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UFC 143 Predictions: How Nick Diaz Will Crush Carlos Condit

After the night’s proceedings at UFC 143 this Saturday weekend, Nick Diaz will continue his arduous journey to Georges St-Pierre and the coveted welterweight crown, whilst leaving a crushed and defeated Carlos Condit in his wake.Both Diaz (26-7-1NC MMA…

Both Diaz (26-7-1NC MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Condit are quite adept at striking, having scored 13 stoppages apiece.

That said, Diaz is not one to shy away from adversity as was proven in his fight with the hard-hitting Paul “Semtex” Daley, whom he miraculously turned the tables on via TKO to retain his now-relinquished Strikeforce 170-lb crown.

Diaz should be all up in Condit’s face and pressing the action from the opening stanza, putting his boxing skills to good use with an array of jabs, hooks, uppercuts and body shots.

Though, as long as he employs the same methodical approach as he did against B.J. Penn, then a resounding victory either by decision or TKO will be on the cards.

If, however, things don’t pan out in the striking department for the Stockton native, expect him to take the fight to the mat (his recent training stints with accomplished judoka Ronda Rousey should pay dividends) and test the resolve of the jiu-jitsu purple belt.

Despite the fact that Condit (27-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has 13 submissions in his win column, it’s worth noting that he has also suffered three defeats that have come by way of the aforementioned subs.

Conversely, Diaz has never succumbed to a submission, so the onus is on Condit to either stand and bang or find out how great an exponent of GJJ the Cesar Gracie fighter really is.

Still, whether fighting off of his back or in top position, Diaz will wait for that one mistake to capitalize on and thus end Condit’s quest for UFC gold.

It’s a well-documented fact that Diaz has cardio through the roof, and if his strategy is to push the fight into the later rounds, then expect him to implement his relentless offensive attack to wear down Condit.

And once “The Natural Born Killer” begins to wilt as a result of the indefatigable pressure, Diaz will go in for the kill.

There is too much at stake for Diaz to lose this matchup—he will crush Condit by the night’s end.

UFC 143 is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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UFC 143: Nick Diaz and 25 of His Best Quotes

Nick Diaz is one of MMA’s best trash-talkers and whilst Chael Sonnen is considered par excellence with regards to delivering his verbal attacks for shock and entertainment value, Diaz just tells it like is—one expletive after another. There…

There are no shades of grey where the Cesar Gracie fighter is concerned—it’s either black or white, or hospital call or Nashville brawl.

Warning: The following slides contain some highly explicit quotes and content that some readers may find offensive.

That said, let’s get the Diaz show on the road as he gets ready to fight Carlos Condit for the interim welterweight title Saturday at UFC 143.

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‘Ninja of Love’ and the 15 Silliest Nicknames in MMA

Most fans of MMA associate a fighters nickname to what she/he’s accomplished whilst rising through ranks to their present station. While some monikers are indicative of a fighter’s persona, others come across as downright silly. Here we&rsq…

Here we’ll take a look at some of MMA’s silliest nicknames.

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Why Dana White Should Give Josh Barnett Another Shot in the UFC

In 2002, Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett was unceremoniously handed his walking papers after testing positive to several banned substances following his clash with the now-retired Randy Couture, in which he upended the latter to relieve him of…

That was also the first and last time he’d be the division’s champion, as he was subsequently stripped of the title.

That said, almost 10 years have passed and Barnett is still the scourge of the Zuffa-based promotion and everything Dana White; however, it’s high time the company’s president gave the once-wayward star a pass back into the UFC’s fold.

For one, Barnett is still involved with pro wrestling, which per se constitutes a fanbase (which I’m sure he has) and in turn adds up to pulling power, something that can’t be said for the majority of UFC heavyweights, let alone the companies’ fighters in general.

He might not be a Brock Lesnar with regards to pay-per-view clout, but he’ll most definitely cause some damage.

In addition to the aforementioned wrestling, he’s plied his trade in various MMA organizations, such as Pride, Sengoku, Affliction and presently Strikeforce, which I’m sure has also furthered his celebrity.

Barnett is world renowned on the mixed martial arts circuit—a warhorse of 36 fights with only five defeats—he’s also a top 10-ranked heavyweight and would give any of his contemporaries a run for their money.

At present, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight assemblage is mightily shorn of talent. If Barnett is added to the equation then the division is bound to light up that little bit more.

Also, the UFC is supposed to house the best competitors in the realm of MMA. Well, if that’s the case, White has one who might be looking for a home in the not too distant future and that’s regardless of the outcome of his fight with Daniel Cormier in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finale.

While it’s been well-documented that White and Barnett have had their differences in the past (and seemingly the present), that’s just what it was: the past.

Barnett’s arrival to UFC’s enclave will be a win-win situation for all parties concerned. It should be business first and deal with the personal stuff at a later date—if ever, for that matter.

And if White has any reservations of Barnett putting pen to paper in view of his past transgressions, he should fret not—though his last infraction (a metabolite of Drostanolone) was a catalyst in the folding of Affliction Entertainment, that however, was almost three-years ago.

I think Barnett must’ve learned his lesson by now, and if not, he’ll never learn. But something tells me he ain’t that stupid.

“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave,” and it’s time for White to bury the hatchet, man up and give the Warmaster another shot at the UFC and all the glory that comes with it.

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143: Why Carlos Condit Is In a Win-Win Situation

For Carlos Condit, UFC 143 will determine if he’ll leave the Mandalay Bay Events Center as the interim welterweight champion, a feat which will ultimately culminate in his rite of passage to Georges St-Pierre’s perennial crown. That said, w…

That said, without the first, Condit can’t achieve the last, which would presumably leave him between a rock and a hard place.

However, truth be told, at the end of the night’s proceedings, triumphant or vanquished, the “Natural Born Killer” will be in a win-win situation.

When Nick Diaz was demoted from the headline act to the co-main event on the UFC 137 card for failing to turn up at several promotional press conferences, Condit was on hand to accept Dana White‘s call as the replacement to challenge for St-Pierre’s title.

The initial fight was cancelled due to a knee injury sustained to the Canadian and was finally flushed down the drain when Diaz called out “Rush” following his points victory over B.J. Penn (Condit’s original opponent for the co-main event) in the newly revamped UFC 137 main-eventer.

Condit was kindly asked to step aside to allow St-Pierre to duke it out with the Stockton native.

The Greg Jackson fighter bit his tongue and swallowed his pride with the mindset of “let the chips fall where they may.”

As fate would have it, St-Pierre suffered a recurrence of the injury, putting his slated matchup with Diaz on the back burner, thus leaving the door open for Condit to contest for the provisional 170-lb. belt while the champion recuperated.

What Condit has done up until now suggests that he’s in fact a company man, and for most employers that is a dream employee—he toes the line, doesn’t rock the boat and basically does as he’s told.

As a consequence of his company-first and me-later approach, things can only get better for him in the Zuffa-based promotion; more importantly, White and the Fertitta brothers won’t forget what he did for them in a long while.

This is how things will play out for the Natural Born Killer at the night’s end: A draw would indicate that Diaz gets the title shot and Condit will more than likely face the winner of that bout.

However, if the worst-case scenario were to transpire and he lost, the odds are he’ll be vying for the welterweight Holy Grail in the not-too-distant future.

Conversely, if he wins, it’s a sure-fire bet he’s the next challenger to St-Pierre and his coveted crown.

Either way, Condit is in a win-win situation.

UFC 143 is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143: Nick Diaz: Power Ranking His 5 Best Fights

Nick Diaz heads into UFC 143 knowing a win will put him on a collision course with the welterweight division’s linchpin, Georges St. Pierre. Though, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit stands in his path, and if he can overcome th…

Nick Diaz heads into UFC 143 knowing a win will put him on a collision course with the welterweight division’s linchpin, Georges St. Pierre.

Though, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit stands in his path, and if he can overcome that obstacle, then the stage is set for a fight that could have an immense impact on the 170-lb. assemblage.

That said, prior to reaching this phase in his career, the Stockton native had encountered a host of adversaries and still won most of them. However, there are few of those clashes that stand out more so than the others.

Here they are.

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