Jake Shields reveals Nick Diaz had no training before Robbie Lawler rematch: “That fight shouldn’t have happened”
According to Jake Shields, UFC welterweight Nick Diaz had no training before his 2021 return.
The longtime fan-favorite is currently set to return to the cage next month in Abu Dhabi. Back for the first time since a third-round stoppage loss to Robbie Lawler in September 2021, Nick Diaz will face Vicente Luque. ‘The Silent Assassin’ enters the contest having lost three of his last four fights, last getting stopped by Joaquin Buckley in March.
For Nick Diaz, the fight is one that’s been long in the making. While the 40-year-old didn’t exactly want to fight Luque, he has wanted to return for a while. Prior to making a deal to face the Brazilian, he reportedly approached the UFC about various return bouts. Speaking on the JAXXON Podcast, Diaz’s teammate Jake Shields discussed his return.
There, the former UFC title challenger revealed that Nick Diaz’s preparation for his last fight was basically nonexistent. While it was known that the 40-year-old fought Robbie Lawler with an injury, the severity of how poor his training camp was unknown until now. According to Shields, Diaz took the fight for monetary reasons.
Jake Shields reveals Nick Diaz did 0 training in 5 years for Robbie Lawler pic.twitter.com/yG0oQOVnIU
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 18, 2024
Jake Shields reveals Nick Diaz didn’t train at all for UFC 266 rematch with Robbie Lawler
Furthermore, the welterweight didn’t train for the contest either. Shields admitted that he was fearful for Nick Diaz’s rematch with ‘Ruthless’, but also that his friend did better than expected. With that in mind, he’s not entirely against the 40-year-old fighting Luque next month.
“He didn’t train at all for the Lawler fight.” Jake Shields stated on the JAXXON Podcast, discussing Nick Diaz’s last UFC fight against Robbie Lawler. “That fight shouldn’t have happened in my opinion. Not going to get into too many details, but I wasn’t too happy. I think he was kind of pressured into that, so people could make money.”
He continued, “Just people want to make money off of him, and he was pressured into that fight. The fact that he fought Robbie Lawler with zero training in five years, I was freaked out watching that. But, he put on a war. He lost, but he went two rounds… I know he’s training, I can’t say how hard but I know he’s actually training now. Hopefully I’ll get out there next week and push him.”
What do you make of these comments from Jake Shields? Are you excited for Nick Diaz’s UFC return?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Nick Diaz Robbie Lawler UFC
