BJ Penn vs Nick Diaz: A Career Timeline to UFC 137

UFC 137 has been somewhat of a moving target this month, as fighters and main events for the card have been flipped, tossed and turned due to fighter irresponsibility and injury.

We now have our main event set as "The Prodigy" BJ Penn will face off against former Strikeforce champion, and the best fighter outside the UFC, in Nick "No Show" Diaz. Something or someone was looking out for me in all this activity, as we now have a main event with my two favorite fighters of all time.

I have spent years following the respective careers of these two fighting pioneers, so I thought it would be cool to look at a parallel timeline between these two men and follow the career path that brought each of them to this fight on October 29th, 2011

Penn is 32 years old and Diaz is 28, so it should be interesting to look at the two paths to UFC 137.

1997-1998

BJ Penn—18 years old

BJ Penn enters his first jiu-jitsu tournament in Bakersfield, California and wins his weight class and the open weight division.

Nick Diaz—14 years old

After attending high school for one year in Lodi, California, where he was an avid swimmer, Diaz drops out of school. He begins training in the combat arts because he is being bullied around town.

2000-2001

Penn—21

Penn becomes the first non-Brazilian to win the gold medal in the black belt division of the Mundial Jiu-Jitsu championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Diaz—18

After a couple of years training in various combat sports and martial arts, Diaz becomes a professional fighter just after his 18th birthday. He wins his first fight, submitting Mike Wick with a triangle choke.

2002

Penn—23

Penn is fighting in the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world the UFC, and is fighting against the top fighters in the world in his weight class.

He goes 2-1 in 2002 beating Paul Creighton and Matt Serra, before losing a fight for the lightweight title against Jens Pulver.

Diaz—19

Diaz fights five times in 2002, starting his year with three fights in one night in a tournament in California. He wins the first two before losing in the finals to Jeremy Jackson.

Diaz fights two more times and goes 1-1, losing to Kuniyoshi Hironaka in his first fight in Japan.

2005

Penn—26

Penn spends his year fighting in the K-1 organization where he fights two tough opponents. In his last two fights of four in the organization, he loses a decision to Lyoto Machida in a fight at a catchweight near 190-pounds. He then beats Renzo Gracie by decision.

In the 13 fights in his career to date, Penn is 10-2-1

Diaz—23

Diaz is four fights in to his UFC career and has three fights in 2005. He TKO's Drew Fickett, knocks out Koji Oishi and then loses a tight decision to Diego Sanchez in an epic fight that has landed on the UFC Ultimate 100 Fights of All Time.

In 15 fights, Diaz is 11-4

2007

Penn—28

Penn has just lost a UFC welterweight title fight against Matt Hughes and is making his return to lightweight. He spends the year taping The Ultimate Fighter 5 as a coach opposite Jens Pulver. He then beats Pulver handily via rear naked choke in his only fight of 2007.

11-4-1

Diaz—24

Diaz fights his final bout in the Pride organization in a famous no-contest against Takanori Gomi. Diaz submits Gomi via gogoplata in what many considered the fight of the year. He then fought two times in Elite XC, getting a win and then a controversial loss against KJ Noons.

15-7-(1)

2009

Penn—30

Penn is in the midst of his dominant run as the lightweight champion but starts his year in rough fashion, with a beat down loss to Georges St-Pierre in a welterweight title fight. It is the pinnacle superfight of his career.

He then goes back to lightweight and defends his title twice in dominant fashion against young lion's Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez.

15-5-1

Diaz—26

Diaz is battling hard in the Strikeforce organization and fights two times in 2009. He beats Frank Shamrock by TKO and then submits Scott Smith via rear naked choke. He is the top dog in the organization and has set himself up for a shot at the inaugural Strikeforce welterweight title.

20-7-(1)

UFC 137 Penn vs. Diaz: What's on the Line for Each Fighter

What's on the line for BJ Penn?

It is no secret that Penn wants one more shot at the welterweight title and at 32 years old, the time is now to get it.  Some people don't want to see a GSP vs. Penn III, but you can be sure that BJ wants it.

Regardless of who is holding that belt, Penn wants to go out with it strapped around his waist.

If Frankie Edgar loses the lightweight title you could see him return to 155 to go for that belt, but right now Penn must dispose of Diaz to remain in the mix for either belt.

What's on the line for Nick Diaz?

It is clear that Diaz still refuses to comply with some aspects of being at the top of this sport so the fighting aspect is really all he's got. He continues to say he is strictly a fighter who is better than "all these guys" who have been fighting and promoting in the UFC for a long time.

It is time for Nick to put up or shut up, inside the cage, against the best fighter's in the world—or risk becoming a gatekeeper, or worse, in the next span of his career.

All information and timelines for this articles was sourced at wikipedia.org

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.