UFC 266: Nick Diaz says ‘no excuses’ as Robbie Lawler finishes him in third round of frenzied rematch
- Former welterweight champ gets the victory with same check right hook that Diaz finished him with 17 years ago
- ‘I had a long time off ... but I was in great shape,’ says Diaz, who made comeback after six and a half years out
Robbie Lawler evened the score with Nick Diaz on Saturday night’s UFC 266 main card, getting a third-round TKO at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The pair threw with abandon for two wild opening rounds before former welterweight champ Lawler got it done, returning the favour with the same check right hook that Diaz had finished him with 17 years ago at UFC 47.
The 38-year-old Diaz, returning from a six-and-a-half-year lay-off, started the third round landing some good shots but got hit flush on the nose and went down. Lawler beckoned him back up, but Diaz did not rise to his feet, telling referee Jason Herzog he was done.
“I was right there with him, it was a fun fight, that’s the kind of s*** I like to do,” Lawler told Daniel Cormier in his post-fight interview. “I caught him with couple good body shots. He was doing lot of work, he did a great job, but I was just relentless tonight.
“I watched a lot of tape but that’s one of my favourite punches, the check right hook. I just needed to start throwing it a little more, but he’s tough as hell.