Former UFC welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz will likely make his next Octagon appearance before the year is out.
Diaz — a former Strikeforce and WEC champion — hasn't competed since UFC 266 in September of 2021, where he was stopped by Robbie Lawler. That outing marked his first in six years and left many calling for his retirement.
The Stockton native isn't done yet, however, and he was scheduled to make the walk again last month in Abu Dhabi. But his planned clash with ranked welterweight Vicente Luque fell through owing to a travel issue on the side of Diaz.
Per MMA Mania's Alex Behunin, that matchup has been kept together and is now targeted to take place at the UFC 310 pay-per-view in Las Vegas this coming December.
Prior to his unsuccessful return three years ago, Diaz's previous outing saw him share the cage with Anderson Silva in 2015. The Brazilian had his unanimous decision win overturned to a no contest after testing positive for drostanolone and androsterone.
Diaz, meanwhile, tested positive for elevated marijuana metabolites, leading to a controversial suspension and lengthy layoff on the sidelines for the fan favorite.
He'll now look to return to his form of old in his second bout back at the expense of Luque, a longtime figure in the welterweight top 15 who has lost three of his last four.