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#4. Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler – UFC 266
Given that nearly two decades had passed by the time that the UFC signed a rematch between welterweight stars Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler, the likelihood of their second bout living up to the standards of their first was never that high.
Their original clash, which took place in April 2004, saw the then-young guns go toe-to-toe in a truly wild brawl that saw Lawler stun Diaz on multiple occasions, only for the Stockton-based fighter to soak up the shots and turn the tables on ‘Ruthless’, eventually stopping him in the second round.
In the years that followed, both men saw huge success, with Lawler even claiming the UFC welterweight title in 2014. However, by September 2021, when their rematch was signed, both men had fallen on hard times.
Lawler had lost his last four fights, while Diaz hadn’t officially won a bout in the octagon since 2011. More worryingly, the latter also looked to be nowhere close to his best shape at the weigh-in, causing fans some concern.
The fight wasn’t bad, per say, but it definitely didn’t live up to their original clash. Both men looked far slower than in their prime, and Diaz in particular simply looked far past his best.
The fight mercifully ended in the third round when Diaz couldn’t continue following a barrage from Lawler. To tell the truth, the rematch didn’t do a lot for anyone.
#3. Tim Sylvia vs. Andrei Arlovski – UFC 61
When the UFC booked a trilogy bout between heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former champ Andrei Arlovski in the summer of 2006, it’s probably safe to say that nobody was expecting anything but a crazy fight.
Their first clash lasted under a minute, as Arlovski dropped Sylvia with a right hand before submitting him with an ankle lock. Their second was even more dramatic and saw ‘The Pitbull’ drop Sylvia badly again, only for ‘The Maine-iac’ to make it to his feet and land a knockout blow of his own seconds later.
However, by the time their third clash came around, both Sylvia and Arlovski seemed to have been affected by the crazy nature of their earlier two meetings. Most notably, both men seemed hugely wary of the other’s punching power.
This meant that neither man really wanted to engage in the trilogy bout. Instead, the fans were treated to what was essentially five rounds of circling and staring. To say that the bout didn’t live up to the standards of their previous two was an understatement.
Sylvia eventually won via decision, but the fight was instantly considered one of the worst title bouts in UFC history and both fighters came away with a severely dented reputation thanks to their poor performances.
