UFC 137 results: Nick Diaz and BJ Penn after the war (Pic)

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted this picture shortly following the conclusion of the UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz" pay-per-view event last night (Oct. 29, 2011) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As you can see, Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn, who had spent 15 minutes kicking the ever loving crap out of one another just minutes prior, renew their friendship backstage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Both men sport black eyes, Penn's being completely swollen shut, but the respect for each other shines through.

In many ways, this can be considered a veritable passing of the torch. "The Prodigy" retired after the beating he received, while Diaz will move on to fight Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title over the Super Bowl weekend in what should prove to be one of the biggest fights of 2012.

Will Penn's retirement stick? Maybe, maybe not. But this is the natural order of things, in sport just as much as life. Diaz got past his first major test in his return to the UFC. Can he make it past the next?

For a complete breakdown of Penn vs. Diaz click here. For the fight metric report click here. To watch highlights of the bout click here and to see complete UFC 137 results click here.