UFC 143: CONDIT VS. DIAZ PREVIEW
By: MMA Writer Michael Alexander
*FX Fights start at 8pm ET. Pay Per View starts at 10 ET.*
For the first time in four years, there will be a new Welterweight Champion in the UFC…well sort of. On February 4th, Nick Diaz (26-7) will square off with Carlos “The Natural-Born Killer” Condit (27-5) for newly created WW interim title.
Originally, this card was set to be the biggest grudge match in UFC history. George St. Pierre was supposed to take on Nick Diaz, but while training for that fight, GSP tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee. With George expected to be out until at least November, a matchup between Condit and Diaz was a natural fit.
There are few people that are as brash and volatile as Nick Diaz. His personality is the biggest reason why he doesn’t have many fans, but at the same time, he is easily the most real person in the UFC. He is the one person in the UFC who you never have to worry about putting up a fake personality. Regardless of his personality, you cannot deny that he is one of the most dangerous men in the WW division. His combination of accurate striking, lethal submission game, and superb cardio will break most men. He looks to use his skills to test the will of Carlos in this war.
Condit has been a guy that has been overlooked for many years now. But after his back to back KO of the night victories over Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim, you could not keep denying Condit a fair shake. Carlos Condit isn’t the most athletic fighter in the division. He has huge power strikes and a solid ground game. But the reason I think he has the possibility of beating anyone is that this guy has one of the biggest hearts in the entire company as well as a jaw made of steel. His confidence in every aspect of his game lets him take risks that no other fighters are willing to take. Carlos Condit is incapable of having a boring fight, and that will continue in his fight with Nick Diaz.
My Pick:
I fully expect this fight to go all five rounds. There is little chance that Condit and Nick will get KO’d, and considering their fondness of striking, expect a slugfest of epic proportions. That being said, there has to be a winner. I am giving my edge to Nick Diaz, solely because of his cardio. I don’t think people truly give his cardio enough credit, because there is no person who can truly push the pace the way Nick can. The pace he sets at the beginning of the fight will be the same pace at the end, and I don’t think Carlos can handle that. Nick is going to control the standup game and win via unanimous deciosion in what should be an early candidate for Fight of the Year.
Also on the card, Fabricio Werdum (14-5) will take on Roy Nelson (16-6) will clash in a battle of grappling gurus. Werdum last competed in the UFC when he got TKO’d by future champ, Junior Dos Santos. Roy Nelson is coming off of a TKO over Mirko Cro Cop, and hoping to get back in the title hunt with a win over Werdum.
The rest of the card goes like this:
Preliminary card (Facebook)
Welterweight bout: Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson
Middleweight bout: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Preliminary card (FX)
Welterweight bout: Matthew Riddle vs. Henry Martinez
Welterweight bout: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Bantamweight bout: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Featherweight bout: Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway
Main card
Middleweight bout: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Bantamweight bout: Renan Barão vs. Scott Jorgensen
Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Heavyweight bout: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Interim Welterweight Championship bout: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Here is how to order UFC 143
http://www.ufc.com/event/UFC143/watch
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