5 Great MMA Photos at UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz from Mark J. Rebilas

There were moments of excitement in UFC 137. From the prelims with Donald Cerrone putting a kickboxing clinic against Dennis Siver to the battle between Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson — there were glimmers of what I was looking for. But the biggest glimmer of all was with BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz where Diaz shined like a bright star.

(Photos via Mark J. Rebilas / ESPN) 

QUESTION: Finally, GSP vs. Diaz in February — are you excited? Who you got?

True MMA Warriors: Nick Diaz and BJ Penn I was struggling to figure out who to root for during UFC 137 because both Nick Diaz and BJ Penn have been some of my favorite fighters in MMA for a long time. I saw myself cheering when BJ was doing his thing and taking Nick’s back in the first round, then having it be hard to watch him take a beating in the second and third round. He never stopped though. On the other hand, no one can’t dispute that Nick Diaz belongs with the best of the best in the UFC. He’s a different beast. In the end, it didn’t matter. As a fan, you got to see two warriors battle it out in the octagon. These two brought it like you couldn’t believe. When I watch MMA, I just want to see two fighters fight (standup, ground, clinch, etc.). Just scrap. QUESTION: What were your thoughts on Penn vs. Diaz?

True MMA Warriors: Nick Diaz and BJ Penn

I was struggling to figure out who to root for during UFC 137 because both Nick Diaz and BJ Penn have been some of my favorite fighters in MMA for a long time. I saw myself cheering when BJ was doing his thing and taking Nick’s back in the first round, then having it be hard to watch him take a beating in the second and third round. He never stopped though. On the other hand, no one can’t dispute that Nick Diaz belongs with the best of the best in the UFC. He’s a different beast.

In the end, it didn’t matter. As a fan, you got to see two warriors battle it out in the octagon. These two brought it like you couldn’t believe. When I watch MMA, I just want to see two fighters fight (standup, ground, clinch, etc.). Just scrap.

QUESTION: What were your thoughts on Penn vs. Diaz?

UFC 137: St. Pierre vs. Condit Preview

So this is the UFC 137 reboot. Despite the switch in fighters, this is still a pretty exciting main and co-main event. As you all know, I’m a huge BJ Penn fan so I can’t wait to see him fight again, especially against another one of my favorite fighters Nick Diaz.

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QUESTION: Are you guys still excited for UFC 137 despite the change?

Day 19: Favorite entrance
BJ Penn at UFC 80. This is the fight where he becomes the UFC Lightweight Champion. It’s the fight where I think he turns his whole career around. Coming off of his win against Jens Pulver, we saw a whole new Penn — and Joe Stevenson was on the receiving end.

Coupled with the amazing song of “Hawaii 78 / E Ala E” by Iz — you can’t beat that.

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