Those who were hoping to see another Nick Diaz appearance in the Octagon really soon will be disappointed.
Per the broadcast of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night, a “travel issue” has left Diaz unable to compete in his scheduled co-main event bout with Vicente Luque on Aug. 3, when the promotion holds a UFC Fight Night card at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
It was announced that undefeated middleweight prospect Sharabutdin “Bullet” Magomedov will now be featured in the new co-main event, taking on Michal Oleksiejczuk.
Diaz’s last UFC appearance came at UFC 266 in September 2021, losing to Robbie Lawler. That marked the Stockton star’s first MMA fight since his January 2015 clash with Anderson Silva.
Luque, meanwhile, has lost three of his last four, most recently being stopped by Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night Atlantic City.
The UFC is expected to reschedule Luque vs. Diaz for an event at a late date.
Luque & Diaz Out, Magomedov In For UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi
Magomedov competed just last month at UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia, scoring a third-round finish of Antonio Trócoli. He made his Octagon debut in Abu Dhabi last year, defeating Bruno Silva at UFC 294.
Oleksiejczuk, on the other hand, has lost three of his last four, most recently being submitted by Kevin Holland at UFC 302 last month in Newark.
UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi on August 3 will be headlined by Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov. It is the first of two events to take place in Abu Dhabi this year, with UFC 308 to be held in the same location on October 26.
