Nick Diaz was pressured into fighting earlier than he wanted.
That’s according to the Stockton native’s friend and teammate Jake Shields who was commenting following Diaz’s third-round TKO defeat to Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 last night.
It was Diaz’s first fight since January 2015 and although he was slow as many expected, he did have some good moments especially when he ripped the body while his chin still held up well.
However, his knee appeared to give out in the third which led to him pulling guard. Lawler would stand things up but Diaz was unable to get to his feet which led to referee Jason Herzog calling an end to the contest.
Diaz: I Don’t Know How This Fight Came About
Leading up to the fight, Diaz notably made the statement that he wasn’t sure why he was fighting Lawler again in the first place.
Many assumed he meant he wanted a different opponent, especially as he earmarked Kamaru Usman as someone he should be fighting.
However, in his post-fight interview, Diaz mentioned once again that he wasn’t sure how the fight was set up while mentioning changes in his management.
And according to Shields, Diaz wanted to fight a lot later as well.
“Nick Diaz is a fucking legend. 6 years off And six weeks to train and still makes fight of the night”
Nick Diaz is a fucking legend
6 years off And six weeks to train and still makes fight of the night
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) September 26, 2021
“Wanted to do a fight later but was pressured to take it before he was ready. People care about money not his health”
Wanted to do a fight later but was pressured to take it before he was ready. People care about money not his health
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) September 26, 2021
“Snakes everywhere”
Snakes everywhere
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) September 26, 2021
That would actually explain quite a lot, especially as Diaz looked a lot more unsettled and uncertain than he usually does during fight weeks.
It will be interesting to see if more comes out regarding this matter.