"I was really concerned” - Vicente Luque shares touching words about Nick Diaz after fight cancelation
Vicente Luque was scheduled to take on MMA legend and perennial fan favorite Nick Diaz at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. However, several weeks ago, concerning footage emerged of Diaz on the side of the road attempting to light some bushes on fire.
Many fans quashed the footage, refusing to believe the former Strikeforce world champion and UFC title challenger could be in such a predicament. But the footage was confirmed as real by his girlfriend, who took to Instagram to shed light on the general battle with addiction while tagging Diaz.
The Stockton native has now been pulled out of his scheduled clash with Luque, who will face Themba Gorimbo instead. Following confirmation that Diaz would no longer appear at UFC 310, the Brazilian welterweight contender shared his thoughts on the heartbreaking situation during an interview with Inside Fighting.
He said this:
"It started with that video that showed up of [Nick Diaz] on the street... It is a crazy video when you see it. At the time I was really concerned, more than anything for Nick. You never want to see somebody in that condition. Especially after having the career he had, being the legend he is. I don't want to see a guy end up like that. What I hope and pray for is that he can recover, he can get back on track."
Check out Vicente Luque's comments about Nick Diaz below (1:45):
Vicente Luque reacts to Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry clash at UFC 310
Teammates of both Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry, Vicente Luque has shared his thoughts on their upcoming short-notice matchup set for UFC 310 during his aforementioned interview with Inside Fighting.
Rakhmonov was scheduled to face Belal Muhammad in the main event of December's pay-per-view card. But 'Remember The Name' suffered a serious bone infection in his toe that forced him out of the clash.
Having trained extensively with both welterweight contenders, Luque was asked for his thoughts on the title eliminator clash, saying this:
"This is a very big fight. Ian has been looking great in his fights. He's a big prospect, undefeated. Shavkat is a beast, and we bring that extra spice. They've trained together, everybody knows they've trained together. I'm seen them, I've watched them train together. I'm not gonna talk about that... I know that both guys are tough." [14:00-14:30 in Vicente Luque's aforementioned interview]