Nick Diaz returns, Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi

Nick Diaz, one of the vital standard fighters in combined martial arts historical past, will return to the UFC in August.

Diaz (26-10) will face Vicente Luque (22-10-1) in a five-round welterweight bout at UFC Battle Night time on Aug. 3 in Abu Dhabi. UFC CEO Dana White introduced the struggle on Wednesday.

The information got here out of nowhere, as Diaz, the older brother of UFC star Nate Diaz, has not fought since September 2021. The 40-year-old legend struggled in a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler, and admitted throughout struggle week he was not excited to return to competitors. Previous to that struggle, Diaz hadn’t fought in six years.

He’ll face a longtime opponent in Luque, 32, who has been a constant drive at welterweight regardless of shedding three of his previous 4.

In a bantamweight matchup, Cory Sandhagen (17-4) will meet Umar Nurmagomedov (17-0), cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, in the primary occasion. Moreover, White introduced matchups between former bantamweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Marlon “Chito” Vera, a flyweight bout between Mackenzie Dern and Crazy Godínez and welterweight matchup between former interim light-weight champ Tony Ferguson and Michael Chiesa.

The UFC Battle Night time might be held at Etihad Area in Abu Dhabi, the identical venue that served as “Battle Island” in the course of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.