GSP out of UFC 137 with an Injury: Nick Diaz Benefits the Most

George St.Pierre is out of UFC 139 with a knee injury, and the UFC has promoted BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz to be the main event. This is still a very good fight, and it features two of the best fighters in the welterweight division.Nick Diaz was the Strikef…

George St.Pierre is out of UFC 139 with a knee injury, and the UFC has promoted BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz to be the main event. This is still a very good fight, and it features two of the best fighters in the welterweight division.

Nick Diaz was the Strikeforce welterweight champion before the UFC acquired them earlier this year.

He’s a very entertaining fighter with a seemingly never-ending gas tank. Nick competes regularly in triathlons when he’s not fighting, and does decently well in them.

Diaz is very skilled on the ground, with a background in Brazilian jiu jitsu. He’s dangerous on the ground in all positions, and has the ability to finish fights.

Nick Diaz is also a very skilled boxer, and is accurate with combinations. His footwork is solid, and he’s able to slip and block punches with good consistency.

Strikeforce has been the UFC’s main competitor, but they still don’t have the level of talent that the UFC has. Diaz has been saying he wants a fight with GSP, but it would be a very large step-up in competition.

BJ Penn is going through a bit of a rough patch, and isn’t the fighter he was a couple of years ago. He’s still a high-level fighter, and will be a tough test for Diaz.

If Nick Diaz is able to beat Penn, he will be more ready for the ability that GSP has. Penn is still a top-notch boxer, and game plans well for big fights. He’s elusive and hard to hit just like GSP. He will also be hard to takedown if Diaz should try to get the fight to the mat.

Diaz was originally booted from the GSP fight because of issues involving a press conference. If he wins against Penn, the UFC will have to give him the title fight.

GSP’s long layaway will certainly affect him at least a little bit. This is obviously another benefit to Diaz.

I’m not saying that Diaz will be the guy to beat GSP, but the champ will lose eventually. It happens to all great champions. Most fighters don’t know when they’ve lost it, and have a hard time getting out of the fight game.

GSP’s injury is bad for fans, Carlos Condit, the UFC, but not Nick Diaz. Let’s see if he can capitalize on the opportunity put in front of him.

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Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn New Main Event for UFC 137

In a huge F*** YOU to Karma, Nick Diaz was promoted to the main event against BJ Penn at UFC 137. Georges St. Pierre has pulled out of his title defense fight with Carlos Condit.

In a huge F*** YOU to Karma, Nick Diaz was promoted to the main event against BJ Penn at UFC 137. Georges St. Pierre has pulled out of his title defense fight with Carlos Condit due to a knee injury.

Nick Diaz was the original title-contender and main event fighter but had been yanked from that role following a series of no-shows for the UFC 137 press tour.

Carlos Condit is now side-lined until St. Pierre is healed and he is able to get his shot at the Welterweight title.

Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn New Main Event for UFC 137

In a huge F*** YOU to Karma, Nick Diaz was promoted to the main event against BJ Penn at UFC 137. Georges St. Pierre has pulled out of his title defense fight with Carlos Condit.

In a huge F*** YOU to Karma, Nick Diaz was promoted to the main event against BJ Penn at UFC 137. Georges St. Pierre has pulled out of his title defense fight with Carlos Condit due to a knee injury.

Nick Diaz was the original title-contender and main event fighter but had been yanked from that role following a series of no-shows for the UFC 137 press tour.

Carlos Condit is now side-lined until St. Pierre is healed and he is able to get his shot at the Welterweight title.

Carlos Condit Says Georges St-Pierre Injury News ‘Took the Wind Out of My Sails’

Filed under: UFCCarlos Condit had just finished doing about an hour of phone interviews to hype his title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 when he heard the bad news.

St-Pierre was out with a knee injury, the bout was postponed, and the wel…

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Carlos ConditCarlos Condit had just finished doing about an hour of phone interviews to hype his title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137 when he heard the bad news.

St-Pierre was out with a knee injury, the bout was postponed, and the welterweight tilt between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz would now take the main event spot on October 29.

“It was a surprise,” Condit told MMA Fighting on Tuesday afternoon. “…This has probably been the longest training camp of my career. Everything’s been going well, and then I get the call that [St-Pierre] is hurt. It took the wind out of my sails to say the least.”


More Coverage: UFC 137 Fight Card

Instead of getting his long-awaited shot at the UFC welterweight title at the end of the month, Condit is now off the UFC 137 card altogether. He’ll wait until the champ is healthy and the fight can be rescheduled, he said, since St-Pierre isn’t expected to be sidelined too long. With a relatively short time to wait, Condit said, taking another fight in the interim “just doesn’t make any sense.”

“From the sound of it, Georges, his recovery time isn’t going to be six months or anything like that,” said Condit. “From what I heard, they’re looking at more like six weeks. To take another fight just doesn’t make sense.”

The setback is obviously disappointing for Condit, who was pulled out of a bout with Penn and slotted into the title fight after Diaz’s press conference no-shows got him yanked from the main event, but the challenger said he’s doing his best to maintain a positive outlook.

“I’ll just have more time to work on things,” he said. “This is what I do for a living. This is my job, is to get up every day and go train. Not much has changed.”

 

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Cesar Gracie to BJ Penn: ‘Don’t Be Scared, Homie. Let’s Make It Five Rounds’

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsUFC president Dana White has already stated that the new UFC 137 main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will not be a five-round fight because, as he put it, “they haven’t trained for five rounds.”

Howev…

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UFC president Dana White has already stated that the new UFC 137 main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz will not be a five-round fight because, as he put it, “they haven’t trained for five rounds.”

However, Diaz’s manager and trainer Cesar Gracie wants the world to know that Diaz is ready and willing to go five rounds with “The Prodigy” on Oct. 29.

“If they can’t fight five rounds against each other, how are they going to fight five rounds against GSP?,” Gracie said to MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.

Gracie said he told White that Diaz wanted to change the fight to a five-rounder but had yet to hear back from Penn’s camp. After speaking to Gracie, both White and Penn could not be immediately reached for comment.

“Dana is good with it,” he said. “We’ve agreed to it. If BJ agrees to it, we’ll make it happen.”

Gracie added that there was no hesitation on Diaz’s part to agree to a five-round fight after hearing the news of GSP’s injury and subsequent removal from the card.

“These guys have to prove they are ready. These guys are fighters. BJ has always said he’s a warrior. … The old school days of MMA, back when it was NHB, they fought forever.

“Don’t be scared, homie. Let’s make it five rounds.”

 

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UFC 137 Fight Card: 3 Things Nick Diaz Must Do to Beat BJ Penn

At UFC 137, the fight between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn may very well prove to be the best fight on the entire card. Penn even went so far as to claim that the fight was the true main event. It is a fight that no hardcore fight fan will miss. They each hav…

At UFC 137, the fight between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn may very well prove to be the best fight on the entire card. Penn even went so far as to claim that the fight was the true main event.

It is a fight that no hardcore fight fan will miss. They each have excellent boxing and excellent ground games.  The two are so well matched!

Dana White has said that if Diaz defeats Penn, he’ll receive a title shot.

What does Diaz need to do to make sure he gets that shot?

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