What’s not to like about Robbie Lawler?
The former UFC welterweight champion rarely, if ever, has anything bad to say about his opponents in the lead-up to fights and his fan-friendly fighting style makes for must-see-television every time he competes.
At UFC 266, Lawler faced Nick Diaz in a rematch that was 17 years in the making. Diaz, who had not previously competed since UFC 183 in 2015, raised some concerns during fight week by with a strange pre-fight interview with ESPN in which he stated, “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
Lawler defeated Diaz in the third round via TKO from punches, but immediately turned off fight mode and went to check on his opponent who he respects immensely.
Check out this interaction between the two fighters immediately after the conclusion of the bout, captured for the UFC’s “The Thrill and The Agony” series (via @espnmma on Twitter):
Robbie Lawler checking on Nick Diaz after their rematch is a special moment 👏 (via @ufc) pic.twitter.com/1HDBnBNNe0
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 5, 2021
“Are you good?” Lawler asked Diaz. “Are you good in life? That’s (censored) different. Let’s (censored) get there, you know what I’m saying?”
Diaz’s replies aren’t audible in the video clip, but Lawler responded by saying, “Let me (censored) know if I can help.”
Seeing two legends of the sport share this moment is refreshing because, at the end of the day, there is more to life than fighting. If you didn’t know beforehand, this was a good representation of the type of person that Lawler is aside from being a ferocious fighter inside the cage.
Check out the sneak peek of the full episode, which releases on UFC Fight Pass, in the video below:
