UFC 137: Cesar Gracie - If Nick Diaz Finishes B.J. Penn, He Should Get GSP Next

[WrestlingSmarks News]

Cesar Gracie might get more mic time than any manager in MMA, and he was at it again today as a guest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. Back when Georges St. Pierre was forced off the card with a knee injury, Dana White stated that Carlos Condit would definitely get the next shot and not lose his place in line. Well, Gracie thinks a great performance from Nick Diaz at UFC 137 against B.J. Penn might change that:

"This is the UFC so there's always that chance," Gracie said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "There's no question about it that I will ask for that if Nick has a tremendous performance and he can finish BJ, I would ask for that. But the biggest thing is if the fans want it. If the fans all ask for that, Dana [White] is a smart guy. He knows the sport is about the fans. So who knows?"

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Gracie also confirmed there was some reluctance from both guys about facing each other due to their friendship, but a talk between Gracie and JD Penn got things moving:

"We said, 'Hey, you know what? These guys are going to have to fight in the future, at some point in their lives. So let's just get it over with,'" Gracie said.

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If Diaz did finish Penn, Gracie would have a point. I believe that there would be a much stronger market for the GSP/Diaz fight than GSP/Condit if that did happen. But that's a big if. There's an angry Hawaiian guy standing between Cesar Gracie and his hopes and dreams, and we'll find out this Saturday whether any of this becomes important or not.

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