It appears that Nate Diaz has set his sights on a surging welterweight contender.
Following his first-round submission victory over Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 in August, Vicente Luque pondered the idea of a potential match-up with Diaz at the post-fight news conference.
“To me, Nate is a fighter and fighters fight, and I’m the kind of fighter that’s going to put on an exciting fight no matter who it is,” Luque said. “So, Nate wants a big fight, I’m not going to sell it by talking, but I’m definitely going to sell it by fighting.”
On Monday, Diaz posted a video clip of Luque’s statements on Twitter along with a short and simple response:
So let’s fight pic.twitter.com/lN0raom82L
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) September 13, 2021
So let’s fight
Luque replied to Diaz shortly after with a message of his own on Twitter, asking for UFC president Dana White to make the bout official:
This will be fight of the year @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby @AliAbdelaziz00 make it happen!!! When real fighters step in the octagon fans know it’s gonna be a war 🔥 https://t.co/urgvnDi5OZ
— Vicente Luque (@VicenteLuqueMMA) September 13, 2021
This will be fight of the year @ufc @danawhite @seanshelby @AliAbdelaziz00 make it happen!!! When real fighters step in the octagon fans know it’s gonna be a war 🔥
Luque is currently on a four-fight win streak in the welterweight division, which includes a first-round submission of former champion Tyron Woodley. Diaz, on the other hand, is on a two-fight losing streak, dropping bouts to Jorge Masvidal due to a doctor’s stoppage at UFC 244 last November and Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June.
Despite his recent skid, Diaz and his fans want to see him fight the biggest names available, and Luque, who does not have a fight currently booked, could be next should the UFC agree the match-up makes sense for all parties involved.
When White was asked about Luque’s place in the division after UFC 265, he said he belongs among the top names in the division, but wasn’t sure at the time how the division would shake out.
