Luque-Diaz pulled from UFC Abu Dhabi due to 'travel issues'

The Nick Diaz versus Vicente Luque co-main event has been pulled from UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3 due to "travel issues," the promotion announced Saturday.

A middleweight fight between Shara Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk will take its place on the card on short notice at Etihad Arena.

Diaz was set to make his return to the Octagon for the first time since sustaining a TKO loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 in September 2021. The 40-year-old was on hiatus for six years prior to his last match. A former title contender in the 170-pound division, Diaz was one of the more popular fighters during the height of his career with the UFC.

Luque (22-10-1) was seeking a bounce-back performance after a TKO loss at the hands of Joaquin Buckley this past March.

Meanwhile, Magomedov (13-0) has won his first two contests since joining the UFC. He scored a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva in his debut with the promotion before securing a third-round TKO over Antonio Trocoli in June.

Oleksiejczuk (19-8) will attempt to end a two-fight losing streak, which includes a first-round submission loss to Kevin Holland at UFC 302 in June.