‘He’s not afraid of taking damage’ – Luque calls out Nate Diaz

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After defeating Randy Brown at UFC Vegas 5, Vicente Luque wants a big name for his next outing in the Octagon: Nate Diaz. Welterweight knockout artist Vicente Luque just won his 12th fight i…

UFC Fight Night: Luque v Brown

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

After defeating Randy Brown at UFC Vegas 5, Vicente Luque wants a big name for his next outing in the Octagon: Nate Diaz.

Welterweight knockout artist Vicente Luque just won his 12th fight in the Octagon last Saturday—a vicious KO of Randy Brown, following a perfectly placed clinch knee and a barrage of punches. Now he’s looking for his next challenge. And the ‘Silent Assassin’ set his sights on one of the biggest names in his division, none other than Stockton’s own Nate Diaz.

In an interview with Combate, Luque explained that he wants to fight Diaz because of what he sees as their similarly exciting styles. He cited how both he and Diaz are not afraid of grueling striking battles—something that could mean a ‘Fight of The Night’ war for fans to enjoy.

“Now I want a well-ranked opponent. I’m looking at Nate Diaz. He’s one spot below me. He’s at 12, I’m 11. It makes sense to me, I’ve earned it. I’ve been finishing my fights, all great fights. Nate Diaz only wants big fights, fights of the night, main events. I sell fights because of my style.

“A fight between me and him would be fight of the night, for sure. It has all the potential. He’s aggressive, he comes at you. He’s not afraid of taking damage, just like me. I’ve been trying not to take so much damage, but if I do, I’ll pay it back two or three times more. I’m always looking for the knockout or the submission. It would be a great fight against Nate Diaz.”

The win over Randy Brown puts Vicente Luque (19-7-1) on a two-fight winning streak, after a victory over Niko Price, back in May. The 28-year-old’s last loss happened in November 2019, when he dropped a unanimous decision to former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson.

Of Luque’s 12 wins in the Octagon, only one has come by way of decision. The Brazilian holds wins over some notable names in the division, such as Mike Perry, Belal Muhammad and Randy Brown. By contrast, 11 of Diaz’s 15 UFC wins have come inside the distance. Including, most notably, his second round submission victory over Conor McGregor. Diaz has not fought since a November 2019 TKO loss to Jorge Masvidal for the ‘BMF’ championship at UFC 244.