Next month, Diaz was supposed to make his long-awaited return to the UFC in a welterweight contest again Vicente Luque at UFC 310; however, on Saturday, MMA Fighting confirmed that Diaz withdrew from the upcoming event and will be replaced by rising contender Themba Gorimbo. Alex Behunin was first to report the news.
One of the most beloved figures in UFC history, the 41-year-old Diaz has fought just twice over the past decade. Most recently, Diaz lost to Robbie Lawler by TKO at UFC 266 after six-year hiatus from the sport. He was originally scheduled to face Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi in August but the bout was postponed due to travel issues for Diaz.
The 32-year-old Luque is on a tough run in his career at the moment. Still ranked No. 14 in the UFC welterweight rankings, Luque has lost three of his past four fights, most recently getting knocked out by Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlantic City.
Gorimbo seemed to know something like this could happen again as earlier this month he lobbied for the opportunity to step in for Diaz if necessary. Now, “The Rock’s favorite fighter” gets his opportunity as he steps in against Luque riding a four-fight winning streak.
UFC 310 takes place Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura.
Mike Heck and Damon Martin contributed to this report.
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