Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz II? UFC president would 'love to see' it

Nick Diaz

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.

Lawler is the reigning UFC welterweight champion after he captured the title from Johny Hendricks at UFC 181 in December. He’s expected to defend the belt for the first time in a trilogy bout with Hendricks later this year.

Diaz, on the other hand, is rapidly approaching the most significant fight of his career. He welcomes former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva back to the octagon from a broken leg in the main event of UFC 183 on Jan. 31.

Hendricks and Silva represent arguably the biggest challenge of each man’s career. However, if Lawler and Diaz can get past those challenges, it could potentially set up a rematch more than 11 years in the making.

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