USA TODAY's Sergio Non caught up with Nick Diaz's head trainer and manager Cesar Gracie to talk about Diaz's pending bout with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 137 as well as to discuss how the fight is even contractually possible. According to Gracie, Diaz recently signed a new deal. Contracted for eight fights, it allows Diaz the flexibility to fight in either UFC or Strikeforce. To wit:
UFC 137: Details Emerge About Nick Diaz’s New Zuffa Contract
Officials for UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, started looking into the possibility of St. Pierre vs. Diaz soon after the acquisition of Strikeforce in March. The St. Pierre bout falls under a new eight-fight deal that Diaz signed with Zuffa, Gracie said.
That contract allows Diaz to fight for both of Zuffa’s mixed martial arts promotions. But it precludes professional boxing, which Diaz originally planned to pursue in the fall.
“They were very fair in their dealings with us,” Gracie said. “It was kind of a complex contract because of the boxing, so he obviously had to be compensated for not boxing and taking this fight instead.”
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting adds further details. According to Gracie, Diaz’s Strikeforce belt may or may not be on the line, the fight was potentially going to be held in Canada and that while Diaz has the option of competing in Strikeforce again, and perhaps most importantly:
Do you think this marks the end of Nick’s run in Strikeforce?
Hopefully. If he’s back in Strikeforce, I would imagine that’s because he lost his next fight.
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