UFC

White: St. Pierre Likely Meets Diaz In Next Title Defense

posted December 6, 2012 by Nate Lawson

Georges St. Pierre

St. Pierre requests Diaz fight, White obliges

Ask and you shall receive, unless of course you're Johny Hendricks.

In a media scrum on Thursday leading up to this weekend's "UFC on FOX 5," UFC president Dana White revealed that welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre requested Nick Diaz as his next opponent.

And White says that match up will be the next welterweight championship bout. White says the fact St. Pierre rarely asks for specific match ups was a key role in determining the next top contender.

Dana talked to GSP. He wants Diaz. Says they'll probably make that fight. "Hendricks is not in position to ask for anything."

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 6, 2012

St. Pierre last fought at UFC 154 against interim champion Carlos Condit, earning a lopsided unanimous decision, but the fight itself took a back seat to St. Pierre's future, which many believed included a superfight against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

What would have been an unprecedented match up, and easily the biggest fight in UFC history, Silva vs. St. Pierre will be put on hold for now, despite statements from White prior to last month's event that the fight could happen fairly early next year.

But Silva, who is currently taking time off after his UFC 153 victory over Stephan Bonnar, is hardly in need of a fight of that caliber.

Instead, the biggest loser in all this remains welterweight contender Johny Hendricks, who knocked out Martin Kampmann in the first round of their contest at the aforementioned UFC 154.

Hendricks has been extraordinarily vocal about meeting St. Pierre when the champion returns to the cage, even stating that St. Pierre was doing him a disservice by not taking the fight.

He also expressed his disinterest in fighting again before challenging for the title, believing he has done enough to earn the title shot.

According to White, however, Hendricks will return to action before fighting for a title.

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