Report: Nick Diaz out of UFC 310 fight vs. Luque

Former welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz is out of his comeback fight against Vicente Luque, which was scheduled to take place at UFC 310, according to MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew.

Themba Gorimbo reportedly agreed to step in on short notice and face Luque at the Dec. 7 event in Las Vegas.

This is the second time Diaz has been forced out of a matchup against Luque. He was scheduled to return to the Octagon at UFC Abu Dhabi in August but was removed from the card two weeks before due to "travel issues." No reason was given for Diaz's latest withdrawal.

Diaz last competed in September 2021, suffering a third-round TKO loss to former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. That was Diaz's first fight in over six years. Diaz hasn't gotten his hand raised since a 2011 bout against BJ Penn.

Luque, the No. 14-ranked welterweight contender, will remain on the card and attempt to bounce back from a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley that occurred in March. Gorimbo gets a significant step up in competition after beating Niko Price in October. The 33-year-old Zimbabwe native is riding a four-fight winning streak and is 4-1 in the promotion.

Flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is scheduled to defend his title against newcomer Kai Asakura in the UFC 310 main event. The newly announced co-headliner will see Shavkat Rakhmonov face Ian Machado Garry in a five-round welterweight bout.