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Michael Bisping calls out Nick Diaz to fight at UFC 206
Michael Bisping still wants to fight at UFC 206, and if Georges St-Pierre isn't willing then the middleweight champion wants Nick Diaz instead.
Bisping was offered and accepted a fight with St-Pierre earlier this week, but the former welterweight champion ultimately couldn't come to terms with the UFC on a new contract so he didn't take the bout.
While Bisping says he originally intended on taking the rest of 2016 off after his last fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 204, but when the opportunity came up to potentially fight St-Pierre in December it got him ready to compete again.
Now that the St-Pierre fight has been pulled off the table, Bisping says he's down to fight anybody that makes sense but the name at the top of his list is Diaz.
"If it's not going to be GSP, I don't mind being on the card against somebody else and Nick Diaz would be somebody else that moves the needle," Bisping said on his Sirius XM radio show this week. "Now, I know I'm going to open myself up to criticism by saying that but there's been talk of us having a fight before.
"His last fight was against Anderson Silva, so he's fought at 185 and if Nick Diaz wants to do it, I'll fight Nick Diaz."
While Diaz would be the middleweight champion's first choice, Bisping says he's down to face anybody the UFC deems fit to fight him at UFC 206 so long as it makes sense for business.
After that, Bisping would then turn his attention to the de facto middleweight tournament taking place in November as Chris Weidman faces Yoel Romero at UFC 205 and then Luke Rockhold takes on Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza later in the month in Australia.
"If anybody wants to do it, I'll do it. As long as it's not some new pup that just signed with the UFC, I'm down to fight. I'll fight anyone," Bisping said. "I'll say it again and I'm not trying to sound like a tough ass but I'll fight anybody as long as it makes sense business wise. I'm not going to risk my reputation and my title against some chump, but if there's a lot of money on the line, then I'll do it. If Nick Diaz wants to go at UFC 206, formally, officially, I invite you to sign the bout agreement, let's do it.
"Then after that, whoever wins more impressively these top four middleweights, you know who we're talking about — (Luke) Rockhold, (Chris) Weidman, Yoel (Romero) and (Jacare) Souza — I'll fight whoever that is after this. That will happen 100-percent. Believe you me, I want to fight Chris Weidman. Out of the four of them, I've already beat Rockhold, Weidman is the one that I want to fight. I ain't ducking anyone."
Sadly, if St-Pierre is off the table and Diaz doesn't accept his challenge, Bisping may be left waiting for one of the middleweight contenders to come away victorious and then challenge him in 2017.
Options seem limited for a viable name to fight Bisping at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 unless a deal is struck with St-Pierre or Diaz is offered and accepts the fight taking place in about six weeks time. Of course, Diaz still has to clear up the $75,000 he owes to the Nevada State Athletic Commission before he could be allowed to fight anyways.
