Daniel Cormier is not thrilled with news of Nick Diaz’s return.
Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White shocked everyone when he revealed that the Stockton, California native would step back inside the Octagon for the first time since a 2021 scrap with ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler. Diaz is set to square off with No. 14 ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque on August 3 when the promotion delivers a star-studded Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi.
Sharing his thoughts on the announcement with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Cormier admitted to being initially excited by the news. After all, it’s not often that you get to see Nick Diaz strap on the four-ounce gloves.
“I was very shocked,” Cormier said. “After watching Nick Diaz compete the last time, I was like, ‘Okay, he’s done.’ But when I heard the news, I was excited! I got so excited because it’s like how often do we get an opportunity to see a guy that meant so much to us? I watched him in Strikeforce, I do all that.”
However, Cormier’s excitement quickly turned to worry after he realized who Diaz would be fighting.
“Now, the matchup, that’s a little worrisome for me because Robbie Lawler seemed to be at the same stage in his career as him. Vicente Luque is not there. This is a much more dangerous fight for Nick Diaz. I just hope that he shows a better form this time. Honestly, man, excitement because I get to see a guy that I’ve watched for a long time. Confusion in terms of who the matchup is. Tony Ferguson’s fighting on the card, too. Put them together. That makes more sense to me.”
Nick Diaz seeks his first win in more than a dozen years
After building an impressive 11-fight win streak, Diaz lost three straight between 2012 and 2015, coming up short against Carlos Condit, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva, though his fight against ‘The Spider’ was later overturned to a no contest after Silva tested positive for anabolic steroids.
Fans wouldn’t see Diaz return until eight years later when he booked a fight with UFC Hall of Famer Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. As excited as fans were to see the former Strikeforce titleholder back, his performance left a lot to be desired. After taking a beating in the first two rounds, Diaz threw in the towel 44 seconds into the third.
He’ll face an even tougher test this time out when he squares off with a top-15 contender who carries with him 19 career finishes against 22 total wins.