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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Danny Segura and MMA Junkie Radio

Vicente Luque recounts surprising UFC on ESPN 7 offer to fight Diaz: ‘Are you sure it’s Nick or is it Nate?’

Fans weren’t the only ones surprised to see Nick Diaz book a fight. His upcoming opponent Vicente Luque was also caught off guard.

Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC), a long time welterweight contender, is scheduled to welcome back Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in a five-round fight Aug. 3 at UFC on ABC 7 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Diaz, now 40 and with almost three years of inactivity, wasn’t on Luque’s radar.

“I remember when (my manager) Ali (Abdelaziz) called and said, ‘Hey, we got a fight,'” Luque told MMA Junkie Radio. “I wanted to fight at the end of July or beginning of August, so he said we got Aug. 3 and that it was going to be in Abu Dhabi.

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