Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
After barely breaking a sweat in his Round 1 submission over Tyron Woodley on Saturday night at UFC 260, welterweight star Vicente Luque took even less time to call out Nate Diaz for his next fight.
Luque (20-7, 11 KOs) has now won three straight matches since falling to Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision at UFC 244 in November 2019. Diaz has been unmoved by past challenges from Luque, but Luque thinks things should be different now.
“I called him out in the past and he didn’t respond,” Luque said. “I think right now I’ve got a big win, I’ve got, you know, a great streak coming on, and man, my style, it matches perfect.”
Diaz (20-12, 5 KOs) hasn’t fought since a technical knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal—also at UFC 244—and has been a bit streaky over his recent matches, going 4-5 inn his last nine bouts.
That could make a fight with Luque more intriguing for Diaz now as he looks to reestablish himself as a premier contender.
UFC currently ranks Diaz outside the top 15 welterweight fighters, but at 35 years old, he’s still capable of reviving his career.
Luque, meanwhile, was ranked as the No. 10 welterweight contender before his win Saturday. With Woodley entering the bout at No. 7, Luque is more than likely to make a massive jump in the rankings.
Whether that’s enough to get Diaz into the Octagon with him remains to be seen, but after one of the biggest wins of his career, Luque made it clear he wants Diaz next.