, with Valentina Shevchenko’s TKO victory over Lauren Murphy preceding Alexander Volkanovski’s brutal title defense against Brian Ortega.
Arguably the leading talking point heading into the event came lower down the card, with Diaz making his long-awaited return to action in a rematch against Robbie Lawler. The pair ran it back 17 years after Diaz faceplanted Lawler at UFC 47.
A late weight change and footage of the Californian shadow boxing had many fans worried about the inactive veteran’s condition, and their fears were realized when Diaz quickly gassed out. The fight ultimately ended in round three, when Lawler knocked down Diaz and the ex-Strikeforce champ chose not to get back to his feet.
The result was not a shock to Diaz’s teammate, Jake Shields, who later revealed that the fan favorite had done “zero training” during his layoff.
“He didn’t train at all for his Lawler fight,” Shields said on the JAXXON PODCAST. “That fight shouldn’t have happened in my opinion. I’m not gonna get into too many details but I wasn’t too happy. I think he was kind of pressured into that so people could make money.
“The fact that he fought Robbie Lawler with zero training in five years, I was freaked out watching that. I thought he was gonna get embarrassed and he put on a frickin’ war.
“He lost, but he went just two rounds — for a second, I thought he might come back and win — with no training,” Shields continued. “So, I think it shows he still has the heart.”
Nick Diaz among four UFC veterans seemingly removed from the roster
Since his comeback loss to Lawler in 2021, Diaz has had two return bookings fall through. The fan favorite was scheduled to face Vicente Luque in both August and December 2024 but never made it to the cage.
After worrying footage went viral that appeared to show the fighter lighting grass on fire, Diaz’s coach provided a positive update earlier this year, stating that the 42-year-old was “healthy and doing good.”
While that was a relief for fans, it seems the likelihood of another fight for the legend has dwindled.
If that was still in doubt, his apparent removal from the roster alongside Ryan Hall, Al Iaquinta, and Joe Lauzon in recent days has further dented any chance of another comeback.