UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque is turning the page on his attempts to do battle with Nick Diaz.
Diaz was initially scheduled to face Vicente Luque at the UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi this August, but the bout was scrapped due to travel issues on the Stockton native’s end. The matchup was later rebooked for UFC 310 on Dec. 7, marking what would have been Diaz’s first fight in over three years.
However, the fight was canceled as Diaz withdrew once again after a concerning video emerged that appeared to show him attempting to light grass on fire in the street. In his place, Luque is now set to face Themba Gorimbo at UFC 310.
The last time Diaz competed was at UFC 266 in September 2021, where he suffered a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler. Luque, meanwhile, has been struggling to regain his momentum in the Octagon. He holds a 1-3 record in his last four fights and is coming off a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in March.
Reflecting on the scrapped matchup during media day on Wednesday, Luque expressed doubts about ever facing Diaz in the future.
“At this point, I don’t think it will happen again,” Luque said. “Maybe – who knows. But I’m up the division. I’m looking to get past Themba. That’s the first mission to be accomplished, and after that, I’m looking up. I think that the Nick fight is past.”
