Nick Diaz
Pic by SHERDOG.COM -click for source-

UFC 158 takes place March 16, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Bell Centre. GSP (17-2 UFC) and Diaz (7-5 UFC) were slated to fight at UFC 137 before Diaz skipped two pre-event press conferences and ultimately was pulled from the card. Diaz admitted today at a press conference, “It wasn’t very professional on my part.”

Diaz and St-Pierre are scheduled to meet for the welterweight championship at UFC 158 and this time, Diaz showed up for the presser. A more professional Diaz presented himself today, but was surprised when he was told he would be fighting GSP coming off of a suspension.

“I didn’t think I’d be getting this fight,” Diaz said. “I figured they’d probably stick me with some hard fights for a while and I’d have to work my way back to the fights I want and the things I want. They way I looked at it, I needed some time to see things out… But I’m a fighter, and if you give me the right fight, I’m going to be fighting.”

Diaz lost an interim title fight to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, and the Nevada State Athletic Commission issued him a yearlong suspension after he failed a post-fight drug test due to marijuana metabolites. Meanwhile, another top welterweight prospect has been on the rise as of late in Johny Hendricks, but GSP wanted this fight first for personal reasons.

GSP might be rethinking his choice, but it is too late? Diaz was on a schedule of constantly fighting and injuring his body. Now with the suspension, he has had a lot of time to train and heal up. So needlessly to say, GSP wants to fight the best Nick Diaz, and he will get the best Nick Diaz.

“I don’t feel I’ve ever been able to make it to 100 percent leading up to a fight,” he said. “All of these fights I’ve had in the last couple years have all been pretty back to back. I don’t feel like I’ve ever been 100 percent and healed up before I started my next training (camp) for the next fight… It’s nice to kind of heal up for a while and take a step back and see what’s what.”

Watch a fun fan made UFC 158 promo in the video below.

Video courtesy of YouTube uploader MarloMuzone