Daniel Cormier: Nick Diaz must be locked in to ‘not embarrass himself’ vs. Vicente Luque at UFC 310
October 15, 2024 2:00 pm ET
Daniel Cormier hopes Nick Diaz shows up in shape against Vicente Luque.
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returns against Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC)Â in a welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
Diaz hasnât 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. Diazâs team later revealed he was dealing with a neck injury, which hampered his training camp.
âThe thing about Nick Diaz, for me: I want the guy from the pictures, Iâm going to just say it,â Cormier said on âGood Guy/Bad Guyâ with Chael Sonnen. âI donât want to see Nick Diaz that is just ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I was so excited because I was like, âMan, heâs been back on the triathlons, and he looks even better than he did in his prime.â
âThen when he got to the octagon, he looked nothing like that person. He looked like a guy that was pushing 40, that hadnât fought in many, many years, and I didnât know if he still had that fight in him.â
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 doesnât take Luque seriously and perform.
âVicente Luque is thought to be on the decline,â Cormier said. âI 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.
âMaybe I didnât see how good Joaquin Buckley is as opposed to the state of Vicente Luqueâs career. I still think thatâs 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. Itâs 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.â
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