MMA Link Club: Diaz gets his way, Rogan changes his mind, and Mazzagatti talks b---- slaps

- Jorge Santiago Talks Memories of His Father, Blackzilians, Upcoming MMA Bout (BleacherReport)

"Making it back to the top is a goal I am working towards every single day. I train harder and harder so that I can get back to fighting in the UFC on a regular basis. This really is my dream and I won't stop until I reach it. I've been through this before in my life. I fought in the UFC and I got cut back in 2006. Everybody thought I was done. They didn't think I would come back but I did. I proved them all wrong. - Jorge Santiago"

- Canada's finest: Welterweight prospect Sheldon Westcott Interview Exclusive (MMAMania)

"2012, in all honesty, I want to be fighting in the UFC before the end of the season I didn't make The Ultimate Fighter for. I want to be in the UFC before that season airs. It doesn't leave me a lot of time but I plan on being really active this year. I'm looking at having 4-6 fights this year so I'll be fighting on all the Aggression MMA shows which should be four this year and there's a couple other shows out of Calgary... - Sheldon Westcott"

- UFC 143 Referee Steve Mazzagatti Talks B-tch Slaps, Sh-t Talking and Dana White Hate (CagePotato)

"The rule states that fighters are not allowed to use foul language. That’s where I would use a warning. Fights are chess matches. These guys are trying to take each other out of their respective games and there’s a lot of talking that go on, not just with Nick Diaz. Believe me these guys have interesting conversations on the ground. I’ve seen and heard a guy get tagged hard by an elbow while on the bottom and tell his opponent... - Steve Mazzagatti"

- UFC message: Please forget the outcome of Condit/Diaz I (FightOpinion)

"With the news breaking that we’re going to get Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz in a re-match, I think it’s fair to say that you can squarely classify this rematch as a scenario where the promotion didn’t get what they wanted for the initial outcome. With Georges St. Pierre on the sidelines for a long time to come due to a torn ACL, the Welterweight picture is muddled as far as what to do for bookings on the calendar..."

- GSP Will Return to a Welterweight Division He Hardly Recognizes (MMAFighting)

"When I ranked the Top 10 welterweights a year ago, I noted that GSP was just a victory over Shields away from having beaten all five of the guys immediately below him: Jon Fitch, Shields, Thiago Alves, B.J. Penn and Josh Koscheck. But when I ranked the Top 10 welterweights this week, the three guys immediately below GSP - Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks - were three guys who have never faced him."

- Rogan changes his mind on winner of Diaz vs Condit (TheFightNerd)

"UFC color commentator Joe Rogan had a change of heart on who he feels walked away with a win at UFC 143. During his latest video broadcast Rogan admitted that when he watched the fight at home, he scored round 1,2, and 5 in favor of the former Strikeforce welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. The video is in stark contrast to his commentating on fight night, which he clearly voiced to Carlos Condit’s dominance."

- Nick Diaz Gets His Way Again but Was It the Right Call? (Five Ounces of Pain)

"Tell me if you’ve heard this one before - Nick Diaz b-tches and Dana White hands him the keys to the castle. For the second time since UFC 137, Diaz has thrown a fit with the UFC President giving him his way. After blowing his initial shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship because he decided that the pre-fight press conferences were unnecessary, White still granted Diaz main event status against B.J. Penn."

- Death of a Fight Club (MMAConvert)

"Tolga has only ever seen MMA on television, never live. Never up close and personal with the threat of being splattered with errant blood very real and probable. But as we ride the subway to the venue in one of the Outer Boroughs (locations of these events are always changing, always kept secret), he assures me he’s ready. Regardless, I prep him. Let him know what to expect."

- TapouT-UFC Announce New Sponsorship Deal (MMAPayout)

"TapouT and the UFC have had a long standing relationship over the years, which would explain why many fans already consider us as the lifestyle brand of the UFC. We made it official so there’s no doubt in the minds of retailers and consumers that TapouT is the leading lifestyle brand in the space. - James Ling, Authentic Brand Group’s SVP of Marketing and Global Brands"

- Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson's Post-UFC 143 Blog (FightLine)

"Having Georges St. Pierre walk out with me to my corner really helped me out. He doesn't walk out with just anyone and I was like whoa, you're going to walk out with me! He said he wanted to be there for me and I have to tell you that I felt honored; I thought that was really cool. I was a little nervous and excited at the same time to get started, and GSP came in and gave me some really good advice. - Stephen Thompson"

- UFC 145: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans Betting Odds (5thRound)

"Now that light heavyweight king Jon Jones and Rashad Evans have been confirmed as UFC 145′s featured attraction, let’s take a closer look at the chances “Suga” has at dethroning arguably the most unbeatable man in mixed martial arts. Jones will enter Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia a whopping 5-to-1 odds-on favorite to retain his title. Evans, on the other hand, checks in as a significant -350 longshot to upset the young champion."

- Tim Kennedy gives it to us straight about Iran, his duty as a sniper and retiring from MMA (MiddleEasy)

"Fightwise, I'm training my butt off. I'm supposed to fight Luke Rockhold when his hand is better. I would fight him next week if his hand was better. I'm training as if I have a fight in two months, even though I know he just got his cast off. Is my focus going to be shifting? Uh, not yet. It may be a little premature. I'm still going to be training a lot with my unit. I'm still working on a lot. But no. Day to day not much will change... - Tim Kennedy"

Check out last week's MMA Link Club: Lawn Chair Knockouts, Amateur Head Kicks, and Worthy Contenders

Photo: Scott Hirano