UFC 137 Results: Is Nick Diaz Now a Top Pound-for-Pound Fighter?

Going into the UFC 137 main event between Nick Diaz and BJ Penn, most fans and analysts considered the fight to be almost a toss-up due to their similarities both in their boxing and on the mat.

And after a closely contested first round where Penn seemed to get the better of Diaz, the kid from Stockton came out in the second and third rounds and showed why some fans have considered him the second-best welterweight in the world.

Diaz picked apart Penn to the point where it looked like “The Prodigy” would have serious difficulty remaining on his feet, and Diaz was landing punch after punch almost at will.

In BJ Penn’s eight career losses, no one has ever beaten him down as badly as Diaz did last night, and considering Penn’s recent fights against pound for pound list mainstays like Georges St-Pierre, Frankie Edgar, and Jon Fitch, Diaz just entered himself into the conversation for a spot as one of the best fighters in the world.

While Diaz cannot claim a spot in the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the sport without a UFC belt around his waist, he has legitimately earned a spot in the top 10 with his victory over Penn.

Diaz now has a win that is better than anything other potential pound-for-pound fighters Jon Fitch, Rashad Evans and Gilbert Melendez have on their resumes, and he can even make a claim to jump heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, if you consider Diaz defended his Strikeforce title three times before coming to the UFC.

After being called everything from overrated to downright undeserving of his status as a top welterweight before last night, it seems incredible that Diaz has now entered the picture as one of the best fighters in the sport.

But his win over Penn leaves fans with little choice but to realize that he is the real deal and is a legitimate threat to Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight title.