Tonight, Nick Diaz makes his long awaiting return to the UFC.
Nick Diaz makes his long awaited return to the UFC.
Nick Diaz hasn’t competed since fighting Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in 2015. In the time since, his brother Nate Diaz carved out his own legend, defeating Conor McGregor and becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars in the process. But Nick Diaz was historically the more famous of the two. His comeback is huge news.
And the matchmaking for his return is sublime. At UFC 266, Nick Diaz is fighting fellow legend Robbie Lawler.
This one’s a long awaited rematch. Diaz and Lawler fought in the UFC all the way back in 2004 and the fight was incredible. Given both fighters are much older, and far from their prime, this is perfect timing for a perfect fight.
You can watch their first fight below.
Who wins this time around? It’s a coin toss really. No-one knows what kind of shape Nick Diaz is in, but Lawler has struggled as of late. My gut is telling me Lawler is the safe bet here, since he’s improved massively since the first fight and has been far more active in the last decade. There’s also the fact that Nick Diaz recently asked for the fight to be bumped from welterweight to middleweight. Is Diaz struggling with weight issues? Possibly.
Diaz and Lawler just had their first staredown at a press conference which took place today.
We have no idea what Nick Diaz is showing up though and that’s what makes this fight so exciting.
The UFC 266 main card starts at 10 p.m EDT (7 p.m. PDT) but here are all the details from multiple timezones.
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That’s great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you’re one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.
In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 266, you’ll only find the fight night on PPV through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN’s site:
You can do all of the above at the link below.
MMA fans in the UK can watch UFC 266 exclusively through BT Sport. There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 266 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.
Need more international viewing options? Try a VPN to change your IP address to access those US, UK or Australian options listed above. See the best VPNs currently recommended by CNET editors.