• UFC 137

Penn reluctantly accepted Diaz fight

ESPN staff
October 27, 2011
BJ Penn admits he had little choice but to fight Nick Diaz © Getty Images
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BJ Penn has revealed he had little choice but to accept the offer to fight Nick Diaz at UFC 137.

Welterweights Penn and Diaz headline the event in Las Vegas on Saturday, following the withdrawal of belt-holder Georges St-Pierre with a knee injury.

With both fighters eying a title shot, Penn admits the fight was one "neither of us would have asked for". Penn trained with Diaz and his brother Nate ahead of his UFC 101 match against Kenny Florian, and both fighters have avoided trash talk ahead of the clash.

"We're not close friends, but both of the Diaz brothers have really helped me out in the past," Penn wrote in his blog for Yahoo Sports.

"This isn't a fight either of us would have asked for, but we are both at the top of the division and there's no-one else for us to fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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