Veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has claimed that Nick Diaz wanted to fight on the UFC 303 card headlined by Conor McGregor‘s comeback bout. Diaz, who last fought in 2021 and remains one of the most recognizable faces in the promotion, is booked to fight Vicente Luque at the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi card on August 3 despite his long periods of inactivity. But, according to Helwani, Luque was not Diaz’s first, second, third, or even fourth choice for his next opponent.

He wanted to fight Georges St-Pierre, whom he fought in 2013 and had a memorable rivalry with. When this didn’t come through, he expressed his wish to face Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington on UFC 303, followed by exciting prospect Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and finally asked for Kevin Holland. However, the UFC refused all of these because of one reason or another, and he had to settle for Luque, according to the journalist.

“So I have some intel on all this because I had the opportunity to speak to some of the people who have knowledge of it. This has been in the works for quite some time, I’m told. He was pushing for a GSP fight, didn’t come to fruition. He was then pushing for a Colby Covington fight at UFC 300, didn’t come to fruition. He then after MVP’s win and debut at [UFC] 299, pushed for that fight on the June 29 Conor McGreogr card, UFC 303 didn’t come to fruition. He then pushed for Kevin Holland on the June 29 card… didn’t come to fruition,” he said on his ‘MMA Hour Show.’

Diaz, of course, is unranked at the moment given his three-year break. In addition, he is coming off four consecutive losses (one of them was later overturned to a no-contest) and has not won a fight in nearly thirteen years since he defeated UFC legend BJ Penn at their UFC 137 main event bout in 2011. This might have been one of the reasons that the Stockton native was denied his first three choices (except GSP, who is retired). However, there is another stellar matchup that the UFC could have made.

Fans decry Dana White not booking Tony Ferguson vs. Nick Diaz for Abu Dhabi

After Dana White announced that Tony Ferguson would be moving up from welterweight and fighting on the Abu Dhabi card, fans have been railing at Dana White for having missed out on a legendary matchup between Diaz and Ferguson. Both men, of course, are among the OG stars of the last decade, and were the most exciting and dangerous fighters in their respective divisions in their prime. Now, they are faced with a downward trend in their professional career and, at 40, are nearing the end of their ropes.

While Diaz is in relatively good health, the same cannot be said for Ferguson. ‘El Cucuy’ is on a seven-fight losing streak, and the effects of his bar brawler, kill-or-be-killed style of fighting have caught up to him, with his speed, movement and overall fighting having gotten visibly slower over the past few years especially. Given all the parallels in their career and the reception Diaz-Ferguson would have received from fans, many think that Dana White missed a layup by not having the two legends fight each other in Abu Dhabi.

What are your thoughts on Helwani’s revelations? Drop your views in the comments below.