Written by Hurtsbad MMA Analyst Ryne Krafthefer

On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Carlos Condit showed everyone that he is a true mixed martial artist. The New Mexico native executed a perfect game plan against a very dangerous opponent in Nick Diaz.

Throughout the bout Condit showed excellent footwork and a variety of kicks, punches, and knees. “The Natural Born Killer” looked like a mastermind inside the Octagon, refusing to stand in front of Diaz and give into his trash talk.

Diaz walked down his opponent for the majority of the match, attempting to back Condit against the cage where he could utilize his brutal boxing. Diaz came close to having his way with the former WEC champion, but Condit would stick to the game plan and circle to the side, away from Diaz’s punches.

By the fifth round it was clear that Condit was winning on points and Diaz needed to pull off an overwhelming round in his favor, secure a submission, or get the knockout. Visibly frustrated, Diaz dragged Condit to the ground during the last few minutes of the final frame and worked for a submission. Condit would not give in to the pressure though and got out of the disadvantageous position with seconds remaining in the bout.

The judges awarded Condit the Unanimous Decision victory (48-47, 49-46, and 49-46) and the Interim Welterweight Championship. Condit will now wait for Georges St. Pierre to return from injury so the part-time training partners can do battle for the undisputed Welterweight championship probably sometime this summer.

Joe Rogan spoke with the Interim champ after the official decision was announced, “It’s pretty surreal. I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and teammates. I did what they told me to do, and I walked away with a victory.”

Condit went on to say, “My endurance has always been a strong point. It’s always been a part of my game where I felt like I could overcome my opponents and out-pace them, and, in this fight, I was able to hang with him.”

The man they call “The Natural Born Killer” had this to say of his opponent, “In a lot of my other fights, I’ve kind of come on strong in later rounds, and I did (tonight). I started to find my flow. Hats off to Nick Diaz. He’s a warrior and I have nothing but respect and admiration for how he fights. I hope you guys were entertained.”

Nick Diaz was clearly upset by the decision and announced his retirement after the bout saying, “I’m not going to accept the fact that this was a loss. I’ve lost fights like this before, and I’m not going to accept those either. Carlos is a great guy. I’m happy for him and his family, but I think I’m done with this MMA. It’s been great out here. I’ve had a good career. You guys pay me way too much, but I don’t think I’m going to get enough to keep going in this. It’s been a good time.”

The Stockton martial artist went on to say, “I don’t need this s---, you know? I pushed this guy backwards the whole time. He ran from me this whole fight. I landed the harder shots. He kicked me in my leg with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. If that’s the way (the judges) understand that you win in here, I don’t want to play this game no more.”

Only time will tell if Diaz is truly done with Mixed Martial Arts and fighting for the UFC. He has talked before about a stint in boxing, perhaps he will journey down that path for some time. If he really is done with MMA, the sport just lost one of its most talented competitors.

Strikeforce Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum returned to the UFC for the first time since late 2008. Since then he has fought elite competition that includes Antonio Silva, Alistair Overeem, and former Heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko. However, “Big Country” was looking to crash the Brazilians comeback party.

Roy Nelson has shown incredible heart and underrated athleticism in his recent fights for the UFC. “Big Country” has faced off against the best the UFC has to offer including Frank Mir, Mirko Cro-Cop, and current champion Junior Dos Santos. In each of those bouts he showed an amazing ability to take a punch and fire right back.

With Werdum being a world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner, it was obvious that Nelson needed to keep the fight standing. This strategy ended up backfiring as Werdum quickly imposed a vicious clinch game, thrashing the Ultimate Fighter winner with knees to the face. By the midway point in the bout, Nelson was bloodied and battered but would not quit. Nelson landed some strong punches later in the fight, and attempted a standing guillotine choke but was un-able to secure it.

The judges gave Werdum the nod, winning a Unanimous Decision. Werdum looked better than ever and his striking has improved significantly since his stint in Strikeforce. The Brazilian shared some words after the bout, “I know Roy

Nelson is a tough guy, but I trained my knees every day in Muay Thai. I’m very happy and I’m ready for the next fight.”

This fight had plenty of trash talk leading up to this weekend. Josh Koscheck is a 4 time all American wrestler who possesses impressive striking and a powerful overhand right. Mike Pierce is known for being the underdog in many of his fights, but he never ceases to impress, showing solid wrestling and a tough as nails mentality.

The fight didn’t exactly live up to the hype, with the majority of the fight taking place in the clinch up against the cage. Both fighters fought for the better position, with Koscheck scoring two takedowns to Pierce’s lone takedown. When separated, they traded jabs and often missed on strong punches. By the end of the fight it was hard to pick a clear winner, but Koscheck did enough with his two takedowns and pressure in the clinch to get the victory. The judges awarded Koscheck the split decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

A member of the American Kickboxing Academy in California, Koscheck had this to say after the scrap, “I find a way to win. Mike Pierce was a tough guy. I knew that coming into this fight.”

Renan “Barao” Pegado is currently riding one of the most impressive win streaks in all of MMA, victorious in 18 straight fights. He faced a stern test in the form of Scott Jorgensen, a recent Bantamweight title challenger. Jorgensen always displays toughness and a high paced style of fighting.

Jorgensen did everything he could to try and gain an advantage on his opponent, but failed on all of his takedown attempts. He was unable to assert himself on the feet as well, with the Brazilian Pegado picking him apart with quick jabs, and lightning fast leg kicks. By the end of the fight it was clear that “Barao” was simply on another level, and was given the unanimous decision victory.

Joe Rogan spoke to the red hot Brazilian after the fight, “I came in here to fight three rounds. He was a very tough opponent. I expected that, but I was well prepared.

“Barao” went on to say, “I had a really good game plan, and my team helped me a lot. I trained a lot at using the distance and kicks. That was exactly the game plan.”

Pegado has now won 18 straight and may potentially have earned a shot at the winner of upcoming Ultimate Fighter coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

The first main card bout was between Ultimate Fighter finalist Ed Herman and collegiate wrestler Clifford Starks. Herman is coming off of two impressive victories over Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke, finishing both men in the first rounds. In Starks UFC debut, he defeated Dustin Jacoby by decision. Starks showed impressive strength and takedowns in his debut.

Herman had trouble getting comfortable on the feet early against his strong opponent. Starks landed powerful right hands throughout the fight, but gave up two takedowns in the process. On the second takedown, Herman quickly transitioned to mount and took Starks back. “Short Fuse” then made short work of Starks, sinking in a forceful rear-naked choke that caused the ref to step in and stop the fight.

Herman won the fight by rear-naked choke in the second round. It’s his third straight victory and showed his always impressive ground game. Expect a big step up in competition for “Short Fuse” Herman.

In a highly anticipated night of fights they did not all go as expected but it was a solid card with some great performances and more than one unexpected twist. All in all UFC 143 was a hit and the main event alone divided the entire community, so this card definitely held a tremendous amount of weight.

For both the winners and losers Saturday night it will be extremely interesting to see what is next.

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