Fight Archives: Nick Diaz pieces up and retires Frank Shamrock

That time a 26-year-old Nick Diaz retired a legend.

Underneath the two title fights at Saturday’s UFC 266 is the people’s main event. Nick Diaz will return from a six-year absence to take on Robbie Lawler in a rematch that takes place 17 years later.

It’s always a spectacle whenever a Diaz brother fights, and you can count on the army to show up. Just like how they did when Nick fought the great Frank Shamrock when they headlined their Strikeforce event in 2009.

Shamrock entered the contest at the ripe age of 37, but it was evident that he still had a lot of fight in him. He had his moments during the first round and was able to keep up with his younger opponent’s pace.

But Diaz’s overwhelming blitzes became too much for Shamrock to handle. He tried his best to engage in a firefight, but he was doing more backpedaling than he should’ve.

Diaz eventually floors Shamrock with a body shot and pounces. Referee John McCarthy looks on and allows 17 punches to get through before stepping in to stop the action. It also turned out to be the last time Frank Shamrock was ever seen in a professional mixed martial arts fight.

It would be interesting to see a 185-pound Diaz come out of his lengthy layoff against an aging former champion who may very well be at the tail-end of his career. But for fans who continue to live in those glory years of the elder Stockton bad boy, this one’s a treat.