Nick Diaz (26-10) will be back in a UFC ring for the first time in nearly three years when he fights Vicente Luque (22-10-1) in a five-round co-main event at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3.
UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement on Wednesday and also revealed that Tony Ferguson will take on Michael Chiesa in a welterweight battle.
White also said that the winner of Cory Sandhagen versus Umar Nurmagomedov fight would earn a bantamweight title shot as No. 1 contender for the belt. Sandhagen-Nurmagomedov had previously been announced as part of the card’s main event.
UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi will be the 40-year-old Diaz’s first bout since Sept. 2021 when he lost via TKO to Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. That came after a longer layoff as prior to the Lawler bout Diaz had not fought since losing a unanimous decision in 2015 to Anderson Silva which was later changed to no-contest.
It’s been over a decade since Diaz last won a fight — a unanimous decision over BJ Penn at UFC 137 in 2011.
The rest of the Abu Dhabi card will see Chito Vera take on Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight bout and a strawweight match featuring Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez.
Source Agencies
