Fan favorite Nick Diaz is expected to make his return this summer, competing in a five-round co-main event against ranked welterweight Vicente Luque.
UFC CEO Dana White announced a series of matchups on Wednesday for the promotion’s return to Abu Dhabi on August 3. The show, which includes a previously announced main event between bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov, now has many other matchups featuring well-known fighters.
Most notable was the return of Diaz, who will be searching for his first win in more than a decade. The former Strikeforce and WEC champ has been largely inactive since his 2015 bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 183.
The older of the two Diaz brothers made his return in 2021, with a fight against fellow MMA icon Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. Diaz struggled from the start of the fight to its third-round finish when he was dropped due to strikes from Lawler.
Luque, the current 14th-ranked 170-pound fighter, will be coming back after suffering a finish loss against Joaquin Buckley earlier this year. He produced inconsistent results against some of the division’s top names in recent appearances, having lost three of his past five fights.
Lower on the card, Tony Ferguson will try to end his lengthy losing streak when he meets Michael Chiesa at welterweight.
Ferguson has lost in his past six fights, a series of defeats that kicked off in 2020 with an unsuccessful interim title bout against Justin Gaethje. He has been on the losing end of numerous dominant performances, including finish losses to Michael Chandler and Bobby Green.
During his announcement of the bout, White described the matchup as “what could be [Ferguson’s] final fight.”
Chiesa will similarly also be trying to end a losing streak. The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 winner is currently on the longest run of losses in his career, having dropped three consecutive bouts since 2021. His last fight saw Kevin Holland catch him in the first round with a d’arce choke in 2023.
It was also revealed that Mackenzie Dern will square off against Loopy Godinez at strawweight. Both ranked 115-pound fighters will be trying to get back into the win column following recent losses.
Here’s an updated look at UFC’s August trip to Abu Dhabi:
- Cory Sandhagen (17-4) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (17-0) (Bantamweight)
- Marlon Vera (23-9-1) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (23-3-1) (Bantamweight)
- Vicente Luque (22-10-1) vs. Nick Diaz (26-10) (Welterweight)
- Mackenzie Dern (13-5) vs. Loopy Godinez (12-4) (Strawweight)
- Tony Ferguson (25-10) vs. Michael Chiesa (16-7) (Welterweight)
