· “UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit” Recap & Results
Saturday night’s pay-per-view “UFC 143: Condit vs. Diaz” from the Mandalay Bay Events Center crowned a new interim welterweight champion. While the wildly entertaining main event was not quite the slugfest many expected, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit delivered an instant classic that had all the hallmarks of a legendary bout: action, drama, and a controversial decision.
While Diaz came out looking to stalk Condit and overwhelm him with his volume punching, Condit seemed to have read the book on Diaz, and was able to avoid the salvo of offense the Stockton native has become known for in the opening round. Diaz awoke in the second and was able to put his offense together in the second frame and third periods, with Condit still being competitive and getting off shots all his own. “The Natural Born Killer” took a clear fourth round home as he outlanded Diaz using his kicks.
It was in the fifth round where the controversy largely began. Both men dug into each other with all they had, Condit snapped back the head of Diaz with a stiff kick, and continued to frustrate the normally voluminous Diaz with his elusiveness. It was Diaz, however, who came closest to ousting his opponent when he sucked the Jackson’s MMA product to the ground and chained submission attempts until the closing bell.
In the end, the bout seemed almost too close to call. The judges didn’t quite seem to agree with the sentiment of most. A chorus of boos filled the Mandalay Bay Events Center as the judges’ scorecards were announced, 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. An emotional Condit let his feelings show as UFC president Dana White tied the interim title around his waste. As many have come to expect, the Cesar Gracie student remained vocal. Stating his distaste for the sport’s judging and teasing retirement in the cage, “I don’t need this (expletive).” While it’s too early to tell if the Stockton native was serious or overreacting, a large contingent of MMA fans may possibly lose one of their favorite fighters after a great battle.
Carlos Condit may now go on to face Georges St-Pierre in a unification bout, pending the recovery of the incumbent champion. While White insists that Carlos Condit may be ready to fight s soon as July, it is projected that St-Pierre may be out until November, possibly opening the door for yet another contender to have a shot at the UFC title.
Looking like a man with a new lease on life, Fabricio Werdum entered the cage looking like a completely different fighter than the man we saw lose a tepid a decision to Alistair Overeem last June. Werdum, who has come under the tutelage legendary Chute Boxe muay thai coach Rafael Cordeiro, dominated “Big Country” bell-to-bell using his new found kickboxing skills. It became apparent early on that Nelson had no answer for the knees form the plum. The Brazilian picked apart his prey en route to a unanimous 30-27 decision
In a grueling welterweight bout, Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce pushed each other back and forth through three closely contested rounds. Both men battled at distance for much of the bout, with Pierce having a clear advantage in the clinch. It was Koscheck, however, who won the wrestling game, two-to-one. Koscheck drew the ire of the crowd for repeatedly poking Pierce in the eyes and not receiving a point deduction. At the final bell, the two of the three judges saw the bout for Koscheck (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Going into a battle of bantamweight contenders, it was expected that Renan Barao and Scott Jorgensen would be closely matched, but the Brazilian had other plans. The Nova Uniao product dominated the wrestler through the duration of the bout. Jorgensen, attempting to play to his strengths repeatedly shot on the Barao early on, but was unable to break his balance. Barao used his superior striking throughout, chopping away at the legs of the PAC 10 wrestler and zapping him with punches and a diverse arsenal of kicks. After a lopsided fifteen minutes, Barao walked away with a unanimous 30-27 decision.
After a rough go of things in the first round, Ed Herman continued to roll at middleweight in a bout against Clifford Starks. The opening stanza saw Starks largely pick “Short Fuse” apart on the feet. Herman was able to correct himself in the second period and take the fight to the ground, where Starks was clearly overmatched, the Portlander was able to sink in a rear naked choke, forcing the tap at 1:43 of the second round.
Dustin Poirier continued surging at featherweight when he submitted Max Holloway in the first round of their bout. The bout started with both men throwing heavy leather, but it was elementary once “The Diamond” secured a takedown into full mount. After locking in an armbar and transitioning to a triangle, the Louisiana native reapplied the armbar, forcing the newcomer to tap at 3:23.
Alex Caceres looked to continue to his run at bantamweight against Edwin Figueroa. Caceres connected with a low blow to Figueroa that only seemed to anger the Texan. “El Feroz” landed a kick to the head of the “Bruce Leeroy”, almost finishing the Miami native. Caceres managed to recover and take the back of Figueroa, attempting to submit the muay thai specialist. A second groin shot from Caceres caused a two point deduction, marring an otherwise strong performance from Caceres. The Young Tiger student continued to dominate in the third. When the judges handed in their scorecards Figueroa had taken the decision 29-28, 29-28, 28-29.
Welterweights Matt Brown and Chris Cope came into the octagon looking to win a fight of the night bonus in this clash of “The Ultimate Fighter” veterans. Both men winged wild punches from the opening bell. Brown finally connected in the second period, crumbling Cope and finishing him off with strikes. Referee Kim Winslow stepped in to save Cope, who tried to wrestle her to the mat, at 1:19 of the second frame.
“The Ultimate Fighter” veteran Matt Riddle squeaked by Jackson’s MMA product Henry Martinez in an exciting welterweight bout that saw both men content to stand through the first two periods. While Matinez seemed to connect in higher frequency, Riddle landed several hard shots of his own, unleashing a flurry on the Albuquerque native at the end of the second frame. The wrestler then returned to his roots and took the fight to the ground in the third, unloading a salvo of punches to dominate the round. At the final bell, the judges were torn on a winner, awarding Riddle a 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 split decision.
Rafael “Sapo” Natal came out aggressively in the opening round of his middleweight bout with Michael Keiper, chaining takedowns and bringing the Dutchman to the ground five times in the opening period. “Sapo” came out looking to strike in the second round, outlanding “Judo” for the duration, but was met with some resistance in the third and final round. “Judo” connected flush on Natal’s chin, sending him to floor. Keiper swarmed on the Brazilian, who was able to survive and turn things around with his favor, closing out the bout with his foe locked in an arm triangle. While the Dutchman survived to see the final bell, he found himself on the short end of a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Vaunted welterweight kickboxer Stephen Thompson wasted little time in displaying his karate chops against fellow debutant Daniel Stittgen. “The Wonder Kid” controlled the pace through the first round by chaining his kicks together, leaving Illinois native clueless as to what angle he would attack from. Thompson eventually landed on the button with a beautiful Brazilian kick that sent Stittgen to mat, drooling and unconscious. Referee Josh Rosenthal stepped in to stop the violence at 4:13 of the opening period.
Official UFC 143 fight results:
Carlos Condit def. Nick Diaz via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
Fabricio Werdum def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Koscheck def. Mike Pierce via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Renan Barao def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ed Herman def. Clifford Starks via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:43
Dustin Poirier def. Max Holloway via submission (mounted triangle-armbar) - Round 1, 3:23
Edwin Figueroa def. Alex Caceres via split decision (28-27, 27-28, 28-27)
Matt Brown def. Chris Cope via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 1:19
Matt Riddle def. via Henry Martinez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Rafael Natal def. Michael Kuiper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Steven Thompson def. Dan Stittgen via knockout (head kick) - Round 1, 4:13
