UFC 137 BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

On Thursday, UFC President Dana White made the announcement that many people were expecting.

After being pulled from his main event title fight against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, Nick Diaz will face off against BJ Penn at the same event, in what is likely a No. 1 contender's match.

In the end, many are saying that GSP—Condit and Penn—Diaz are better fights than the originals, and I have to agree.

This fight is going to be incredibly close, and in this entire breakdown there were only about two or three clear cut categories.

These two are very evenly matched, and it should be a fantastic fight.

Technical Striking

The first of many difficult calls to make, but BJ Penn gets the edge in technical striking.

BJ has been known as one of the best boxers in the UFC, and he has that reputation with good reason.

However, Diaz is no slouch on the feet, and should be able to hang pretty well with Penn.

Edge: Penn

Cardio

This was one of the few straightforward calls.

Diaz has never had a problem with his cardio, because he trains by doing triathlons with his brother.

On the other hand, Penn has shown a tendency to gas out at the end of fights, watch his fight with Jon Fitch or his second fight with GSP as an example.

No real mystery who has the edge here.

Edge: Diaz

Power

Penn has the edge in power, and this should come as a surprise to no one.

In his career, BJ has three wins by KO, while Diaz has none.

Penn gets the edge.

That's not to say Diaz can't stop a fight with strikes, but he can't finish the fight with one punch.

Edge: Penn

Jits

Both of these men are black belts in BJJ.

Penn has six submissions in his MMA career, and Diaz has eight.

The biggest difference between them is that Penn won the world championships several years ago.

Unfortunately, due to his lack of submitting anyone over the past two years, it's tough to gauge exactly where his jiu-jitsu skills are at this point.

This one isn't clear cut enough one way or the other to make a call.

Edge: Push

Wrestling

Another one that's tough to call, because neither really showcases much wrestling.

However, Penn gets the edge here, mainly because in his last fight against Jon Fitch at UFC 127 he was able to come out and take down the former Purdue wrestling captain in the first round.

Diaz may be able to out-wrestle Penn come fight night, but lately Diaz hasn't really looked for much of the ground game.

Edge: Penn

Toughness

Nick Diaz has got to be one of the toughest fighters in MMA today, but this was another tough one to call.

One of the biggest reasons was Penn's last fight against Jon Fitch.

In the third round it's hard to tell how much of it was Penn gassing out, and how much was him giving up.

Have you ever seen Diaz have the problem of even possibly giving up?

I haven't.

Edge: Diaz

Experience

BJ Penn has 25 fights in his career, Nick Diaz has 33.

Right off the bat it looks like Diaz has the edge, but there's one big difference.

Penn has 14 title or No. 1 contender fights (all in the UFC), Diaz has nine, and none are in the UFC.

Penn has been on a bigger stage more frequently, and has the experience under his belt.

Edge: Penn

Killer Instinct

Killer instinct was another incredibly tough one to call.

Both men are great finishers, Penn has finished in 13 of his 16 wins, and Diaz has finished in 21 of his 25 wins.

Once they smell blood in the water, they swarm.

Penn's last win was a 21 second knockout over Matt Hughes. Diaz's last win was a back and forth war with Paul Daley, where he nearly got knocked out himself, but kept on trucking.

If either of these two leave an opening, don't expect it to take that long till someone gets finished.

Edge: Push

Winner

In the end, I ultimately see Penn winning this fight after a back and forth battle with Diaz.

This fight is going to have everything: striking, grappling, submission attempts, near KO's and, of course, in-cage taunting.

Penn will get the better part of everything though, and look for him to pull out the unanimous decision.

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Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.