In the main event of UFC 137 in Las Vegas, Nick Diaz flashed his boxing skills and his irascible temperament—the two attributes that make him famous—en route to a unanimous decision victory over a battered B.J. Penn, who indicated after the fight that he may retire from the UFC.
Here’s what we learned from the bout.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
If this truly was the swan song of B.J. Penn’s illustrious career, that will be the overriding headline. Penn’s left eye swelled shut after the fight, a testament to the beating he received from Diaz, who was returning to the UFC after a five-year absence.
Still, Penn went out on his shield. Despite the barrage he took, he still has never been knocked down in his entire MMA career. That’s pretty freaking impressive.
What we learned about B.J. Penn:
We learned that, uh, he may be retiring. Penn’s career has followed a cyclical path, in which his motivation to train and to fight waxes and wanes like the Hawaiian moon. He appeared exhausted in the later stages of the fight, and confounded by Diaz’s standup onslaught. Though he was able to return fire and bloody Diaz, he didn’t always seem fully present.
After the fight, in speaking with Joe Rogan, he said “I’m done,” noting that he didn’t like the idea of going back to his family “looking like this.”
That said, he has thrown around the R word before, so time will tell.
What we learned about Nick Diaz:
That he’s good. Really good. Diaz used his six-inch reach advantage to stay out of Penn’s range, while landing those trademark tumbling combinations to B.J.’s face and body. As Penn wore down, Diaz seemed to hit his stride, dropping his hands as he stalked Penn down and cornered him against the fence.
After the fight, he called out “where you at, Georges?” and told Joe Rogan he thought Georges St-Pierre was faking his injury and was “scared” to face him. If it was a ploy to get the title shot, it probably worked. But after dominating Penn like that, Diaz probably didn’t need extra head games to convince the UFC of his worthiness.
What’s next for Penn:
If he rethinks retirement, a rematch with Jon Fitch seems reasonable.
What’s next for Diaz:
He asked for it, he got it. He’ll face St-Pierre early next year for the welterweight title.
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