UFC 266: Diaz vs Lawler Betting Tips & Predictions bettingexpert
Nick Diaz Style & Form
Well, Nick Diaz doesn’t really have a form. At 38 years of age, Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015 where he faced Anderson Silva and lost via unanimous decision. However, Diaz recently expressed a desire to make a UFC return, and Dana White happily obliged.
Before he retired, Diaz faced Silva, BJ Penn and Georges Saint-Pierre. He defeated Penn but lost his last three fights via decision before deciding to retire for good-ish. In recent months, photographs of Nick Diaz went viral on MMA portals, and fans were raving about his excellent shape. In fact, Nick looked better than he had in his entire fighting career.
Diaz made his UFC debut at UFC 44, if you can believe it, but it’s at UFC 47 where he set himself apart. Nick Diaz faced Robbie Lawler and knocked him out. Lawler was known as a knockout artist at the time, which made Nick’s feat all the more impressive. Diaz showed immense fighting spirit and an ability to ‘trash talk’, making him an immediate fan-favourite.
Nick Diaz is often referred to as a ‘zombie’. This is because he is very difficult to finish, especially knock out. He is an excellent striker and has a third-degree black belt in BJJ. Just like Nate, Nick Diaz likes to walk down his opponents whilst talking and sometimes taking hits. This can often demoralize his opponent, allowing Nick to dominate fights and win.
Robbie Lawler Style & Form
Just like Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler is a legend of the sport and is also a fan-favourite. Lawler is 39 years old, but the difference is Lawler has been active in the UFC. However, Lawler has lost four fights in a row, and his only win since January 2016 came against Cowboy Cerrone.
Robbie Lawler is nearing the end of his career, and should he lose, this may be the last time fans see him put on the UFC gloves. Granted, Robbie did face some tough competition in his recent bouts, with Colby Covington, Rafael dos Anjos and Tyron Woodley in the mix. But his most disappointing loss was a submission to Ben Askren. Due to a disputable referee decision, the fight was stopped even though Lawler was still conscious and ready to fight.
All in all, a mix of bad luck and difficult competition have tarnished his record recently, and Lawler is now at 28 MMA wins and 15 defeats. Robbie Lawler has always been a striking masterclass. However, that’s it. He never developed his style much, and his poor grappling earned him five career losses by submission. Thankfully, he will be facing an opponent that also likes to stand-and-bang, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Nick Diaz vs Robbie Lawler Prediction
Even with two title fights in this weekend’s UFC 266 event, the main focus will be on this fight. This will be one of the rare non-title 5-round fights the UFC sometimes does on special occasions, and this is a very special one.
The bookmakers don’t see a clear favourite in this one, with 1.91 odds on both fighters. Both of these fighters are UFC legends, but Lawler has the advantage in this one.
Nick Diaz hasn’t competed in more than six years, and even though he looks in shape and he has the fans behind him, he simply doesn’t have it anymore. Coming back after such a long break from the octagon is always difficult, but at age 38 it is nearly impossible.
On the other side, Robbie Lawler has lost four fights in a row against tough competition, but the one thing he has going for him is his training. Lawler has been actively fighting in the last six years, and he won’t need any time to adjust to the octagon again. He is constantly training and staying in shape, which is why I believe he will easily get the win here.
Nick Diaz vs Robbie Lawler Prediction: Lawler to win at 1.91 odds. Stake: 7/10
