A huge marquee UFC event could be coming to Hollywood.
UFC president Dana White told UFC Unfiltered on Tuesday that the promotion is working on putting together a fight between Georges St-Pierre and Nate Diaz at UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.
ESPN first reported previously that the parties involved were discussing that bout. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Tuesday that the talks were still “preliminary.”
White said GSP and Diaz would fight at 155 pounds. St-Pierre is the former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion and this, if it happens, would be a major drop down in weight for the legendary fighter. Diaz has fought most of his career at lightweight, but both of his huge fights against Conor McGregor took place at 170 pounds.
White reiterated that the UFC has been offering both Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz fights over the last few years, but they have not come to a deal. But this one against GSP for Nate, he said, is a possibility.
“I need to give them three fights a year,” White said. “If I fail to give them three fights a year, then I have to pay them. I’ve honored my contract with those guys — they keep turning down the fights, which extends their contracts. But we are working right now to try to put together a Georges St-Pierre versus Nate Diaz fight.”
In addition to that, White confirmed the Combate report from last month that the promotion is trying to put together a fight at light heavyweight between Alexander Gustafsson and former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. However, White said that bout will not be for the interim title.
“That is true, but that is not for the interim title,” White said. “That’s false.”
The plan, as it stands now, is for both GSP vs. Diaz and Rockhold vs. Gustafsson to be on the UFC 227 card, joining the bantamweight title rematch between champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champ Cody Garbrandt. Derek Brunson vs. Antonio Carlos Junior has also been announced for the Staples Center event.
“In my perfect world, if everything goes perfect — which nothing goes f*cking perfect in this world — Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt, GSP vs. Diaz would be the co-main,” White said. “Gustafsson vs. Rockhold and Derek Brunson vs. Antonio Carlos Junior.”
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