Nick Diaz could use a win.
One of Stockton, California’s two favorite fighting sons is set to continue his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career. That’s right, the elder Diaz brother will return when he faces Vicente Luque in a Welterweight clash at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, 2024.
Diaz, 40, hasn’t fought since a tough third round technical knockout loss in his rematch with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 in September 2021. Unfortunately for the former Strikeforce champion, the result extended his span without a victory as it’s now been 13 years since his last — a unanimous decision over B.J. Penn. Despite all that, UFC Bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, is excited about the return of the veteran.
“That’s so badass,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow. “[That’s badass for] us. Nick Diaz? Don’t watch it [if you don’t like it]. Definitely could have gave him a better match up. [Tony Ferguson] would have been perfect.
“His fight with Robbie Lawler, he was looking f—king good though,” he continued. “He looked good, he really did. Until he lost.”
As Diaz keeps fighting, so do his fellow fan-favorites like Ferguson, who will fight that same night when he takes on Michael Chiesa. Perhaps the most surprising element of the matchmaking decisions is that Diaz will go from the unranked Lawler at the time to the No. 14-ranked Luque.
Diaz vs. Ferguson seems like a no-brainer, especially with the previous tie-in of Nate Diaz, who defeated Ferguson via a fourth round guillotine in September 2022 (watch highlights). The fight was Nate’s last in the promotion. Meanwhile, O’Malley gears up for likely his toughest test yet, a title defense against the streaking No. 1-ranked Bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili.