Nick Diaz Plans To Be 'A Lot More Sportsmanlike' Ahead Of Robbie Lawler Rematch At UFC 266

Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger - Zuffa LLC


Ahead of his highly-anticipated Octagon return this weekend at UFC 266, former welterweight title challenger, Nick Diaz has promised to enter his showdown with past-foe and former undisputed champion, 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler -- displaying a lot more sportsmanship than their initial April 2004 meeting.

Slated to make his first Octagon walk since January 2015 this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada -- former Strikeforce and WEC middleweight champion, Diaz meets with former welterweight champion, Lawler in a rematch, 17-years in the making. 

Last featuring against former middleweight champion, Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 183, Diaz suffered what was originally a unanimous decision defeat, before the ruling was overturned to an official 'No Contest' -- after Silva tested positive for the banned substances, drostanolone and androsterone, whilst Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites.

Consistently linked with a much-anticipated Octagon return over the course of the last 18-months, Diaz is slated to snap his hiatus against past-opponent, Lawler, and ahead of the showdown, detailed how he plans to enter the pairing in a much more sportsmanlike manner.

"I'm not going out there to call him (Robbie Lawler) names or, you know," Diaz said during an episode of UFC Countdown. "I'm going to be a lot more sportsmanlike, I think, out there (at UFC 266). But that's not what won me the fight last time. That surprised him a little bit, but I would have won the fight anyways."

Sharing the Octagon at UFC 47 back in 2003, Diaz, who made his Octagon bow, managed to stop the then-streaking, Lawler with an infamous second round knockout stoppage.

Featuring as the curtain-raiser ahead of a championship doubleheader this weekend, Diaz and Lawler clash in a five round welterweight rematch, before a flyweight title pairing of Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy -- before a featherweight championship bout featuring Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

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