"It was a tough night for him" - Georges St-Pierre reviews Nick Diaz's 'rusty' UFC 266 performance, claims former foe can come back stronger if he wants

Georges St-Pierre believes Nick Diaz looked "rusty" in his comeback fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

Returning to the promotion after a six-year hiatus, Diaz lost to Lawler via TKO in the third frame of their five-round bout. Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, St-Pierre reflected on Diaz's performance at last month's pay-per-view.

"It was a tough night for him because he came back after six or seven years. It was a long, long time. Nobody can come back as good as they were before, after that much time. I'm under the impression that Nick left a lot of money on the table, unfortunately for him, because maybe his best years are behind him. For sure he was rusty."

Catch Georges St-Pierre's comments on Nick Diaz in the video below (3:00):

St-Pierre and Diaz fought each other in 2013 at UFC 158. In their heated rivalry, GSP had the last laugh as he comfortably outpointed the Stockton native via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).

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Georges St-Pierre thinks Nick Diaz can still become a better version of himself

Georges St-Pierre announced his retirement from the sport in 2013. Four years later, he made a comeback and dethroned Michael Bisping to capture the UFC middleweight title.

St-Pierre is aware of the backbreaking training regime and the extraordinary will it takes to orchestrate a successful return. If Nick Diaz is willing to go through that, he may well bounce back from his loss to Robbie Lawler, suggested the former welterweight kingpin.

"Maybe we haven't seen the best out of him yet. Maybe he's gonna come back and get better. I fought after more than four years, I can tell you it's very hard. There are a lot of things that you cannot do in training. You cannot replicate in training what happens in a fight. The only way to get it back is through the experience of real competition and I think he can be better than he was. I think he can come back better if he wants to."

Georges St-Pierre said he wasn't sure what Diaz's motivation to come back was, a quick payday or the urge to become a UFC champion. Regardless of what it was that forced him to return, GSP believes Diaz should leave no stone unturned in his second UFC run because, according to him, fighting is a "game that you cannot go halfway in."