UFC
Dana White confirms Nate Diaz will fight UFC 150's Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar winner
Aug 11, 2012 - 5:30:56 PM Dana White confirms Nate Diaz will fight UFC 150's Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar winner

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC won't be allowing the lightweight division to be held up any longer after UFC 150, as Dana White made it clear in recent weeks that, regardless of the outcome of the Ben Henderson-Frankie Edgar rematch on Saturday, there will not be an immediate third fight between the two.

He reiterated that stance on Friday following the weigh-ins for the event, confirming that Nate Diaz will be fighting the winner later this year.

Diaz's title fight comes after wins over Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller, and the way in which he defeated both fighters led to the UFC leapfrogging him over Anthony Pettis. It's an unfortunate situation for the recovering Pettis, who picked up wins over Jeremy Stephens and Joe Lauzon in succession after being passed over for a title fight in 2011.

Pettis is now likely to face Cerrone, should Cerrone defeat Melvin Guillard on Saturday. The winner of that fight then may be next after Diaz gets his shot later this year.

Penick's Analysis: White just confirmed what he's already said, but it lets both Henderson and Edgar know that it doesn't matter how close the fight is, they need to win. If that leads to a finish from one or the other, it would make for a fantastic main event, but they've each got enough drive for this fight regardless of that distinction. They each want to prove they're better than the other, and they'll have their chance tonight.