Dan Hooker vs. Nasrat Haqparast set for UFC 266 in Las Vegas

A pivotal lightweight matchup has been added to the promotion’s September pay-per-view.

According to his social media accounts in recent weeks, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] has been itching for a fight – and now he has one.

Hooker (20-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC) will return to action Sept. 25 when he fights [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] in a lightweight bout as part of UFC 266 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Saturday after an initial report from BJPenn.com. The person asked to remain anonymous since the UFC hasn’t officially announced the fight.

Hooker, 31, is 3-3 in his most recent six bouts but has lost his last two. After he dropped a unanimous decision against Dustin Poirier, Hooker returned to the cage as one half of the UFC 257 co-main event in January, when he was knocked out by Michael Chandler in Round 1.

Haqparast (13-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) enters UFC 266 on a two-fight winning streak, which includes unanimous decision victories over Alexander Munoz and Rafa Garcia. He’s won five of his past six, with his lone loss against Drew Dober in January 2020.

With the addition, the UFC 266 lineup includes:

  • Champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
  • Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler – five-round welterweight fight
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Dan Hooker
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Manon Fiorot
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Nick Maximov vs. Karl Roberson
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus
  • Martin Sano Jr. vs. Matthew Semelsberger

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Video: 17 years later, what can we even expect from the Nick Diaz-Robbie Lawler rematch?

Nick Diaz is coming back next month, and the numbers behind his return are pretty bonkers.

[autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] is coming back next month, and the numbers behind his return are pretty bonkers.

Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015. He hasn’t won a fight since October 2011. And he’s fighting a rematch against someone he first fought in April 2004.

Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) fights former welterweight champion [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) at UFC 266 in September. They first fought at UFC 47 in Las Vegas, where Diaz knocked Lawler out in the second round.

But given Diaz’s long time away, and Lawler’s recent struggles – he hasn’t won a fight in more than four years – what are we supposed to expect from the five-round rematch?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Nolan King, George Garcia, Mike Bohn and host John Morgan discussed that topic on this week’s episode.

Check out their thoughts in the video above, and don’t miss the full episode below:

Video: Alexander Volkanovski pokes at Brian Ortega as they trade barbs ahead of UFC 266

Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega are starting to get testy as their featherweight championship fight nears.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] are starting to get testy as they gear up for their UFC featherweight championship fight.

Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) puts his title on the line against Ortega (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 266 on Sept. 25 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Things started to get heated during the filming of Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter” but appeared to taper towards the end of the show. It’s perhaps a stretch to claim that things are personal, but it’s clear that Ortega’s behavior has irked the champion.

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Volkanovski has made sure to highlight the fact that Ortega never showed up on time for his team’s practice and was particularly bothered at how he boasted when his team was up 4-0 to kick off the show. Team Volkanovski was able to drastically turn things around by winning the next seven bouts, and Volkanovski thinks Ortega’s tone has changed ever since.

In a recent join interview on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Volkanovski and Ortega discussed their upcoming fight in what seemed like a relatively calm interview to start. But Volkanovski made sure to toss in a few jabs before host Michael Eaves rounded things off, which sparked a back-and-forth between the two.

Check out the full video above.

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Video: Get hyped with the perfect promo for Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler rematch

Watch a perfectly executed promo hyping up Nick Diaz’s return to the octagon at UFC 266.

If you weren’t already hyped for [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s return to MMA, the UFC has the perfect video for you. And, yes, it includes a “don’t be scared, homie” line.

Ahead of UFC 266, the organization pumped out a video to promote one of the marquee fights of the card – a long-awaited rematch between Diaz and [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag].

This is one of the three main bouts featured on UFC 266, which is set to go down on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas, as two title fights headline the card with Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy.

Watch the excellently executed video for the return of Diaz below (via Twitter):

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The fight between Diaz and Lawler will be a rematch 17 years in the making. The pair last shared the octagon back in 2004 at UFC 47. Diaz won with a memorable knockout, putting away Lawler in the second round.

Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he took on Anderson Silva at UFC 183. The bout was ruled a no-contest after Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androsterone, and Diaz tested for marijuana. Prior to that, Diaz had lost to then-champion Georges St-Pierre in a unanimous decision. From 2008 to 2011, Diaz went on an 11-fight win streak where he captured and defended the Strikeforce welterweight title.

Lawler, meanwhile, more recently competed in August when he suffered a decision loss to Neil Magny. He’s currently on a four-fight losing skid with his last victory coming in 2017. Lawler won the UFC welterweight title in 2014. He defended it twice before losing it to Tyron Woodley in 2016.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (July 26-Aug. 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from July 26-Aug. 1:

Injured Tatiana Suarez off UFC 266; Diaz protégé among new additions to card

UFC 266 loses Tatiana Suarez due to injury, but the promotion announced multiple additions, including the debut of Nate Diaz’s training partner Nick Maximov.

[autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]’s long-awaited return to the cage has been unfortunately delayed again.

Suarez’s last walk to the cage was at UFC 238 in June of 2019 against Nina Nunes, but has faced a lengthy layoff due to a neck injury. Last month, news of her return broke as she was set to face former title challenger [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag] at UFC 266.

Unfortunately, Suarez suffered an injury in training, further delaying her return to action. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the injury with MMA Junkie.

UFC 266 takes place on July 30, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and features two title fights as [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] will look to defend his featherweight title against [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag], and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] will take on challenger [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag].

While the event lost one key matchup in Suarez vs. Modafferi, the promotion announced multiple additions to UFC 266 on Tuesday via press release.

[autotag]Nick Maximov[/autotag], a Nick and Nate Diaz training partner, will make his promotional debut against fellow Dana White’s Contender Series veteran [autotag]Karl Roberson[/autotag].

A pair of surging bantamweights on impressive winning streaks will meet as [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag] is set to face [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag].

A bout that has been rescheduled twice prior has found a new landing spot, as [autotag]Shamil Abdurakhimov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chris Daukaus[/autotag] lands on UFC 266 after falling through at UFC on ESPN 27 and UFC on ESPN 28.

The current UFC 266 lineup includes:

  • Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
  • Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler – five-round, non-title bout
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
  • Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus
  • Ricky Simon vs. Timur Valiev
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Karl Roberson vs. Nick Maximov

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UFC 266 gets Volkanovski vs. Ortega, Shevchenko vs. Murphy title fight doubleheader

UFC is stacking the deck for its September pay-per-view lineup.

Featherweight and women’s flyweight gold will be on the line at UFC 266.

A pair of title fights are set for the Sept. 25 fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] set to meet for 145-pound gold in the main event, while dominant 125-pound queen [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] defends against [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] in the co-headliner.

UFC president Dana White announced both title matchups to broadcast partner ESPN on Tuesday. MMA Junkie subsequently verified with people close to the situation, who wished to remain anonymous.

Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Ortega (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) were first booked to fight in March, but the champion contracted COVID-19 and was unable to compete. The pair filmed “The Ultimate Fighter 29” during the delay, but are now healthy and have a new date, with Volkanovski looking to make his second title defense, while Ortega tries to make good with his second crack at gold.

Shevchenko (21-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), meanwhile, will look for her sixth defense of her belt. She’s run through all comers so far, but Murphy (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and her five-fight winning streak will attempt to upset arguably the most dominant champion in the sport at present.

With the addition of the title fights, the UFC 266 lineup now includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
  • Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
  • Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
  • Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
  • Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Roxanne Modafferi vs. Tatiana Suarez
  • Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

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Nick Diaz returns vs. Robbie Lawler in five-round UFC 266 co-headliner

Nick Diaz’s return will be historic, as he rematches Robbie Lawler in a five-round co-main event at UFC 266.

[autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s return to the UFC is finally a done deal.

After reports surfaced Diaz’s (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) octagon return was targeted against former UFC champ [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC), the promotion has now finalized his deal for UFC 266 in September.

UFC president Dana White additionally revealed to Yahoo! Sports that the fight will be a five-round co-main event, making it the second non-title, non-main event fight in UFC history to be scheduled for 25 minutes after Nate Diaz vs. Leon Edwards first broke the barrier at UFC 263 in June.

UFC 266 takes place Sept. 25 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

MMA Junkie verified the Diaz vs. Lawler booking with multiple people close to the situation. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement. Lawler has yet to sign his contract, but is expected to imminently.

The fight between Diaz and Lawler will be a rematch 17 years in the making. The pair last shared the octagon back in 2004 at UFC 47. Diaz won the bout with a memorable knockout, putting away Lawler in the second round.

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Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he took on Anderson Silva at UFC 183. The bout was ruled a no-contest after Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androsterone and Diaz tested for marijuana. Prior to that, Diaz had lost to then-champion Georges St-Pierre in a unanimous decision. From 2008 to 2011, Diaz went on an 11-fight win streak where he captured and defended the Strikeforce welterweight title.

Lawler, meanwhile, more recently compete in August when he suffered a decision loss to Neil Magny. He’s currently on a four-fight losing skid with his last victory coming in 2017. Lawler won the UFC welterweight title in 2014. He defended it twice before losing it to Tyron Woodley in 2016.

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Dana White targets Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler 2 for UFC 266 in September

A rematch between Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler is in the works for September.

It appears [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s UFC return is getting closer to becoming a reality.

With Diaz having recently committed to making a return to the octagon after more than six years away, UFC president Dana White has revealed a highly anticipated rematch with [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] is in the plans.

White told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter on Wednesday that the clash between former Strikeforce champ Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and former UFC titleholder Lawler (28-15 MMA, 13-9 UFC) is “in the works” for September.

MMA Junkie additionally learned from a person with knowledge of the situation that one side has verbally agreed to the rematch as the welterweight co-headliner for UFC 266 on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas. The other side is not yet finalized, however, and contracts have not been issued.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the booking process.

The pair last shared the octagon back in 2004 at UFC 47. Diaz won the bout with a memorable knockout, putting away Lawler in the second round.

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Diaz hasn’t fought since January 2015 when he took on Anderson Silva at UFC 183. The bout was ruled a no-contest after Silva tested positive for drostanolone and androsterone and Diaz tested for marijuana. Prior to that, Diaz had lost to then-champion Georges St-Pierre in a unanimous decision. From 2008 to 2011, Diaz went on an 11-fight win streak where he captured and defended the Strikeforce welterweight title.

Lawler, meanwhile, more recently compete in August when he suffered a decision loss to Neil Magny. He’s currently on a four-fight losing stid with his last victory coming in 2017. Lawler won the UFC welterweight title in 2014. He defended it twice before losing it to Tyron Woodley in 2016.

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Dana White updates on Khamzat Chimaev, Tony Ferguson, Stipe Miocic, event locations, more

Ahead of UFC 264, Dana White provided updates on numerous fighters and where they stand on returns to the cage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh17cvD-K2M&t=46s

Ahead of UFC 264, Dana White provided updates on numerous fighters.

On Tuesday, White spoke to UFC Arabia on the returns of [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag], [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], and other members of the roster, including upcoming title defenses for certain champions. The UFC president also revealed the location for UFC 266, as well as the latest on UFC Fight Night in London.

UFC 264 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Check out the Q&A with Dana White before UFC 264 by scrolling through the items below: