Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque off UFC Abu Dhabi due to 'travel issue'; Shara Bullet added as co-main

UFC fans will have to wait a bit longer to see Nick Diaz back in the cage.

Diaz (26-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. Vicente Luque (22-10-1 MMA, 15-6 UFC) has been removed from the upcoming UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi due to a “travel issue,” the promotion announced Saturday during the UFC on ESPN 60 broadcast.

UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald said the promotion will reschedule the fight for later in the summer, though he did not specify a date. The travel issue was with Diaz, not Luque.

The welterweight bout was scheduled to be the card’s co-main event. The promotion has replaced it with a new booking: Shara Magomedov (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Michael Oleksiejczuk (19-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC).

Had the bout happened, it would’ve been the first for Diaz since September 2021 when he lost by third-round TKO to Robbie Lawler. That fight was Diaz’s first in four years, since a no contest vs. Anderson Silva.

Luque would’ve looked to bounce back from a March loss to Joaquin Buckley. The defeat was his third in his most recent four fights.

Two fighters’ losses are two fighters’ gains, however. A rising star, Magomedov gets his biggest spot to date against the always gritty Oleksiejczuk.

Magomedov competed in June when he defeated Antonio Trocoli by third-round TKO. The victory moved him to 2-0 in the UFC, the banner under which he successfully debuted vs. Bruno Silva in October.

Oleksiejczuk could be fighting for his UFC career in this bout. Though his fights have been consistently exciting, the results have varied. Oleksiejczuk is 1-3 in his most recent four, including a submission loss to Kevin Holland in June.