On February 4, 2011, the UFC will hold its highly-anticipated “Diaz vs. Condit” event, featuring Nick Diaz taking on Carlos Condit in a bout that will crown a UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. Also, Fabricio Werdum returns to the UFC after a mostly-stellar stint in Strikeforce and takes on “Big Country” Roy Nelson. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: What are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: Five reasons to watch UFC 143.
5. Not only do you get six fights for free, this is one of the strongest UFC preliminary cards in months.
The last time a UFC event rolled around, some scheduling conflicts resulted in me only getting to watch one preliminary bout. For UFC 143, I’m specifically putting time aside to catch the prelims because they really are just that awesome. You’ve got great newcomers like Stephen Thompson and Michael Kuiper, you’ve got “Ultimate Fighter” stars like Matt Riddle, Matt Brown and Alex Caceres, you’ve got entertaining fighters like Edwin Figueroa and Dustin Poirier…the list goes on. To be honest, several of these prelim fights would be a perfect fit for the main card of a “Fight Night Live” event.
4. Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen is going to once again prove how entertaining and underrated lighter-weight fighters are.
Scott Jorgensen is one tough fighter. He’s fought some of the best in his division, and while he’s lost a couple, he’s never made it easy for anybody. Renan Barao has a lot of hype behind him right now, and most of it is rightfully deserved. Jorgensen may be the gatekeeper in this fight, but this is also undoubtedly the toughest fight of Barao’s career. Don’t be surprised if this is your “Fight of the Night”.
3. Either Mike Pierce is the next big Welterweight, or Josh Koscheck is still the best UFC Welterweight that’ll probably not get another title shot for quite some time.
So long as Georges St. Pierre remains champion, Josh Koscheck probably won’t be getting another title shot. So what’s left for him at Welterweight? I honestly don’t know, and I guess the only person who can really answer that question is Josh Koscheck himself. Here’s what I do know: Koscheck is still a Top Five Welterweight, and I don’t think Mike Pierce is ready for him. If he is, this’ll be as shocking as when Johny Hendricks knocked out Jon Fitch. If he’s not, Koscheck will remind us all that he’s here to stay whether we like it or not.
2. Both Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum have a lot to prove.
As I’ve said in the past, Nelson is the type of fighter that always seems to hover just below title contention before he’s dealt a tough loss that forces him to more or less start over. Fabricio Werdum may be coming off of a loss, but expect the whole “he beat Fedor” thing to be milked to death. The loss to Overeem aside, Werdum had a great run in Strikeforce and he’s coming into the UFC as one of Strikeforce’s biggest Heavyweights. It could be a grappling clinic, it could be a three-round brawl, but whichever way it goes I’d be surprised if this fight isn’t entertaining.
And the number-one reason to watch UFC 143 is…
1. Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit…hell yes.
You couldn’t ask for a better match-up. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit are simply perfect for each other. Both of these fighters have one clear intention going into a fight: To separate their opponent from consciousness as quickly as possible. If it lives up to its potential, we’ll be talking about this fight for years. I’ve talked a whole lot about this one, so all I have left to say is this: Nothing will make me miss this fight.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
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