October 15, 2024 2:00 pm ET
Daniel Cormier hopes Nick Diaz exhibits up in form towards Vicente Luque.
Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returns towards Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from T-Cellular Area 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 appeared out of form in what was his first struggle in additional than six years. Diaz’s staff later revealed he was dealing with a neck injury, which hampered his coaching camp.
“The factor about Nick Diaz, for me: I need the man from the photographs, I’m going to only say it,” Cormier mentioned on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t need to see Nick Diaz that’s simply ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I used to be so excited as a result of I used to be like, ‘Man, he’s been again on the triathlons, and he seems to be even higher than he did in his prime.’
“Then when he received to the octagon, he appeared nothing like that particular person. He appeared like a man that was pushing 40, that hadn’t fought in lots of, a few years, and I didn’t know if he nonetheless had that struggle in him.” Though Luque has misplaced three of his previous 4 fights, Cormier nonetheless sees the as soon as streaking contender as a stern take a look at for Diaz. He worries that the previous Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger might tarnish his legacy if he doesn’t take Luque significantly and carry out.
“Vicente Luque is considered on the decline,” Cormier mentioned. “I sort of judged him primarily based on how badly Joaquin Buckley beat him. However then now watching Joaquin Buckley do what he did to the child that was 18-1 in St. Louis, doing what he did to Stephen Thompson, now I look again at Vicente Luque and surprise if I used to be too fast to judgment.
“Perhaps I didn’t see how good Joaquin Buckley is versus the state of Vicente Luque’s profession. I nonetheless assume that’s lots for Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was just one struggle away from retirement. Vicente Luque just isn’t going wherever. It’s a tricky struggle. I feel for Nick, although, he must be actually locked in if he needs to go on the market and never embarrass himself.”
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