Tag: Cesar Gracie

Nick Diaz’s ex-Coach concerned by UFC fight with Vicente Luque: ‘I wouldn’t have advised him to do this’

Nick Diaz's ex-coach concerned for fight with Vicente Luque I wouldn't advise him to do thisAhead of his slated return next month in Abu Dhabi, Nick Diaz’s former head coach, Cesar Gracie has voiced…

Nick Diaz's ex-coach concerned for fight with Vicente Luque I wouldn't advise him to do this

Ahead of his slated return next month in Abu Dhabi, Nick Diaz’s former head coach, Cesar Gracie has voiced his concern for his former student ahead of his slated clash with Vicente Luque – insisting he would have advised the veteran against fighting that opponent, as well as competent overseas this late into his career.

Diaz, a former welterweight title challenger under the banner of the UFC, is slated to make his first outing inside the Octagon since taking on the retired former champion, Robbie Lawler back in 2021, dropping a third round TKO loss in the pair’s middleweight rematch.

Nick Diaz targeted UFC 300 comeback fight with Georges St-Pierre before booking Vicente Luque clash
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

And set to snap a three-year hiatus from the sport next month in the United Arab Emirates, it came as a surprise to fans that Diaz was booked to take on welterweight mainstay, Luque in a return to the division – with pundits and commenters alike suggesting he should take on fellow veteran, Tony Ferguson on the same card – who is also set to compete in Abu Dhabi. 

Nick Diaz backed to win in UFC Abu Dhabi return he was looking good against Robbie Lawler

Nick Diaz’s ex-coach shows concern for UFC Abu Dhabi booking

Posting some recent training footage ahead of his comeback to fighting, Nick Diaz’s former head coach in Stockton, the above-mentioned Gracie, voiced some concern for his long-time student, questioning why a pairing with Luque was booked.

Nick Diaz admits he knew he had it coming in UFC 266 return unprepared
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports

“I’m not really involved in that fight,” Cesar Gracie told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “I’m gonna be perfectly honest with you, that wasn’t my idea. If I was advising Nick (Diaz), I wouldn’t have advised him to do that fight. It’s in Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t advise to go fight overseas at this point. Especially [to fight] (Vicente) Luque – who is a very tough guy.”

“Nick is a tough guy, but it just doesn’t make that much sense to me where Nick is at in his career,” Gracie explained. “It’s not the fight I would have made, and don’t even know what’s going on with that fight, to be honest with you. It’s a toss-up what’s gonna happen. I don’t really see him training with fighters. And I don’t know what’s going on with that fight.”

Do you think Nick Diaz can beat Vicente Luque in the UAE next month?

Nick Diaz’s Former Coach Disagrees With Decision To Accept Vicente Luque Fight: ‘If I Was Advising Nick…’

Fight fans were certainly caught off guard to see an announcement seemingly drop out of nowhere regarding Nick Diaz’s UFC return. His last outing against Robbie Lawler three years ago also came as a shock, but given the way that fight ended and the lack of movement since then, many would have assumed that we […]

Continue Reading Nick Diaz’s Former Coach Disagrees With Decision To Accept Vicente Luque Fight: ‘If I Was Advising Nick…’ at MMA News.

Fight fans were certainly caught off guard to see an announcement seemingly drop out of nowhere regarding Nick Diaz’s UFC return.

His last outing against Robbie Lawler three years ago also came as a shock, but given the way that fight ended and the lack of movement since then, many would have assumed that we wouldn’t see Diaz back inside the Octagon.

The Stockton native is now set to take on #14-ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi on August 3.

However, Diaz’s former coach has some worrying comments about the fight that aren’t going to go down well with fans who are excited to see him back…

Cesar Gracie Expresses Concern Over Nick Diaz’s Return Against Vicente Luque

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Cesar Gracie gave his thoughts on the Octagon return of Diaz.

He made it clear throughout that he isn’t involved in this fight, so while he is still in constant communication with Diaz, he doesn’t know much about it.

Nevertheless, Gracie doesn’t think that coming back against a top 15 competitor in Abu Dhabi is the right move for his former fighter considering where he is at in his career.

“I’m really not that involved in that fight, gonna be perfectly honest with you. That wasn’t my idea, it wouldn’t have been the fight that I would’ve — like, if I was advising Nick, I wouldn’t have advised him to do that fight.

“It’s in Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t advise to go fight overseas at this point. Luque is a very tough guy, Nick is a tough guy but it just doesn’t make that much sense for me. Where Nick is at in his career and I don’t know, it’s not the fight that I would’ve made.”

At 40 years old, Diaz hasn’t had his hand raised inside the cage since his win over BJ Penn at UFC 137, a staggering 13 years ago.

Gracie also expressed some concerns over whether this fight actually happens, stating once again that everything is a little bit up in the air right now, at least on his end.

“I don’t even know what’s going on with that fight, to be honest with you. I spoke to Nick today and, yeah, I don’t have any plans for that fight to be honest with you, I don’t know what’s going to happen with that one at all.”

Continue Reading Nick Diaz’s Former Coach Disagrees With Decision To Accept Vicente Luque Fight: ‘If I Was Advising Nick…’ at MMA News.

Nate Diaz’s Wife Gives Birth After Premature Labor

Over the weekend, Nate Diaz has become the father to a second child, according to his long-time coach and friend Cesar Gracie. While known as one of the baddest fighters to ever step foot into the Octagon, Diaz keeps things close to the vest when it co…

Over the weekend, Nate Diaz has become the father to a second child, according to his long-time coach and friend Cesar Gracie. While known as one of the baddest fighters to ever step foot into the Octagon, Diaz keeps things close to the vest when it comes to his personal life and relationships. Where some…

Continue Reading Nate Diaz’s Wife Gives Birth After Premature Labor at MMA News.

Cesar Gracie expects Nick Diaz to fight in 2023, reveals slew of injuries suffered ahead of UFC 266 return

Nick DiazCesar Gracie, the head coach and representative of former UFC welterweight championship challenger, Nick Diaz has revealed his client entered his September Octagon return at UFC 266 against Robbie Lawler with a pair of ruptured discs, however, expects the veteran to resume his career at the turn of 2023.  Diaz, who returned to active competition […]

Nick Diaz

Cesar Gracie, the head coach and representative of former UFC welterweight championship challenger, Nick Diaz has revealed his client entered his September Octagon return at UFC 266 against Robbie Lawler with a pair of ruptured discs, however, expects the veteran to resume his career at the turn of 2023. 

Diaz, who returned to active competition in an impromptu middleweight rematch with former champion, Lawler on the main card of UFC 266 back in September, suffered an eventual third round strikes loss to his fellow veteran, marking his first Octagon outing since 2015. 

Nick Diaz is said to have entered UFC 266 with a pair of ruptured discs in his neck

Rumored to make an Octagon return at the turn of next year, Nick Diaz’s head coach, Gracie expects his client to gain medical clearance to return to training in the coming months. And believes the Stockton fan favorite will compete professionally next year.

“So, we finally were able to go and he (Nick Diaz) got an operation and he put the titanium discs in his neck,” Cesar Gracie told Submission Radio. “So, he’s feeling great from that right now. And it’s like we’re getting the old Nick back, which is really good. So, now that that’s happened, we’re waiting for the doctors. He’s got another appointment I think next month. And then he should be cleared to start his hard training again. Because right now, he can only run and hit the pads and everything. But he definitely wants to fight. And the UFC, I’ve been in contact with them, they just actually called me the other day asking about Nick, and there’s some pretty cool fight options that are in front of us. …”

“He does enjoy competing,” Cesar Gracie said of Nick Diaz. “He does enjoy being a martial artist. And if he can do things on his terms like that, then he loves it. And so that’s where he’s at. And so he does wanna fight again. He feels like, especially now, I think he feels like he has something to prove. For me, I don’t care if he ever fights again. Because he’s an amazing teacher, there’s all kind of stuff that he can do. But he wants to do it for him. So, that’s where we’re at.” 

Without a victory since an October 2011 decision success against former two-weight champion, B.J. Penn, Diaz managed to scoop both WEC and Stirkeforce undisputed championships during his storied professional career.

Coach Reveals Real Reason Behind Nick Diaz Weight Miss At UFC 266

Fans of Nick Diaz were likely uninspired by the performance shown in his long-awaited return to the Octagon last September, but there appears to have been a solid reason behind his bizarre showing. By the time he fought Robbie Lawler for the second tim…

Fans of Nick Diaz were likely uninspired by the performance shown in his long-awaited return to the Octagon last September, but there appears to have been a solid reason behind his bizarre showing. By the time he fought Robbie Lawler for the second time at UFC 266, it had been close to seven years since…

Continue Reading Coach Reveals Real Reason Behind Nick Diaz Weight Miss At UFC 266 at MMA News.