Just days away from one of UFC 266’s most eagerly anticipated fights it’s emerged that Nick Diaz is asking for his rematch to be moved from welterweight to middleweight.
This will be the 38-year-old Diaz’s first fight back after well over six years on the sidelines and so the request appears to suggest that he’s having difficulties cutting down to 170lbs for the pay-per-view fight.
However, it’s not clear yet if Lawler will agree to the switch on such short notice (Update: The fight has now been moved to 185lbs according to Ariel Helwani).
“Robbie Lawler texted me that he’ll hit me (up) when he lands (in Las Vegas),” White told reporters following last night’s Contender Series show. “So Robbie wants to talk to me about this whole thing,” White said during the DWCS post-fight press conference. “I know the Diaz camp wants the fight at 185.”
Reacting to the news, White chuckled as he acknowledged it was a reminder of how tricky it can be to deal with Diaz in the lead up to big fights.
“(Nick) probably doesn’t want to make weight. Every time you come into a Diaz fight….and we forget ‘cause we haven’t seen Nick in a few years.”
If the fight does take place at middleweight then it won’t be unfamiliar territory for either man, especially Lawler, who had a lengthy campaign at 185lbs during his time in promotions like Superbrawl, Elite XC and Strikeforce many years ago, though he appeared to find a new lease of life after dropping back down to welterweight upon his return to the UFC, leading him to title glory.
As for Diaz, he fought at middleweight against Anderson Silva in his last fight, losing out by unanimous decision in a fight that would later be amended to a no-contest due to both failing drug tests.
