Controversial star Nick Diaz met Robbie Lawler, the man who would go on to become the UFC welterweight champion, in just his second UFC bout.
Most thought that the Cesar Gracie trained Diaz, who had developed a reputation as a Jiu Jitsu specialist at that point in his MMA career, would be looking take the dangerous striker Lawler to the ground. Many were surprised when Diaz came out to brawl, jeering at the explosive Lawler and directing a constant stream of profanities at him.
This taunting has become a staple of the Diaz game and served its purpose perfectly against Lawler. “Ruthless” became overly aggressive and started overcommitting on big punches, eventually stepping right into the path of a fade away right hook from Diaz. The punch put Lawler out cold and established Diaz a cult hero in the MMA world.
To this day the Diaz loss is Robbie Lawler’s only defeat by KO or TKO. A rematch between the two would be an excellent bout and could come to fruition as Dana White himself has expressed interest in making the fight:
Add UFC President Dana White to the list of people interested in a rematch between Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz.
Whether that rematch will have Lawler’s UFC welterweight title on the line remains to be seen, but if both sides can clear some future hurdles, it very well could be.
The first showdown between Lawler (25-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Diaz (25-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC) came at UFC 47 in April 2004. Although they were both relatively inexperienced at the time, Lawler’s history of vicious knockout wins positioned him as the favorite.
However, after an entertaining first round, the Stockton slugger caught Lawler with a punch early in the second frame. Ruthless collapsed to the ground face-first in what still stands as his only career knockout loss.
Lawler and Diaz went their separate ways after that fight, but in many ways, they also kept close. The next several years saw both men spend time in PRIDE, EliteXC and Strikeforce, but the rematch was never booked.
However, during a Q&A session on Twitter, White mentioned his potential interest.
Lawler hit a slump and gathered an up-and-down record in his time outside the UFC. Diaz turned a corner and entered his prime with a lengthy winning streak that included a stint as Strikeforce welterweight champion.
More than a decade after the first fight, though, Lawler and Diaz are back in the UFC and have once again established their spots as two of the world’s best fighters.
source: mmajunkie.com
