UFC President Dana White confirmed at the UFC 129 press conference late Saturday that Strikeforce Champion Nick Diaz could indeed be in the cards for a fight against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.
Diaz, a Jake Shields teammate, would conceivably bring the striking tools needed to threaten GSP–especially if his performance is as limited as what he displayed in the critically-panned Shields victory at 129. Diaz also possesses submission skills, but he neither rivals Shields in terms of wrestling background nor has a flawless track record of success against high-level wrestlers and clinchers.
And GSP would represent a far more lethal wrestling threat than the fighters who have tallies under the “L” on his record book.
White, of course, stopped far short of confirming the fight, noting some uncertainty with Diaz’s contract (including a supposed boxing interest on his part) and issues with Diaz’s behavior that would need to be addressed prior to fighting for the UFC Championship.
“They’re unique individuals, those two. I like them. I like their attitudes. I like their styles. You’ve got to play the game a little bit, please. And please don’t flip off fans and threaten to kick everyone’s asses,” said White of the Diaz brothers.
But given UFC’s lack of compelling challengers for GSP, Diaz definitely emerges as a logical contender. Jon Fitch, who many feel stood as a rightful number one contender, is injured, is coming off a draw with BJ Penn and is a victim of history–he was dominated in his last fight with GSP and has provided little evidence that fight two would be different. Other division standouts like Carlos Condit and even Anthony Johnson, for all their talent, have not yet made the impact Nick Diaz has at 170.
— While uncertainty exists around the future of GSP’s UFC Welterweight Championship, things look clearer for Jose Aldo’s Featherweight belt. After his UFC 129 win over Mark Hominick, Aldo now looks likely for a late-summer fight against Chad Mendes.
