• UFC 137

'BJ Penn's my favourite fighter' - Diaz

Nick Diaz has labelled BJ Penn his favourite fighter, and the controversial welterweight claims he never intends to hurt anybody when he steps inside an Octagon.

Diaz marks his long-awaited return to the UFC on October 29, taking on a man with whom he has trained, and a man for whom he holds deep respect. Penn and Diaz are two legendary names of the sport, and clearly neither man feels trash talk is necessary.

Currently on a 10-fight win streak, Diaz knows he can book a title shot with victory at UFC 137. The Stockton-born fighter had been heading for a clash with champion Georges St-Pierre, but a series of missed media days saw him downgraded to a clash with Penn on the same card.

Once again Diaz proved unreliable for Wednesday's conference call, when he arrived 45 minutes late. But none of that matters to Diaz, who states simply: "It doesn't matter what I do, I just have to win."

Penn v Diaz throws up an outstanding mix of styles. Diaz has top drawer boxing, unrivalled recovery powers and a slick ground game, while Penn boasts one of the best jabs in the business, allied to world class jiu-jitsu.

Diaz's only loss in his last 16 came via doctor stoppage, while Penn largely only loses to wrestlers. Regardless of how they match up on paper, Diaz simply cannot wait to mix it with a man he greatly admires.

"He's my favourite fighter. He's better than they are, he's better than everybody else," Diaz said. "As far as I'm concerned, he came from my school, he came from where I came from.

"MMA fans in general are looking forward to this fight. We have some of the same style, and therefore we have some of the same fans. I respect his style of fighting."

Diaz, with nine stoppages in his last 10 fights, is portrayed as the natural-born fighter who loves a scrap. But while there is some truth in that, Diaz insists he'd rather not harm any of his opponents.

"I don't want to hurt anybody; I want to win and come out on top and for it to be an exciting fight," said the 28-year-old. "This is all I've got. I have the same gameplan for every fight. Win."

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