It was a short night in the Octagon for UFC welterweight Themba Gorimbo, who replaced Nick Diaz on weeks’ notice at UFC 310.
It took mere seconds for UFC welterweight mainstay Vicente Luque to choke replacement opponent Themba Gorimbo to sleep on the UFC 310 prelims. Luque smothered Gorimbo in an anaconda choke, forcing Gorimbo to go unconscious before having the chance to tap to the submission.
It was a disappointing setback for Gorimbo after filling in for the UFC fan favorite Diaz at UFC 310. Diaz was scratched from his UFC 310 booking against Luque due to undisclosed reasons, amidst concerning behavior in a now-viral video clip.
Gorimbo’s quick loss might’ve shown how the Luque vs. Diaz fight would’ve played out inside the Octagon.
Themba Gorimbo’s short-notice gamble falls short at UFC 310
Diaz’s long-anticipated UFC comeback fight took place at UFC 266, losing by TKO to former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. Fans, pundits, and some fellow fighters called for Diaz to hang up the gloves after his return.
Before the loss to Lawler, Diaz hadn’t fought since a unanimous decision loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 182. The fight was later overturned to a no contest after Diaz tested positive for a banned substance.
Diaz’s last win came against BJ Penn at UFC 137, regarded as one of the best fights in the promotion’s history. A UFC welterweight title fight against the legendary Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 resulted in another lopsided defeat for Diaz.
Meanwhile, Gorimbo’s defeat at UFC 310 snapped a four-fight winning streak. His rise near the top half of the UFC welterweight division comes amidst an inspiring story of overcoming adversity, which got the attention of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
-Nick Diaz’s Octagon return remains cloudy following UFC 310 withdrawal
Diaz was slated to return against Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year, before withdrawing from the event due to a travel-related issue. Luque wasn’t rebooked for the card and opted to wait for Diaz until December, but unfortunately, the second attempt to make the fight come to fruition didn’t pan out.
Diaz is one of the most beloved figures in UFC history by fans and fellow fighters. During his career, he helped put Stockton, CA on the map with victories over Paul Daley, Cyborg Santos, and Frank Shamrock.
Diaz won the inaugural Strikeforce welterweight championship over KJ Noons in Oct. 2010. Just three fights later after the UFC-Strikeforce merger, Diaz made his UFC debut against Penn, winning by unanimous decision.
Diaz could still potentially return to the Octagon in 2025, although as of this writing, nothing is set in stone for the former UFC title challenger’s next fight.
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