Coker: Nick Diaz ONLY Strikeforce Fighter Able to Transfer to UFC (Video)
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Chrom Hall of Famer
Posts : 5966 Standard Cash : 23046 Reputation : 257 Join date : 2011-07-06 Age : 43 Location : Minnesota
Subject: Coker: Nick Diaz ONLY Strikeforce Fighter Able to Transfer to UFC (Video) Thu Jul 07, 2011 1:12 am
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For those of you fanboys waiting for lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez to vacate his Strikeforce belt and challenge for a UFC crown, don’t hold your breath. According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, former welterweight champion Nick Diaz was the ONLY Strikeforce title holder that had a provision in his contract which allowed him to jump to the big leagues.
“When Nick was working his way over to the UFC, we had talks with [manager Cesar Gracie],” Coker told 5thRound. “It was a process. It was a very unique situation because of the boxing allowance – that we allowed him to box. That’s how it ended up working out the way it did.
“The idea was to keep him in MMA, and Nick used that as a little [bargaining] chip.”
Coker reiterated that Diaz’s boxing provision was the only reason Mr. 209 was permitted to transfer over to the UFC.
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