Daniel Cormier shares his biggest concerns for Nick Diaz’s UFC 310 comeback fight

UFC analyst Daniel Cormier has some profound concerns about Nick Diaz’s upcoming comeback fight against Vicente Luque.

Diaz will face Luque at UFC 310 at the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year. He returns after a three-year absence, stemming from a loss to former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC 266.

Before his UFC 266 comeback fight, Diaz seemed physically ready to return to top form after six years away from the cage. But, after requesting a last-second weight change for the Lawler fight, Diaz appeared a fraction of what he used to look like during the prime of his career.

Despite a four-fight winless streak, the 41-year-old Diaz wants to make a statement against Luque. Cormier, who has witnessed some of Diaz’s most iconic moments, hopes Diaz is mentally engaged in his fight camp.

Daniel Cormier: Nick Diaz can’t “embarrass himself” in UFC return

In a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, Cormier reacted to Diaz’s return to the Octagon.

“The thing about Nick Diaz, for me, I want the guy from the pictures. Imma’ just say it,” Cormier said of Diaz. “I don’t want to see Nick Diaz that is just ripped. When he fought Robbie Lawler, I was so excited. Because I was like ‘Man, he’s been back on the triathlons, and he looks even better than he did in his prime’. Then when he got to the Octagon, he looked nothing like that person. Like a guy that was pushing 40, that hadn’t fought in many, many years and I didn’t know if he still had that fight in him…

“Vicente Luque is thought to be on the decline,” Cormier continued. “I kind of judged him based on how badly Joaquin Buckley beat him. But now watching Joaquin Buckley do what he did to the kid that was 18-1 in St. Louis, what he did to Stephen Thompson…now I look back at Vicente Luque and wonder if I was too quick to judgment…Nick Diaz struggled with Robbie Lawler, and Robbie Lawler was only one fight away from retirement. Vicente Luque is not going anywhere, it’s a tough fight. I think for Nick, though, he has to be really locked in if he wants to go out there and not embarrass himself.”

Diaz’s last victory came against BJ Penn at UFC 137. After the win, he lost back-to-back UFC title fights to Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre.