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Diaz keen to fight St-Pierre if opportunity arises

Nick Diaz had too much for Paul Daley and now fancies a matchup with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre © Getty Images

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Nick Diaz has confirmed he would love to fight UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, believing he has all the skills to beat the Canadian.

Diaz is Strikeforce champion at 170lbs, but is running out of viable competition after a run of 10 successive victories. St-Pierre is in a similar position after his victory over Jake Shields - although there are potential stumbling blocks to a champion v champion showdown.

St-Pierre is recovering from an eye injury sustained in the Shields fight while Diaz, who has previously underlined his desire to start earning increased pay packets, is preparing for a recently-confirmed entrance into the boxing ring with Jeff Lacy.

Nevertheless, the American admitted he would be tempted by a subsequent match-up with St-Pierre - should UFC president Dana White approve.

"Yeah, I didn't know if they'd be talking about [me fighting GSP] or what you know but let me get in there with that guy," Diaz recently told GnP TV. "They had him in there with my partner [Shields] and look what happened to him, you know what I mean?

"What do you think is going to happen to him if they put him in there with me? I don't know, I'd like to start getting paid up here, I'd like to get that fight or I'd like to make something happen here, something different, something big."

That 'something big' appears to be the boxing match with Lacy, and Diaz believes his punching skills would give him a significant advantage if he did end up fighting St-Pierre.

"Yeah, sure," Diaz said, when asked if he felt his boxing skills were superior to the 29-year-old's. "I think I'll put my punches in, I think he's going to try to force takedowns and go for takedowns.

"But I saw him out there and he doesn't look... he's not much for size, you know, and I don't know if that'll be the smartest plan for him either. I feel like it will be real hard for him.

"I feel like I'm ready for that fight, I've been ready for that fight. I just feel I'm even more ready for it now. I want to get this show on the road.

"Like I said, I'm not getting any younger and I don't think old Georges is getting any younger, and I need some change in lifestyle, you know?"

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