Saturday night at UFC 143, Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz to become the interim welterweight champion. The fight was likely not what many expected. However, now that the event is over, it is time to rank and assess the performances of every fighter, not just those two from the main event.
Here is the list.
Tier 6
22. Dan Stittgen (F)
Stittgen was knocked out in the first round of his bout with Stephen Thompson. Suffering the early knockout makes Stittgen an easy target as the least impressive of the night, especially since Stittgen could not get any offense or defense going.
21. Chris Cope (D-)
Cope actually saw the second round, before being knocked out by Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Cope’s improvement should be noted, considering he was knocked out in the first round in his last fight with Che Mills. Clearly Cope is inching himself along. At this pace, he will be UFC champ in the next millennium. Cope had some minor success in the first round, showing some takedown defense and clinch work.
20. Michael Kuiper (D)
Kuiper made his UFC debut, going the distance and losing a unanimous decision to Rafael Natal. Kuiper was controlled by Natal for the entirety of the first two rounds. However, Kuiper dropped Natal in the third and he jumped on him trying to finish the fight with hammer fists. Natal held on, eventually getting up and taking Kuiper down once again. Kuiper showed some resiliency, fighting through a choke late in the third to fend off the finish. Overall, though, he was controlled and taken down with ease five times in the first round. Kuiper has a lot to work on.
Tier 5
19. Henry Martinez (C-)
Martinez found himself up against Matt Riddle, a much larger opponent, in the premiere fight on FX. Still, Martinez found success, especially during the opening rounds. He eventually came up on the losing side of a split decision, seeming to wan as the fight continued, especially during the third round. Martinez was most successful in the stand-up exchanges. He was also successful due to aggressiveness out of the gate. It says a lot about this card that there were really only three (or four) one-sided fights. Martinez’s fight is the first of many close, potentially controversial fights from Saturday.
18. Clifford Starks (C-)
Starks was submitted in the second round of the main card’s premiere bout. Starks was previously unbeaten. Despite the finish, Starks was moderately impressive. Not many gave him a chance against Ed Herman, though you could argue he won the first round. Starks’ strength is wrestling, he was able to reverse Herman to get on top following a Herman takedown late in the first. However, Starks showed some good stand-up with a strong right hand. There are plenty of adjustments for Starks to make, but it was not a discouraging loss for the middleweight against a proven veteran.
17. Max Holloway (C-)
Holloway made his UFC debut at UFC 143, replacing Ricardo Lamas, who in turn was replacing Erik Koch, to face fast-rising featherweight Dustin Poirier. Holloway finds himself relatively high for a fighter who was finished in most impressive fashion in the first round. He was way out of his league facing Poirier in his UFC debut, and this match never would have been made had it not been for a pair of injuries.
Still, Holloway showed no hesitation in his debut. Showing good versatility in his stand-up. He was even winning the standing exchanges against the top-10 featherweight. Once the fight transitioned to the ground, Poirier took over, attempting a few submissions before rolling Holloway into a mounted triangle/armbar, getting the tap from the Hawaiian. Holloway fared well, particularly standing, against one of the division’s elite.
16. Edwin Figueroa (C-)
Figueroa finds himself below his opponent, Alex Caceres, despite being the fight’s actual winner. The win came by split decision and only after a two-point deduction was delivered to Caceres. This fight is difficult to analyze considering Figueroa received a nasty kick to the crotch in the first (and later received another). It is difficult to analyze this fight without wondering how differently Figueroa would have fought had the inadvertent kick never taken place. That is, how much was Figueroa hindered during the fight?
Figueroa was the more powerful fighter for sure. He did not deliver a higher volume of strikes, but his seemed to do more damage. Figueroa was outclassed on the ground by Caceres. Despite this, Figueroa showed some very good submission defense as Caceres attempted to finish the fight many times while on the ground. In the end, Figueroa was able to weather the storm and receive the win (I probably should be giving him more credit, considering the circumstances).
15. Scott Jorgensen (C)
Jorgensen lost a unanimous decision to fellow top bantamweight Renan Barao. Jorgensen is a very good wrestler, though he was unsuccessful in taking Barao down or controlling him from top position. Jorgensen pulled guard in the second round, a move that did not lead to any offense for him. Jorgensen did manage to keep up with the pace of Barao and kept the fight close throughout. In the end, Jorgensen was out-struck by his more dynamic opponent and could not manage to bring the fight to his level.
Tier Four
14. Matt Riddle (C)
Riddle won a split decision against Henry Martinez. Riddle struggled early in the bout. However, he took over in the later rounds as he became more aggressive. He took the fight to the mat in the third and dominated there. Despite struggling to find his range early, Riddle showed some good diversity, scoring on the feet and on the ground and winning a decision.
13. Matt Brown (C)
This may seem low for “The Immortal,” who knocked out Chris Cope in the second, but his victory came against Chris Cope. Brown was the better fighter in every aspect: striking, on the ground, aggression. However, he fought back-and-forth with Cope in the first before obtaining the finish.
12. Rafael Natal (C+)
Natal won a unanimous decision against newcomer Michael Kuiper. Natal dominated for three rounds, finding success taking Kuiper down repeatedly. Despite his wrestling accomplishments, Natal did not find much success standing. Natal found himself in a precarious position in the third round, as he was dropped by Kuiper, who looked for the finish. Natal fought through the flurry and stood back up. He then took his exhausted opponent to the ground again. He advanced to mount, attempting an arm triangle while time expired. Natal cruised to an easy win using his wrestling, but his stand-up leaves much to be desired and he showed to be one-dimensional.
11. Alex Caceres (C+)
Caceres lost a split decision to Edwin Figueroa due to a couple of low-blow leg kicks, which resulted in a two-point deduction. However, despite the loss, Caceres impressed, following up on the improvement he showed in his fight with Cole Escovedo. In his battle with Escovedo, Caceres showed improved strikin and a versatile attack.
Against Figueroa, Caceres continued to mix up his strikes. Most impressively, Caceres showed great grappling, repeatedly taking Figueroa’s back and transitioning from submission attempt to submission attempt. Caceres had multiple opportunities to finish this fight, ultimately failing to do so. The one negative for Caceres might be his lack of power in his strikes. He landed a couple big shots that hardly stunned Figueroa (well, except for those two foul leg kicks).
Caceres seems to have all the tools to develop into a dynamic fighter, both on the ground and standing; he just needs to hone some of those skills and develop an ability to finish when the opportunity presents itself.
10. Nick Diaz (C+)
Diaz lost a fight he believes he won. However, Diaz failed to impress in his quest to obtain the interim belt. He looked to fight as he always does, wanting to stand toe-to-toe with his opponent while outstriking, outworking and outlasting his opponent. Carlos Condit refused to engage in Diaz’s style of brawl, and Diaz failed to adapt. So, he lost.
Diaz began the fight as the aggressor, pushing forward, but as the fight went on he seemed to push less and less, even if he seemed to be moving forward. His dip in the later rounds could be explained by frustration with Condit’s movement, or perhaps Condit’s numerous leg kicks began to take a toll.
Diaz should receive some props for dragging Carlos to the ground in the fifth and taking his back, but he should of pushed for the finish more than he did. He seemed content holding Condit down for the duration of the fight. How strange is it that the greatest knock on Diaz’s performance was his lack of aggression? The next greatest knock? His inability to adapt.
Tier Three
9. Mike Pierce (C+)
Pierce showed he was a good fighter once again on Saturday, just not elite. After suffering close decision losses to Johny Hendricks and Jon Fitch, Pierce succumbed to the same fate against Josh Koscheck. Pierce kept up a good pace, consistently making Koscheck uncomfortable. He even managed to bring the All-American wrestler to the ground for a moment. Pierce also showed some good ground defense, as he managed to avoid much ground-and-pound damage from Koscheck on the occasions he brought the fight to the mat. Still, Koscheck was a little better in every aspect of the fight.
8. Roy Nelson (C+)
Nelson found himself on the losing end of a decision in the co-main event of UFC 143, losing to Fabricio Werdum in his return to the promotion. Despite the definitive decision, Nelson did a good job of hanging around despite receiving plenty of punishment throughout the bout. Nelson even managed to land a couple of big shots himself. Most impressively, Nelson defended the excellent grappling ability of Werdum well. He also showed off an impressive chin in a fight that was rewarded “Fight of the Night” honors. Nelson’s loss had less to do with deficiencies in his skills and more to do with the vastly improved striking of Werdum.
7. Josh Koscheck (C+)
Koscheck found himself in a difficult situation on Saturday. Kos did not have much to gain from a victory against Mike Pierce, but a loss would have been catastrophic. Furthermore, stylistically, all signs hinted that this bout could be one of the more “boring” fights of the evening. Still, Kos and Pierce put on a technical war, with Koscheck earning the split-decision victory. Koscheck outstruck and outwrestled his opponent, even if just barely.
It was good to see Koscheck rely on his wrestling for once as his takedowns probably delivered him his victory. Had Herb Dean not pressured him to “keep working” he probably could have done a better job of controlling Pierce and eventually laid more significant shots from top position. Still, a victory is a victory for Koscheck, even if it does not ignite fans.
Tier Two
6. Ed Herman (B-)
Herman defeated previously undefeated Clifford Starks by second-round submission. He showed off his excellent grappling ability both in the clinch and in his submission game. It did seem, however, that Starks was able to get the best of Herman in the stand-up game and to some extent in the wrestling department, evidenced by Starks’ reversal late in the first round. Herman did show a good chin, taking some big right hand shots from Starks. Overall, it was a solid victory for Herman, although he was clearly the more veteran fighter.
5. Stephen Thompson (B-)
Thompson knocked out his opponent in the first with a brutal head kick, receiving “Knockout of the Night” honors. Some could argue Thompson deserves much more praise than he will receive here. Although Thompson’s night ending as well as it could have, he still was not that impressive in his victory. Thompson seemed to be one-dimensional in his attack, implementing a variety of ways to strike with his feet, but nothing more than that. It will be interesting to see how Thompson fares when someone tries to take him to the ground or press him up against a cage.
4. Carlos Condit (B)
Condit may not have enjoyed the most thrilling victory of his career, he did manage to walk away with the belt and a fairly decisive unanimous decision (for the record, I would have scored the bout 49-46 Condit). Condit did a great job of staying on the outside and landing a variety of kicks and combinations.
Many are arguing that Condit was “running” from Nate Diaz and should not have been rewarded for the win. However, Condit was not running. It is unreasonable to demand Condit to stand in front of Diaz and fight his opponent’s fight—it would be foolhardy, although entertaining. Condit implemented the perfect game plan to face Diaz with. He aimed to stay outside, while keeping busy using the plethora of strikes at his disposal, when Diaz did get inside and begin delivering his flurry of strikes, Condit would slip him and circle around; it is a fair strategy.
Condit also looked to attack the mobility of Diaz, using many leg kicks. As the fight continued, Condit became more comfortable and began opening his attack more, loosening up. Despite landing many effective strikes, none seemed to put Diaz in enough danger for Condit to look for the finish and he seemed content to take the fight to a decision. Condit fought a good, safe fight against an extremely tough opponent. It would be tough to take much away from him for that.
3. Renan Barao (B)
Barao fought a very solid match against top bantamweight Scott Jorgensen. Even though Barao was unable to secure the finish, he still dominated his fight, winning the exchanges both on the ground and in the stand-up. Barao also showed good strength and takedown defense, outgrappling the wrestler, Jorgensen and maintaining the dominant position when the two locked up. This fight was not as flashy as many of Barao’s victories, but it does bring him one step closer to a title fight.
2. Dustin Poirier (B+)
Poirier faced newcomer and previously unbeaten Max Holloway. Holloway seemed to have the better stand-up through the beginning portion of the first round, though Poirier dominated once he took the fight to the ground. There Poirier showed off his excellent grappling ability, transitioning to a mounted triangle armbar, winning him the bout and the “Submission of the Night” bonus. Despite the dominant victory, Poirier needs to show improved stand-up.
It was encouraging to hear Poirier in the post-fight press conference as he told reporters (who asked him about returning to the Octagon immediately, perhaps at UFC 145) that he would like to take a couple months off to develop his skills further in training so he can become a more complete fighter.
1. Fabricio Werdum (A-)
Werdum was the single most impressive fighter at UFC 143, He dominated top 10 heavyweight Roy Nelson for three rounds, showing off an immensely improved and diverse stand-up game. Werdum found the most success with his Muay Thai, opening up a big cut on Nelson’s forehead in the first with a knee. Werdum has always been one of the best BJJ practitioners in the sport, and he is an even bigger threat now that he some legitimate striking ability as well. With the victory Saturday, Werdum moves himself to the top of the heavyweight class, and he may only be a single fight away from a title shot.
Overall, UFC 143 featured many close fights, many going to a decision. Some fighter’s were more impressive than others, both in victory and in defeat. If you disagree with any of the evaluations above, let your opinion be heard in the comments section below. Or even if you do agree with a particular fighter’s evaluation but want to offer further evidence, that will be welcome as well.
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