Nick Diaz's return to the UFC's octagon is finally on the brink.
According to UFC President Dana White (via TSN's Aaron Bronsteter) former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz is set to return to the UFC against Robbie Lawler sometime in September.
The bout would be 17-years in the making as the pair first locked horns at UFC 47 in 2004, a bout which Diaz won via second-round knockout.
Diaz, 37, last competed at UFC 183 in 2015 where he was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Anderson Silva. The bout was later overturned to a no contest after Silva tested positive for a banned substance. Diaz was then suspended for five years and fined $165,000 after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following the bout with Silva. In 2016, after serving 18 months of the suspension, Diaz was cleared to return but couldn't come to an agreement with the UFC until now.
Standing across from Diaz will be the 39-year old former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. The 22-bout UFC veteran captured 185-pound gold at UFC 181 when he defeated Johny Hendricks but has recently seen himself drop four consecutive bouts against Rafael dos Anjos, Ben Askren, Colby Covington and Neil Magny.
No date has been mentioned for the reported showdown but White noted that it'd likely be a co-main event bout sometime this September.
Fightful will keep fans updated with any updates on the bout.
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