The UFC will return to Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, February 4 when the present UFC 143 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The five fight main card will see former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz meet Carlos Condit in a battle to decide who will wear the interim UFC welterweight title while current champion Georges St-Pierre rehabs from knee surgery.
In the co-main event, Fabricio Werdum, the man that ended Fedor Emelianenko’s amazing unbeaten streak, will return to the Octagon for the first time since October 2008 when he meets Roy Nelson. Werdum will be looking to get back on track after putting on a somewhat odd performance in a losing effort against Alistair Overeem in his last bout, while Nelson will look to continue his winning ways after earning a TKO win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in his last fight.
Also on the main card will be a bantamweight bout between Renan Barao, a fighter who is currently enjoying a 28 fight unbeaten streak and highly ranked Scott Jorgensen. This bout may very well determine who will fight the winner of the as yet unscheduled Dominick Cruz versus Urijah Faber bantamweight title bout, a fight that will take place sometime after they complete their stint as coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Main Card Odds:
Nick Diaz (-200) favorite over Carlos Condit (+160)
Fabricio Werdum (-150) favorite over Roy Nelson (+120)
Josh Koscheck (-245) favorite over Mike Pierce (+195)
Renan Barao (-240) favorite over Scott Jorgensen (+190)
Ed Herman (-300) favorite over Clifford Starks (+240)
Preliminary Card Odds:
Dustin Poirier (-450) favorite over Max Holloway (+300)
Matt Riddle (-345) favorite over Henry Martinez (+275)
Edwin Figueroa (-150) favorite over Alex Caceres (+120)
Matt Brown (-310) favorite over Chris Cope (+250)
Stephen Thompson (-260) favorite over Dan Stittgen (+210)
Rafael Natal (-215) favorite over Michael Kuiper (+175)