Nick Diaz punched BJ Penn straight out of mixed martial arts competition on Saturday. Â Diaz won a unanimous decision against Penn by keeping the fight standing to batter him with punches for the last two rounds of the main event of UFC 137 in Las Vegas. After the fight, Penn announced that it would be his last MMA bout. Â Read more after the jump.
“I have a daughter and another on the way,” said Penn, whose left-eye area was bloody was swelled shut. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”
Compustrike counted 239 punches landed for Diaz, compared to 76 for Penn. Diaz, the former Strikeforce champion and the No. 5 welterweight in the USA TODAY/MMA Nation consensus rankings. Penn is the consensus No. 8 at 170 pounds.
The last two rounds saw Diaz especially effective, as he seemed to hit Penn at will while stalking him around the ring. But first he had to survive early danger.
As he has in past fights, Penn came out strong. He took down his opponent in the first round, climbed his back and landed several right hands to the head. But Diaz’s own considerable grappling ability made itself felt as he avoided Penn’s choke attempt, recovered to guard and regained his feet.
If Penn sticks to his word, it will end one of mixed martial arts’ storied careers. One of only two men to win UFC titles in two weigh classes, Penn has been ne of the most talented all-around fighters in MMA for a decade, going back to the early successes that earned him his “Prodigy” nickname.
