Robbie Lawler (29-15) bröt denna helg en fyra matchers förlustsvit vid UFC 266 där han överlevde Nick Diaz (26-10) striking under två ronder innan han i den tredje skickade profilen i mattan med ett slag mot kroppen och en förödande höger. Det var en vild match som levde upp till hypen även om slutet där Diaz vägrade resa sig, vilket gjorde att domaren fick bryta, var märkligt. Lawler väljer nu att försvara Diaz agerande.
Robbie Lawler försvarar Nick Diaz: Gav inte upp
Lawler tillfrågades vid gårdagens post-fight presskonferens om avslutet där den forne mästaren menade att det var ackumulerad skada matchen igenom som fick Diaz att kollapsa. MMA Mania citerar honom som följande:
I felt like it was an accumulation. I think I caught him with a little check hook and then caught him with a left after that. And then when he went down I hit him with an uppercut. But I think he wanted me to follow him down and I was like ‘Let’s continue with the fun stuff.
Lawler avfärdade även att Diaz skulle ha ”gett upp”:
No, he’s a warrior. That was a rough fight. He was standing right there in the pocket. I throw hard shots and he was taking them. It was a lot of damage. When you go back and watch the fight, it was a war, a three round war and I hit pretty hard. It just wasn’t his night.
När han ombads att jämföra den Diaz han mötte i helgen med den som knockade honom år 2004 ryckte Lawler på axlarna.
I don’t really know because it was a feeling thing. He was really long, and a lof of the stuff he does, he never really had fast hands, he used his body to kind of cover that distance so he leans a little bit more. So it’s not really fast hands, it’s timing and that kind of stuff. And he slaps and does that kind of stuff, he was never really a fast puncher so I wasn’t too worried. And I was trying to smother him and try to not take too much damage out there.
Hade ett respektfullt samtal efter matchen
Efter matchen utbytte herrarna respektfulla ord och Lawler berättade för media vad han sade till Diaz:
I just said thank you for bringing the best out of me. I have a lot of respect for you and hopefully your life is going to get together and, like, good things are going to happen to you. And he’s a hell of a guy, a nice guy, a frickin’ warrior in this sport and in sports in general. You want the best for your opponents and the athletes you see around you so … I like him.
Lawler berättade att han nu är redo att möta vem som helst härnäst.
