It is always lovely to see UFC veterans fight in the octagon, but at least against each other. UFC Abu Dhabiโs fight card has taken a disappointing turn as Nick Diaz and Tony Ferguson are on the same card, just against different opponents. Many people were not happy with UFC CEO, Dana Whiteโs match-making skills.
UFC Abu Dhabi will be headlined by Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedovย as the main-event matchup. White declared that for the co-main event, Nick Diaz was returning to the welterweight division against Vicente Luque. Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson has moved up weight classes. However, Why are these two MMA legends not fighting each other?
Ferguson too will fight in the welterweight division. However, his opponent is Michael Chiesa who is currently on a three-fight losing streak. His latest fight was against Kevin Holland who beat Chisea at UFC 291 with a DโArce Choke, in the first round of the fight. In comparison, โEl Cucuyโ has not won a fight since 2020 and is currently on a seven-fight losing streak.
But the big question is why is the UFC keeping the two UFC legends from fighting one another? It is not like Ferguson and Diaz share a great friendship that bars them from fighting each other. Both fighters are at the end of their career. They are big enough to generate a massive payday if they are pitched against each other. Both โEl Cucuyโ and the former Strikeforce champion refuse to retire so is the UFC saving this matchup for some other day? Only time will time.
Fans react to Nick Diaz and Tony Ferguson fighting on the same fight card but not against each other
The news of Dana Whiteโs Abu Dhabi fight card announcement caught the attention of fans on social media. People went to the comment section to share their opinions and reactions to the matchup. Here are some of the reactions from X:
The people are not delusional. They understand that both โEl Cucuyโ and the Stockton native could lose on the same night. Many fans were surprised because they never expected Nick Diaz out of all people to make a surprise comeback. However, they also expressed their dissatisfaction with the matchup.
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