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Nick Diaz’s rematch against Robbie Lawler will not be contested in the welterweight division. The highly anticipated rematch between Diaz and Lawler that’s set to take place at UFC 266 will now be a middleweight bout.
As reported by Ariel Helwani, sources claim that Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2 will be contested in the middleweight division. Helwani highlighted that the exact reason behind this change is yet to be officially confirmed.
Apart from the change of weight classes, other stipulations surrounding the fight remain unchanged.
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The Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler rematch at UFC 266 was initially scheduled to be a five-round non-title welterweight (170 pounds) bout. However, it’ll now go ahead as a five-round non-title middleweight (185 pounds) bout.
Helwani noted that both Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler have recently indicated that they’d like to cut less weight. This, in turn, would mean that a cut to middleweight, rather than welterweight, would be the preferred option for both fighters.
The first fight between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler took place at UFC 47 on April 2nd, 2004. It was a welterweight bout that witnessed Diaz defeat Lawler via second-round KO.
17 years after their first fight, Nick Diaz aims to beat Robbie Lawler again
In the UFC 266 Countdown show, Nick Diaz asserted that he’s more than confident heading into his rematch against Robbie Lawler. Diaz stated:
“So the thing is with Robbie (Lawler) that kind of freaked me out was that he knocked out Steve Berger, Tiki Ghosn... He knocked these guys out, man. It was like...there was no way I was going to win and everyone was like ‘oh, you're fighting Robbie Lawler?’ So when I went out there, I just did what I knew and I spooked him.”
Nick Diaz believes that he’s a far more dangerous fighter now than he was in his first fight against Robbie Lawler. Diaz said:
“I’m actually way more of a dangerous fighter than I was when I fought Robbie Lawler for the first time. I’m going to be really unstoppable having made the right decisions... I’m going to beat Robbie again.”
Nick Diaz’s middleweight bout against Robbie Lawler will take place at UFC 266 on September 25th, 2021. UFC 266 also features a showdown for the featherweight title.
