Jorge Masvidal thinks returning Nick Diaz can beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 266

Despite the long layoff, Jorge Masvidal thinks Nick Diaz will beat Robbie Lawler again.

Masvidal will have his eyes peeled when Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and Lawler (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) rematch at UFC 266 on Sept. 25 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where the 38-year-old Diaz will return to action for the first time in more than six years.

Diaz knocked Lawler out when they first met at UFC 47 in 2004 and though Lawler has been the much more active fighter, Masvidal thinks the former UFC welterweight champion, who’s lost four in a row, hasn’t been in his best form as of late.

“(I’m) very interested in this outcome, of course,” Masvidal said in a Q&A on his YouTube channel. “(I) love Robbie Lawler. We were teammates for about four years. (He’s) one of the better guys in the sport – just a stand-up dude, great dude, great fighter. I don’t think he’s the same fighter that he was four years ago. I haven’t seen Nick Diaz fight in eight years, so this fight to me is very, like – I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“I haven’t seen Nick fight. I didn’t know if he was staying in the best shape or not during these eight years. It’s not that ring rust is everything, but eight years is a lot of time to be sitting on the bench. So I want to say that Robbie hasn’t been looking like himself, he hasn’t been looking the greatest in his fights with – this is a tough one to call for me. But if I was going to put money on it, I’d probably lean toward Nick.”

Masvidal also happens to have a vested interest in Diaz beating Lawler. “Gamebred” knows the kind of numbers a potential fight with the superstar can garner and would love nothing more than to square off with another Diaz brother after stopping Nate Diaz to win the “BMF” title at UFC 244 in November 2019.