UFC 137 will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. The main event will feature a welterweight contest between former UFC champion BJ Penn and Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.
Penn and Diaz have trained together in the past and in the days leading up to the fight, both fighters spoke of how the bout was not an ideal situation for either of them.
The talk of mutual respect and friendship lasted until Friday’s weigh-ins, when the two went head-to-head during the staredown, with Diaz leaning into his opponent and Penn not giving an inch. The two were then separated without incident. Diaz left the stage before he could speak to UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Penn gave a terse response to Rogan’s interview attempt, and—just like that—a fight that some had been worried about went to an entirely different level.
In the evening’s co-main event, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo will meet in a heavyweight contest. Mitrione will put his 5-0 record on the line against his toughest competitor to date. Kongo is coming off a knockout victory over Pat Barry that many consider the comeback victory of the year. Both fighters will be looking to use this fight to take the next step within the division.
Another heavyweight bout of some importance will also take place on the pay-per-view card. In that bout Mirko Cro Cop will face Roy Nelson. Both fighters will enter Saturday night carrying with them a two-fight losing streak. Nelson will be looking to ride a victory back into the mix in the heavyweight division, while a win for Cro Cop could very well end his MMA career on a high note.
The full UFC 137 fight card:
Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn
Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson
Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen
Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver
Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski
Eliot Marshall vs. Brandon Vera
Danny Downes vs. Ramsey Nijem
Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont
Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks
Check back often as Bleacher Report will have pre-fight, in-fight and post-fight coverage of UFC 137 right here.
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