Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler in the works for UFC event in September
MMA legend Nick Diaz looks set to finally return to the UFC after seven years away from the octagon. Early rumors suggest that Diaz will face off against another UFC veteran in 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler.
The reports come by way of MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter, who revealed that Dana White has stated that a fight between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler is currently in the works to be a co-main event for a UFC event in September. Bronsteter stated the following:
"BREAKING: Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler IN THE WORKS (not yet official) as a co-main for an event in September, per Dana White."
Nick Diaz's return to the UFC
Nick Diaz has not fought for the UFC since 2015. His last fight was against Anderson Silva, who put in a dominant performance against Diaz to initially win via a unanimous decision. However, it was later overturned to a No Contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to SIlva testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.
Whilst Nick Diaz has consistently hinted at a return to the UFC ever since that fight, nothing has materialized until now. UFC president Dana White implied that there was a chance we would see Diaz fight this year during a post-fight conference earlier this year, and it now appears that there was some truth to his words.
Robbie Lawler is the perfect opponent for Diaz to return against. He is one of the most well known fighters in the welterweight division and still held a ranking until recently. However, he is on a four-fight losing streak having come up short against Ben Askren, Rafael dos Anjos, Colby Covington and Neil Magny.
All of those fights have been relatively competitive even if Lawler hasn't been able to get the win. This will hopefully mean that Lawler will serve as a good gage on how competitive Nick Diaz can be after having so much time away from the sport.
Bronsteter does stress that nothing has yet been finalized. However, should a fight with Lawler not materialize, there are several other candidates willing to step up and face the elder Diaz brother. Chief among them are Matt Brown and Carlos Condit.