Nick Diaz outstruck Robbie Lawler for the first two rounds of their UFC 266 fight, as per official UFC stats
Nick Diaz may not be the same fighter he was six years ago, but he's still very dangerous inside the octagon. According to the official stats page for the recently concluded UFC 266 pay-per-view, Diaz outstruck Robbie Lawler in the first two rounds of their rematch.
Nick was doing great for someone who's been gone for 5 years.
He was well on his way to a victory but his conditioning failed him, which is something I never thought I'd say.
Hope to see him again soon if he's up for it! https://t.co/OcXAtK7fqd
In the first frame, Nick Diaz landed 71 significant strikes compared to Lawler's 57. In the second, Diaz again outstruck his counterpart, landing 73 significant strikes compared to Lawler's 64. Overall, Diaz managed to land more significant strikes than 'Ruthless' in the fight. The Stockton native landed a total of 150 significant strikes throughout the bout, while 'Ruthless' landed 131.
However, Lawler was far more accurate with his striking. He landed 131 out of 221 attempted strikes (59%). Diaz, on the other hand, landed 150 out of 339 attempted strikes (44%).
It certainly would have been interesting to see the judges' scorecards for the fight. However, the contest never reached that stage. After being knocked down with a check hook by Lawler in the third round, Diaz decided he had endured enough. He told the referee that he did not want to continue and 'Ruthless' was handed the win via TKO.
Dana White hails Nick Diaz's 'incredible' performance against Robbie Lawler
Although he lost the fight, the entire MMA community showered praise on Nick Diaz for his performance against Robbie Lawler. After being away from the sport for the better part of a decade, Diaz stepped inside the octagon and rolled back the years. He impressed fans, colleagues and pundits with his combinations. He also displayed phenomenal heart in the fight, withstanding some of Lawler's heaviest shots.
GSP and Nick Diaz shook hands backstage before Diaz's #UFC266 fight 🤝 https://t.co/myfOfOd8dj
Dana White called Diaz's performance against Lawler 'incredible' in a recent press conference.
"I thought Nick Diaz looked incredible considering his long layoff,” the UFC president said.