Penn Wants Compensation for Five-Rounder

When the three-round showdown between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz was moved into the main event slot at UFC 137 on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, calls for it to be changed to a five-round fight followed soon after. Diaz’s longtime trainer, Cesar Gracie, was among those who advocated two additional rounds. During a pre-fight teleconference for the event, Penn indicated his willingness to go that route, under one condition:

“I’m happy to do a five-round fight. I’ve been five rounds many times in my career, many times in the UFC. I want to be compensated accordingly, and that’s it. I’m more than willing to do a five-round fight. If [UFC President] Dana [White] wants a five-round fight, he can give me a call and we’ll put it together right now. If Cesar wants to make it a five-round fight, he can compensate me personally. I don’t mind. I’d love to do a five-round fight if I’m compensated. This is a job. There’s nothing wrong with a main event being five rounds.”