June 21 2011
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi Booked for UFC 135
By Bleachers Report
Four years ago, Takanori Gomi fought Nick Diaz in one of the best fights in the history of Pride. Now Gomi is slated to get a crack at Diaz's little brother.
The UFC has announced that Gomi will face Nate Diaz at UFC 135, adding what should be a very entertaining lightweight fight to the September 24 card in Denver.
Gomi's fight with Nick Diaz was a classic. Gomi, the Pride lightweight champion, entered as the favorite, but Diaz wore him out with his wild striking and his activity off his back, eventually submitting Gomi with a gogoplata in the second round. The bout was later changed to a no contest because Diaz tested positive for marijuana, but fans still remember it as a great fight, and as the performance that put Diaz on the map.
UFC President Dana White made a point of commenting on the previous Gomi-Diaz fight in announcing the next Gomi-Diaz fight, and you can bet highlights from that 2007 Pride bout will be shown regularly in the run-up to UFC 135. We can only hope Nate Diaz, who's moving back down to lightweight after looking sluggish at welterweight, can look half as good against Gomi as his brother did.
Here's how the UFC 135 fight card looks right now:
Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson
Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez
Kid Yamamoto vs Damacio Page
Ben Rothwell vs Mark Hunt
Travis Browne vs Rob Broughton
Takanori Gomi vs Nate Diaz
.