UFC
Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz will wait for GSP if he defeats Carlos Condit at UFC 143
Jan 30, 2012 - 4:10:16 PM Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz will wait for GSP if he defeats Carlos Condit at UFC 143

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With conflicting timetables on when UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre will be able to return to action, there's a possibility the UFC may try to set up the winner of Saturday's Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit bout in a second Interim Welterweight Title bout in 2012. However, should Diaz come out of Saturday's UFC 143 main event with that Interim belt, he may not be willing to take another fight before St-Pierre returns.

"We are not taking another fight," Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie said on Monday's edition of "The MMA Hour" with Ariel Helwani (transcribed by BJPenn.com). "There is only one way in my mind that we are taking another fight... Hypothetically if we are fortunate and win this fight, I would advise Nick not to take another fight unless it's the GSP fight or unless it's in another weight class. We want to wait for that fight."

Of course, Diaz still has to get past a very difficult Carlos Condit in order for that to be his choice, but Gracie is at least giving notice that they want St-Pierre and St-Pierre only after Saturday's fight.

Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre is looking at a return anywhere from August to November, it would make enough sense to have Diaz wait. That would put him at six to nine months on the sidelines, and there would be time in between to get another fight in, but with how big that fight could be, waiting for St-Pierre might just be the right move. Carlos Condit may not feel the same way if he beats Diaz, though it would make as much sense for him. That said, if Condit wins, and Jake Ellenberger defeats Diego Sanchez, a rematch between those two would be a fantastic fight if St-Pierre's return is delayed.