Strikeforce
STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Nick Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie says Paul Daley an option for January bout
Dec 8, 2010 - 12:50:23 PM STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Nick Diaz's trainer Cesar Gracie says Paul Daley an option for January bout

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With Nick Diaz preparing to return to the Strikeforce cage on the January 29 event on Showtime, and with both he and Jason "Mayhem" Miller unwilling to come to an agreement on the weight in which they'd fight, he's in need of an opponent.

After his knockout win over Scott Smith last Saturday, Paul Daley may just be the man to take that slot, and Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie seems alright with that fight.

"I would take that fight right now for January," Gracie said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "After Paul's performance, it puts him right in the thick of things."

"Daley's name was brought up. I think that would be an amazing fight myself because styles make fights, and those two styles would be explosive."

But while it seems unlikely that the situation between Diaz and Miller will be resolved in time to match them up, Gracie said he's not yet ready to give up on that fight.

"I would like to fully explore the 'Mayhem' situation before we commit to what we're going to do," Gracie said.

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Penick's Analysis: Ultimately I'd expect for Diaz to fight Daley on the January card. Strikeforce seemed to be interested in the fight, Gracie and Diaz are up to the fight, and if offered I'm sure Daley will be up to the fight. It's a credible title fight for Strikeforce, as Daley's had a stronger strength of schedule over the last couple of years than a number of the guys Diaz has fought in the organization. With his emphatic knockout of Smith, this fight makes sense, so unless Diaz and Mayhem come to an agreement on a weight limit for that bout, I think we'll see Daley-Diaz in January.