Nick Diaz stands in the Octagon after five rounds against Anderson Silva in a middleweight bout during UFC 183 (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Nick Diaz might be on his way to face Kamaru Usman according to Dominance MMA CEO Ali Abdelaziz
After almost 7 years, Nick Diaz will be making his return to the Octagon. He is set to take on welterweight veteran Robbie Lawler on the 25th of September, 2021 at UFC 266.
The match is set for 5 rounds, and is only the second instance of a 5-round non-title fight.
The pair are set to rematch after a staggering 17 years. They first met at UFC 47, back in 2004, when Diaz knocked out Lawler in only the second round of the fight.
While Diaz last stepped inside the Octagon in January 2015, when he faced Anderson Silva at UFC 183, Lawler’s appearance came last year, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs Rakic, in a unanimous decision loss to Neil Magny.
Nick Diaz will be drawing inspiration from his younger brother Nate Diaz, who made a near-successful return to the promotion after two years, at UFC 263.
In the wake of this, Dominance MMA CEO, Ali Abdelaziz has made an outrageous claim that Diaz would become the number one contender if he beats Robbie Lawler, thereby setting up a Nick Diaz vs Kamaru Usman clash.
Abdelaziz’s tweet read:
“If nick Diaz beat Robbie Lawler he become the number one contender automatically 💯💯💯 hey bring too much to the table.”
The welterweight division has seen several fighters rise to the top in recent months. First, there was Leon Edwards, who at UFC 263 brought up his 9th consecutive victory.
Recently, Vicente Luque showed the world he is a top-ranked contender as well. The Brazilian beat Michael Chiesa in the very first round of their fight at UFC 265.
With so many talents lined up, it wouldn’t be easy for Diaz to become the number one contender, even if he beats Robbie Lawler.
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