[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] shows up in shape against [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag].
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returns against Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
Diaz hasn’t competed since a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler in September 2021, when he looked out of shape in what was his first fight in more than six years. Diaz’s team later revealed he was dealing with a neck injury, which hampered his training camp.
“The thing about Nick Diaz, for me: I want the guy from the pictures, I’m going to just say it,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t want to see Nick Diaz that is just ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I was so excited because I was like, ‘Man, he’s been back on the triathlons, and he looks even better than he did in his prime.’
“Then when he got to the octagon, he looked nothing like that person. He looked like a guy that was pushing 40, that hadn’t fought in many, many years, and I didn’t know if he still had that fight in him.”
Although Luque has lost three of his past four fights, Cormier still sees the once streaking contender as a stern test for Diaz. He worries that the former Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger may tarnish his legacy if he doesn’t take Luque seriously and perform.
“Vicente Luque is thought to be on the decline,” Cormier said. “I kind of judged him based on how badly Joaquin Buckley beat him. But then now watching Joaquin Buckley do what he did to the kid that was 18-1 in St. Louis, doing what he did to Stephen Thompson, now I look back at Vicente Luque and wonder if I was too quick to judgment.
“Maybe I didn’t see how good Joaquin Buckley is as opposed to the state of Vicente Luque’s career. I still think that’s a lot for Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was only one fight away from retirement. Vicente Luque is not going anywhere. It’s a tough fight. I think for Nick, though, he has to be really locked in if he wants to go out there and not embarrass himself.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.