Nick Diaz is out of UFC 310.

Next month, Diaz would make his long-awaited return to the UFC in a welterweight bout, once again Vicente Luque at UFC 310; However, on Saturday, MMA Fighting confirmed that Diaz withdrew from the upcoming event and will be replaced by rising competitor Themba Gorimbo. Alex Behunin was the first to report the news.

The 41-year-old Diaz, one of the most beloved figures in UFC history, has fought just twice in the past decade. Most recently, Diaz lost to Robbie Lawler by TKO at UFC 266 after a six-year hiatus from the sport. He was originally scheduled to face Luque at UFC Abu Dhabi in August, but the fight was postponed due to travel issues for Diaz.

The 32-year-old Luque is currently going through a difficult period in his career. Luque remains ranked 14th in the UFC welterweight rankings and has lost three of his past four fights, most recently being knocked out by Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlantic City.

Gorimbo seemed to know something like this could happen again, as he lobbied earlier this month for the opportunity to fill in for Diaz if necessary. Now “The Rock’s Favorite Fighter” gets his chance as he takes on Luque and is on a four-fight winning streak.

UFC 310 takes place on December 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura.

Mike Heck and Damon Martin contributed to this report.