Daniel Cormier worries Nick Diaz may ’embarrass himself’

Daniel Cormier hopes Nick Diaz reveals up in form in opposition to Vicente Luque.

Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returns in opposition to Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Diaz hasn’t competed since a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler in September 2021, when he seemed out of practice in what was his first combat in additional than six years. Diaz’s crew later revealed he was coping with a neck damage, which hampered his coaching camp.

“The factor about Nick Diaz, for me: I need the man from the photographs, I’m going to simply say it,” Cormier mentioned on “Good Man/Unhealthy Man” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t wish to see Nick Diaz that’s simply ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I used to be so excited as a result of I used to be like, ‘Man, he’s been again on the triathlons, and he appears even higher than he did in his prime.’

“Then when he received to the octagon, he seemed nothing like that individual. He seemed like a man that was pushing 40, that hadn’t fought in lots of, a few years, and I didn’t know if he nonetheless had that combat in him.”

Though Luque has misplaced three of his previous 4 fights, Cormier nonetheless sees the as soon as streaking contender as a stern take a look at for Diaz. He worries that the previous Strikeforce champion and UFC title challenger might tarnish his legacy if he doesn’t take Luque severely and carry out.

“Vicente Luque is considered on the decline,” Cormier mentioned. “I sort of judged him primarily based on how badly Joaquin Buckley beat him. However then now watching Joaquin Buckley do what he did to the child that was 18-1 in St. Louis, doing what he did to Stephen Thompson, now I look again at Vicente Luque and marvel if I used to be too fast to judgment.

“Perhaps I didn’t see how good Joaquin Buckley is versus the state of Vicente Luque’s profession. I nonetheless suppose that’s loads for Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was just one combat away from retirement. Vicente Luque is just not going anyplace. It’s a tricky combat. I feel for Nick, although, he needs to be actually locked in if he desires to go on the market and never embarrass himself.”

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