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Penn warns UFC over Diaz build-up

BJ Penn: "Let's not have it about a bunch of BS" © Getty Images

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BJ Penn has made it clear that he will not let his fight with Nick Diaz at UFC 137 be built up on the back of a slanging match.

Penn had been due to take on Carlos Condit, with Diaz facing Georges St-Pierre, but that schedule has been turned on its head with Penn facing Diaz and St-Pierre tackling Condit.

Diaz, who has not been beaten since 2008, has caused headaches for UFC officials by failing to commit to pre-fight events and his failure to turn up to two press conferences for his fight with St-Pierre prompted him to be pulled from the card - only to be restored 24 hours later against Penn.

Penn has revealed that he had to reshoot promotional material for the new fight and is concerned UFC may try and paint Diaz as the bad boy. And he has made it clear that he will not be drawn into criticising his opponent.

"They had to come back to film the Nick Diaz countdown," Penn said on his personal website. "One thing that was a trip about that whole thing was that, I got a lot of respect for Diaz, I've trained with him, that whole thing... they forced me to say, at the end of the whole thing, they forced me to say... 'You gotta say Nick Diaz's name now, you gotta say his name.' And I was like, 'What?' They were like, 'Say you're going to beat Nick Diaz. Say you're going to beat Nick Diaz.' And I said, 'I'm going to beat Nick Diaz.'

"I wish ... I would have said my hand is going to be raised, at UFC 137 my hand is going to be raised. I don't know if they're going to come back and try to show Nick Diaz that. I don't know what's going on with that.

"I kind of feel for him as I was in the primetime and they made me the bad buy and made GSP the good guy. I think if Diaz had been in that primetime they would have tried to make him Mr Evil.

"Diaz is an intense guy, he says what is on his mind and if they edit that stuff they can really turn it round on him.

"I hear so many things, that Nick is not going to do the fight and a bunch of things. At the end of the day I have to do a fight at UFC 137 and I don't want it to be built up on BS. I am not sitting there every day saying I am going to beat Nick Diaz and this and that.

"Let's not have it about a bunch of BS."

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