After UFC CEO Dana White expressed doubt about getting a [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] fight back on the books this year, the beloved veteran has been rescheduled against [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] on the final numbered UFC event of 2024.
Diaz, a former Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger, was originally slated to fight Luque in his first bout since September 2021 at UFC on ABC 7 in August. He withdrew due to travel issues, but now a new date is set for UFC 310, which goes down Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
The first time Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) and Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) were scheduled, it was a five-round welterweight bout. This time it is set for three rounds in the 170-pound weight class. White announced the matchup as part of a slew of matchups for the card on Saturday.
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Two people with knowledge of the situation verified the booking with MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Mania. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Diaz, older brother of Nate Diaz, hasn’t fought since losing to Robbie Lawler in 2021. That was also his first fight in six years. The 41-year-old is winless in his past four bouts, and hasn’t achieved a victory since battering B.J. Penn at UFC 137 in October 2011.
Luque is also looking to break out of a difficult stretch. The 32-year-old has dropped three of his past four octagon appearances, with his most bout being a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 54 in March.
The latest UFC 310 lineup now includes:
- Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov – for welterweight title
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura – for flyweight title
- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
- Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Tatiana Suarez
- Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
- Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
- Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
- Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.