UFC welterweight contenders Nate Diaz and Vicente Luque might be on track to competing in the octagon before year’s end after the former endorsed the matchup in a subtle tweet on Monday.
Diaz has spoken in the past about remaining active in this next chapter in his UFC career, and it appears that he could be close to living up to that promise against Luque. After falling by unanimous decision to Leon Edwards at UFC 263, Diaz vs. Luque could potentially be a No. 1 contender bout for the right to face the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2.
Diaz appears to favor the matchup with Luque, and there appears to be virtually no bad blood between the two brawlers. But, Diaz wants Luque to make his recent callout a reality as he shared in a tweet.
“So, let’s fight,” Diaz tweeted along with a video of Luque calling him out during a post-fight press conference.
Luque has been one of the most dangerous matchups in the UFC welterweight division over the past few years and most recently earned a big win over Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 earlier this summer. After the fight, he called out Diaz along with Usman in a polite but direct way.
“To me, Nate is a fighter and fighters fight, and I’m the kind of fighter that’s going to put on an exciting fight no matter who it is,” Luque said during his UFC 265 post-fight presser. “So, Nate wants a big fight, I’m not going to sell it by talking, but I’m definitely going to sell it by fighting.”
If Diaz vs. Luque ends up happening later this year, it would end to an already incredible string of fights to wrap up 2021. One interesting thought is the two of them competing on the December pay-per-view, along with Diaz’s rival Dustin Poirier facing Charles Oliveira for the lightweight belt.
What are your thoughts on a potential Nate Diaz vs. Vicente Luque matchup?