Nick Diaz set to make his return at UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event

After a three-year hiatus from the UFC, Nick Diaz is set to make his return to the Octagon for a welterweight bout against Vicente Luque on August 3 in the co-main event of the UFC Abu Dhabi. This announcement was made by UFC President Dana White himself on Wednesday. It came as a surprise for MMA fans, as Diaz seemed to have retired after his fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. Since losing to Georges St-Pierre in 2013, Diaz has only fought twice. 

Diaz fought Anderson Silva at UFC 183, a bout that initially ended in a unanimous decision win for Silva but was later overturned after “The Spider” tested positive for drostanolone and androsterone. Nick also tested positive for marijuana metabolites in that fight. Diaz’s last victory in the UFC octagon was in 2011 at UFC 137 against B.J. Penn. 

Dana White announced other matchups as well 

“Diablo” will fight in the co-main event and the fight against Luque will be of five rounds, which will likely favor him. On the other hand, Umar Nurmagomedov will face Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Fight Night on August 3 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The clash was initially scheduled for UFC on ESPN 50 last year, but Umar was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. Tony Ferguson is moving up to the welterweight to face Michael Chiesa. This could be his final UFC bout after seven consecutive losses. Meanwhile, Marlon Vera aims to bounce back from his loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 299. Mackenzie Dern is also looking to return to winning as he takes on Loopy Godinez.

Diaz is a great MMA icon 

Diaz recently hinted at a return, stating, “Somebody is going to pay very soon,” in a post on Instagram that featured footage of him training. Despite this, many remained skeptical about his return. Diaz appeared out of shape ahead of UFC 266, leading to his clash with Robbie Lawler being moved from welterweight to middleweight. The bout ended in the third round with Nick falling to the floor and refusing to continue, prompting the referee to stop the fight. 

Also Read: McGregor makes inflammatory remarks about Makhachev ahead of UFC 302

Since then, Diaz has not fought any bouts, and the 40-year-old was assumed retired for good by the fans. Still, he remains a UFC veteran and pioneer of the sport, and he has some great victories over BJ Penn, Paul Daley and Frank Shamrock.