"That was him being honest" - Michael Bisping argues Nick Diaz didn't 'quit' in his UFC 266 fight against Robbie Lawler
Michael Bisping disagrees with the narrative that Nick Diaz "quit" in his comeback fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. Bisping said his take stems from the honest reactions that Diaz gave in the lead-up to the contest.
"[Nick] Diaz was honest all week and that was just another reflection of his honesty. That was him being honest with himself. That was him saying 'you know what, I've given everything I could give, I've got no more to give, I've gone out there, I've gone to war for two rounds, I've taken a lot of punches'... If he would have got back to his feet, what we would have seen is Robbie Lawler go over there and dish out even more punishment, and Diaz knew that," said Bisping.
The former UFC middleweight champion said Diaz didn't ask the referee to halt the fight because he was in pain or sustained a great deal of damage, but because he knew Lawler would probably win.
According to Bisping, Diaz could have easily stood back up, but he anticipated the dangers that choice would have brought. The former Strikeforce champion accepted Lawler was only growing stronger as the fight progressed, and there was no way he could have turned the tide.
"Listen, when you're in there, it's real s**t. This ain't messing around, this ain't fun and games, this is real consequences, serious consequences, and Nick Diaz knew at that moment in time, 'I'm done. There you go. Robbie, take it, have it.' That was a tough decision to make but I respected it," said Bisping.
Catch Bisping's comments in the video uploaded to his YouTube channel:
Nick Diaz has "never enjoyed fighting"
Nick Diaz has never shied away from expressing his love/hate relationship with the fight game. The 38-year-old, on numerous occasions, has made it clear that he doesn't enjoy fighting.
Ahead of his UFC comeback, Diaz told ESPN that fighting is inevitable in his life despite wanting to distance himself from it.
Although there is no news on Nick Diaz's next possible bout, he did say at the pre-UFC 266 press conference that he wouldn't mind continuing fighting if he got his "a** whooped" by Robbie Lawler.