"It was off, then on, then off again … now it's back on. I won't really believe it until he is on the plane tomorrow morning heading to Japan."
That's Cesar Gracie -- the man responsible for the training and management of Nick Diaz -- telling Sherdog.com that his fighter is headed to Japan to take on Inoue Katsuya (16-5-3) during the DREAM 3 event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, this weekend on May 11.
Maybe.
The bout was scratched shortly after it was announced because Diaz is scheduled to fight Muhsin Corbbrey on June 14 in Honolulu, Hawaii, which did not site well with Elite XC Live Events President, Gary Shaw. In fact,
The card had already taken a hit with the loss of the vacant welterweight title tilt between Jake Shields and Drew Fickett (Fickett had to withdraw with an injury) and it appeared that the promotion didn't want to risk possibly losing Diaz if he is injured in his fight overseas and can't recover in time.
However, it appears that Elite XC officials have had a quick change of heart, specifically ProElite CEO Doug DeLuca.
Here's another snip from Gracie on DeLuca:
"He thought Nick sort of got screwed with the whole California Athletic Commission thing."
Indeed, but it comes at a potentially large cost -- Diaz has a history of sustaining cuts and injuries in his fights. Apparently Elite XC views it as a risk worth taking.
Now let's just hope Diaz gets on that plane and ultimately finds his way into the ring ... this is madness.
DREAM 3 will feature the second round of the 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix tournament, as well as the return of Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Should be a nice card. DREAM 3 will air LIVE on the HDNet network at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 11.
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