Followers weren’t the one ones stunned to see Nick Diaz ebook a struggle. His upcoming opponent Vicente Luque was additionally caught off guard.
Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC), a very long time welterweight contender, is scheduled to welcome again Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in a five-round struggle Aug. 3 at UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Enviornment on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Diaz, now 40 and with virtually three years of inactivity, wasn’t on Luque’s radar.
“I keep in mind when (my supervisor) Ali (Abdelaziz) known as and mentioned, ‘Hey, we bought a struggle,’” Luque advised MMA Junkie Radio. “I needed to struggle on the finish of July or starting of August, so he mentioned we bought Aug. 3 and that it was going to be in Abu Dhabi.
“I mentioned, ‘OK, that’s going to be a distinct place I by no means fought,’ and he threw the identify on the market, Nick Diaz. I used to be like, ‘Are you certain it’s Nick or is it Nate you’re speaking about?’ He mentioned, ‘No, it’s Nick. It’s actually Nick.’ I used to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s go. It’s going to be an superior struggle.’ In my thoughts, Struggle of the Evening is unquestionably up for grabs.”
Diaz was one of many largest stars in MMA within the 2010s. He’s a former Strikeforce champion and ex-UFC title challenger. He and his youthful brother Nate Diaz have been a part of a few of the MMA’s largest fights.
For Luque, it’s a dream come true to be preventing Diaz.
“Nick is a man that I all the time needed to struggle earlier than I bought into the UFC,” Luque mentioned. “That was 2014, 2013, 2012, that’s after I was making my strategy to the UFC and I watched plenty of Nick fights. It was wonderful to observe him struggle GSP, Carlos Condit, B.J. Penn, and even Anderson Silva. He’s fought all these guys that have been legendary, and for me, he’s a man I all the time needed to struggle.
“I didn’t suppose at this level I used to be going to struggle him anymore, however now I do get to struggle him. So for me, it was very thrilling to get this struggle. He’s not within the rankings, however man, it’s Nick Diaz. That’s a giant struggle regardless. It’s a very good struggle to get again to my profitable methods and set me up for excellent issues after that.”
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