LAS VEGAS – Vicente Luque is done with pursuing a possible fight with Nick Diaz.
Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) was initially scheduled to fight Diaz at UFC on ABC 7 August in Abu Dhabi, but the bout was scrapped after Diaz pulled out due to travel issues. The pair were rebooked for Saturday’s UFC 310 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, Hulu, ESPN+) event at T-Mobile Arena, but Diaz withdrew once again.
Now, Luque faces rising welterweight contender Themba Gorimbo (14-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) instead. Luque explains that after a concerning video of Diaz surfaced, he had an inkling that the fight could be off again.
“Maybe a week after the video, something like that, I’m not sure how long ago that is,” Luque told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 310 media day. “Me and Ali (Abdelaziz), my manager – we were talking about it. Without even the UFC saying anything, ‘Let’s try to reach out to them and make sure that something’s going on.’
“When I was supposed to fight in August and it didn’t happen, the UFC wanted this fight – it was a big fight. I said, ‘OK, let’s do it – but I want to fight this year.’ I told Ali, ‘I’ll be ready for anybody.’ I knew, like, ‘Maybe it’s not going to happen, so I’ll stay ready for whoever steps up,’ and great that Themba stepped up and now we get a fight.”
After Gorimbo picked up his fourth-straight win over Niko Price, he offered to be a backup against Luque or Diaz if either pulled out – and he got his wish.
“When he said that, I heard right away and my mind was like, ‘OK, if something happens (with Diaz), there is somebody,” Luque said. “There’s somebody that is going to say yes. So in my mind, I knew that he could be an option – maybe even the first option, and that’s what happened.”
After the first Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) fight was scrapped, Luque was hoping for a rebooking. But after the second fight fell through, “The Silent Assassin” is no longer interested.
“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 first mission to be accomplished, and after that I’m looking up. I think that the Nick fight is past.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
