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UFC 143 Complete Collection: Diaz vs. Condit Will Be Fight of the Year

This is it, fans and friends: the eleventh and final entry into my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”Over the past few days, I’ve counted down and given my thoughts on every single fight from the UFC 143 card.Overall, UFC 143 should be a fanta…

This is it, fans and friends: the eleventh and final entry into my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”

Over the past few days, I’ve counted down and given my thoughts on every single fight from the UFC 143 card.

Overall, UFC 143 should be a fantastic event from top to bottom, and I think this series has given my readers a bunch of good reasons why I think that.

But the main reason why I’m so excited about UFC 143 is its main event: Nick Diaz taking on Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight championship.

There’s nothing left to say other than, “Let’s do this!”

This is the finale of “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”

I could talk all day about why I’m a fan of Diaz. In fact, I did just that in an article that’s been posted across several websites.

Make no mistake, my status at the front of the bandwagon remains unchanged.

Since he first rose to fame and infamy in 2003, Diaz has been a lightning rod of controversy.

By now, we’ve all seen the footage: Diaz flips-off the fans, he flips-off his opponents, he smacks away cameras and talks trash constantly.

This footage is often juxtaposed with what Diaz does inside of the cage, which is break people down with some of the best boxing seen in MMA so far.

From Paul Daley to KJ Noons, from BJ Penn to Marius Zaromskis, from Scott Smith to Evangelista Santos, all those fighters and many more have all crumbled under a Diaz who has now fully realized his potential.

Currently, Diaz hasn’t been defeated in more than four years. He’s won eleven fights in that time period, finishing nine opponents.

In his return to the octagon, Diaz fought and defeated MMA legend and former two-division champion Penn, giving Penn one of the worst beatings of his career.

Diaz’s opponent, Condit, is a man who is both worlds apart and shockingly similar to Diaz. For the most part, Condit is soft-spoken and rarely has a bad word to say about anybody.

Unlike some other fighters who are good talkers and great fighters, Condit relies solely on his skills inside the cage to build his name value and his fanbase.

It’s a good thing for him he’s been one of the best, most underrated welterweights in the world for several years running.

Condit has won 12 out of his last 13 fights, taking his overall MMA record to a commandingly positive 27-5. That’s a better record than Diaz’s, by the way.

Condit is currently on a four-fight win-streak, a three-fight stoppage-streak, and has stopped his last two opponents in the first round.

Condit was the first man to ever knockout Dan Hardy, and he’s also the first man to ever knockout Dong Hyun Kim, giving Kim the first official loss of his career (a loss to Karo Parisyan would end up being overturned after Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers).

I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say that either fighter could finish this fight in the first round.

My early prediction for this fight is simple: it’ll be our first real Fight of the Year contender, regardless of how long it lasts.

As a Diaz super fan, I will, of course, be cheering him on and hoping he wins. I know Diaz can win this fight, but so can Condit.

This is definitely one of those fights that absolutely should not be missed.

And that’s that! With all that said, “UFC 143 Complete Collection” officially draws to a close.

I’d like to thank you once more for reading, fans and friends, and I hope you’ll be right alongside me when I sit down to watch UFC 143 in breathless anticipation.

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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UFC 143 Complete Collection: Why Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum Is ‘Do or Die’

And so we find ourselves back here again, fans and friends: another day of “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings, the final day in fact. Only two fights remain as the collection heads into double digits: the co-main and main event. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series so far. “Complete Collection” doesn’t come around often, but I always enjoy it when it does.

For today’s first entry, we have a major heavyweight matchup between Ultimate Fighter season 10 winner and former IFL Champion Roy Nelson and the man who famously gave Fedor Emelianenko the first legitimate loss of his career, Fabricio Werdum. Let’s dive right in.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson has been defying the odds for about as long as he’s been competing in professional Mixed Martial Arts.

Known as “Big Country” to his fans and “Burger King” (among other spite-fueled nicknames) to his cynics, Roy Nelson is best known as a callback to the old-school era of the UFC where you didn’t need hulking muscles or even any muscle definition at all in order to get some wins.

In the lead-up to this bout, Fabricio Werdum himself has compared Nelson to infamous old-school UFC brawler Tank Abbott. But while their physiques may be the same, there’s a world of difference when it comes to experience and skill.

You can love him or you can hate him, but Roy Nelson has proven to be a UFC-caliber fighter and has given UFC fans several impressive performances while both winning and losing.

My fandom of Nelson waned a bit during the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter because Nelson was portrayed as a man who thought he was better than the fighters on the show…but it came back and even built to new heights when he more or less proved that he really was the best on the show.

To date, Roy Nelson is 3-2 in the UFC. His two losses have been to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. Nelson was the first man to ever take Junior dos Santos the distance, by the way. In his most recent fight, Nelson TKO’d aging legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

Nelson’s opponent, Fabricio Werdum, was at one time a top UFC heavyweight. Werdum ended up going 2-2 in his first UFC run, losing to former champion Andrei Arlovski and getting KO’d right out of the UFC by Junior dos Santos.

Werdum’s release from the promotion remains controversial to this day, especially given the heights Junior dos Santos would go on to reach after beating Werdum. Nevertheless, Werdum went on to compete in Strikeforce, where he would claim the most significant victory of his long career.

After defeating rising stars Mike Pyle and Antonio Silva, Werdum shocked the world when he submitted MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the first round. It was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, and it immediately made Werdum one of the most discussed fighters in the world.

Most recently, Werdum’s hype has taken a bit of a hit (how large depends on your perspective) when he lost a rather boring decision to Alistair Overeem.

It’s honestly pretty difficult for me to choose a winner for this match. Roy Nelson has already said in an interview that he thinks he has better “MMA grappling” than Werdum, but then I remember that Frank Mir controlled Nelson pretty darn well before he gassed in the third round of their fight. Werdum has always had good cardio, though, and like Mir he’s a “big but not giant” heavyweight.

In the end, my early prediction is that this fight is going to be pretty close, and if it goes to a decision, it could easily go either way. Nelson’s best chance is to get that big one-punch KO he nails occasionally, while Werdum’s best chance is to latch on a submission that doesn’t involve being put on his back and being subjected to Nelson’s smothering top game.

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UFC 143 Complete Collection: A Full Breakdown on Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen

Welcome back fans and friends; it’s now time for the eighth installment in my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”
As we move higher and higher up the pay-per-view card, of course the matches are getting bigger and bigger. Part eight…

Welcome back fans and friends; it’s now time for the eighth installment in my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”

As we move higher and higher up the pay-per-view card, of course the matches are getting bigger and bigger. Part eight of the complete collection focuses on two top lighter weight fighters battling it out for what might just be a shot at the UFC bantamweight championship. Let’s look at what should be an instant classic: Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen.

Since he debuted in the WEC in 2010, Renan Barao has been making his case for a title shot in the best way possible: by going undefeated and running through everyone in his path.

In his four combined fights in the WEC and later the UFC, Barao has fought to a decision only once. His other three victories have all been by submission, with two first-round submissions. To date, Barao’s record stands at a very impressive 27-1, with one no contest.

Barao’s opponent, Scott Jorgensen, is widely regarded as one of the best bantamweights in the world. Jorgensen has won seven out of his last eight fights, with three finishes. The one man that beat Scott Jorgensen during this run was none other than Dominick Cruz, who defended his WEC bantamweight championship against Jorgensen in the final WEC event ever. The victory also won Cruz the inaugural UFC bantamweight championship.

All told, Jorgensen left the famed blue cage having competed 10 times in the WEC, going 7-3 with three stoppage wins and no stoppage losses. Inside the Octagon, Jorgensen is on a two-fight win-streak after KO’ing Ken Stone and then beating tough veteran Jeff Curran by unanimous decision.

This fight is definitely going to be a war, and I can definitely see it going all three rounds. Who wins it, though? Now there’s a tough question.

The two things you absolutely cannot question about Scott Jorgensen, the two things that I like the most about him as a fighter, are his will and heart.

Jorgensen won’t quit no matter what, and if you try to finish him you just light a fire under him and he’ll come out even more aggressive next round. Jorgensen can be beaten, but at this point in time, it’s pretty difficult to do that. Since 2009, Jorgensen has fully evolved into a top-division athlete and fully reached his potential.

Even with a record of 27-1-1, I just can’t shake the feeling that Barao hasn’t reached his full potential yet.

The 27-1 record of Barao is a lot more dominant and looks a lot more impressive than 13-4…on paper. But consider this: Scott Jorgensen has been competing in major promotions since his fifth fight as a professional mixed martial artist. Renan Barao, meanwhile, earned his impressive record in smaller promotions throughout Brazil.

If you doubt Scott Jorgensen in this fight, simply consider this: as spectacular as Barao’s record seems to be, he’s fought four times in major promotions and has beaten mid-division talent.

Scott Jorgensen has fought thirteen times in major promotions, fought some of the best competition the WEC had to offer at the time, and has even fought for the WEC bantamweight championship against Dominick Cruz.

Scott Jorgensen is no man’s stepping stone.

In the end, I think Jorgensen is going to remind us all of this fact at UFC 143.

Barao has all the potential in the world, but Jorgensen has the experience to put Barao’s hype aside and focus on dismantling him as the flesh-and-blood human that he is.

Barao won’t get exposed because he honestly is pretty awesome… but I’m definitely predicting that Barao will lose. Jorgensen is simply too experienced, too versatile, too motivated, and too good.

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UFC 143 Complete Collection: A Full Breakdown on Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks

Hello once more, fans and friends. It’s my pleasure to welcome you back to the third day of my “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings.So far I’ve covered both the Facebook and “UFC on FX” preliminary cards, which fea…

Hello once more, fans and friends. It’s my pleasure to welcome you back to the third day of my “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings.

So far I’ve covered both the Facebook and “UFC on FX” preliminary cards, which feature a wide array of talent and at least one big “sleeper hit”. Now it’s time for the real meat of the series: Starting today, I’ll be counting down and covering the main Pay-Per-View fights.

Let’s begin with Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks.

In October of this year, Ed Herman will celebrate ten years spent actively competing as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Herman was one of the standouts of the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He fought all the way to the finals, but would end up losing to Kendall Grove.

The highlight of Herman’s UFC career came in 2007, when he fought and won three times, with each victory earning him a post-fight award and bonus.

Currently, Herman is on a two-fight win-streak after returning from a major knee injury that sidelined him for almost two years. Both wins have been first-round finishes.

Herman’s opponent, Clifford Starks, made his UFC debut in October of last year, beating Dustin Jacoby via Unanimous Decision. Starks entered the Octagon with an unbeaten 7-0 record, having competed mostly in Arizona.

Of his eight victories, Starks has an even split between stoppage wins and decision wins.

Without a doubt, Ed Herman is the toughest test of Starks’ career so far. Herman has over three times as many pro MMA bouts as Starks. This will be Starks’ second fight in the UFC… It will be Herman’s twelfth.

So, as you might expect, I’m predicting that Herman’s experience will be too much for Clifford Starks.

Right now, all the stars are aligned for Ed Herman to go on a respectable comeback. He’s looked great since returning from injury, and he’s never really looked all that bad inside of the Octagon to begin with.

Herman has had several tough losses throughout his UFC career, but look at some of the names he’s lost to: Demian Maia, Kendall Grove, Alan Belcher, Aaron Simpson… At various times, all of those fighters were (and some still are) regarded as quality UFC competition.

With his record and his potential, Starks certainly has it in him to turn into quality UFC competition one day. But for right now, I think this is going to be a learning experience for him, and the first loss of his career.

I’m not saying that Herman will blitzkrieg Starks; I won’t rule that out, but I don’t find it the likeliest of all possible outcomes. Rather, I see Starks hanging in there and really testing out Herman, taking him to a tough decision.

But Herman’s versatility and experience will win out in the end, and he’ll continue to make good on a comeback that’s been pretty entertaining so far.

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UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway

And so, the second day of my “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings comes to a close. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series so far, fans and friends, I’ve certainly enjoyed doing my research and filling in all the important details f…

I like to think of the “Complete Collection” series as a learning experience for both myself and my readers, and hopefully by the end, you’re as excited about UFC 143 as I am.

For the finale of day two of “UFC 143 Complete Collection,” we reach the last fight before the pay-per-view and the main event of the “UFC on FX” preliminary broadcast: Dustin Poirer vs. Max Holloway.

A two-fight veteran of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, Dustin Poirer entered the famed blue cage with a record of 7-0 and left it 8-1. Poirer met top-ranked (at the time) Josh Grispi in his UFC debut at UFC 125. The event was supposed to be headlined by Grispi (who was 14-1 with 13 wins by stoppage) taking on Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship. Poirer was Aldo’s replacement after an injury forced Aldo off the card.

Facing the No. 2 featherweight in the division, Poirer controlled, dominated and honestly exposed Josh Grispi for three rounds before taking the unanimous decision win. Poirer has followed up that victory with two more, and his record currently stands at 11-1.

For this event, Poirer was originally supposed to fight Erik Koch, another fast-rising star with a great record and seemingly-unlimited potential. After an injury forced Koch out of the bout, Poirer was given Ricardo Lamas as a replacement opponent. Lamas was a pretty worthy replacement opponent, too. His record stands at 11-2, he’s on a two-fight win-streak with both wins by stoppage and he has a majority of his wins by stoppage.

But then Ricardo Lamas got injured as well.

And so, Max Holloway, an unknown, gets the shot of a lifetime against a talented fighter who is quickly ascending up the ranks. Holloway has been fighting as a professional mixed martial artist for a little over a year and has an unblemished record of 4-0.

I hate to re-use an old term, especially when I apply it to a fighter I’ve never seen fight, but I can’t help but think of Holloway as nothing but a sacrificial lamb.

If he proves me wrong, I’ll be more than happy to eat some humble pie, but I just don’t think that’s going to happen. I would’ve loved to see Poirer take on Koch; I would’ve enjoyed seeing Poirer take on Lamas. But taking on a 4-0 unknown, a rookie, when you’re on a big hot streak and probably only a handful of fights away from legitimate championship relevancy?

It’s pretty obvious that this is a fight where two previous opponents pulled out due to injury.

If Dustin Poirer doesn’t win this one, I’d be pretty shocked. This is honestly a “gimme” fight for him. So long as he doesn’t let his newfound fame and divisional relevancy get to his head, so long as he doesn’t look past Holloway or the fact that anything can happen in MMA… So long as he does all of that, Poirer should win this fight, and win it dominantly.

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez

So far in “UFC 143 Complete Collection,” we’ve seen an interesting mix of young upstarts and somewhat-veterans. The UFC 143 prelims have been filled with both fighters still trying to find their foothold in the UFC and fighters making their…

Part five of “UFC 143 Complete Collection” features both: Matt Riddle is still trying to find his place in the UFC’s Welterweight division, while Henry Martinez will be making his UFC debut.

Matt Riddle was a standout on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. To this day, Riddle’s KO victory over Dan Simmler to get into the TUF house remains one of the most brutal knockouts in TUF history. Pull up the video if you don’t believe me. It’s still very difficult to watch Simmler moan in pain and anguish as he wakes up from unconsciousness to discover that his jaw has been broken in two places.

Riddle actually made his professional mixed martial arts debut inside the Octagon and has since competed in the UFC eight times. Currently, Riddle’s record stands at 5-3 with a majority of both his wins and losses by decision. Riddle is also currently on a two-fight losing-streak.

Riddle’s opponent, Henry Martinez, faces a tough test in his UFC debut. Martinez was added to the card just yesterday, filling in for an injured Jorge Lopez, a pupil of Wanderlei Silva who also would have made his UFC debut at this event. Martinez has less than a week to prepare for what is unarguably the biggest fight of his career so far, and he last competed a little over a month ago.

Currently, Martinez’s record stands at a highly respectable 8-1 with six stoppage wins.

All things being equal, you could probably make a serious case for Henry Martinez beating Matt Riddle. Riddle is on a two-fight losing-streak, and that can really affect a fighter’s confidence, especially since the UFC is both famous and infamous for their policy of “lose three and you’re out,” with only the smallest handful of fighters able to avoid the axe due to that unwritten rule.

Martinez is as good of a prospect as you could expect to see in a fight like this. He actually has more fights on his pro MMA record than Riddle, but then again, Riddle’s eight fights have all been inside the Octagon against UFC-caliber opponents.

Another thing to consider: All things are not equal in this fight.

Henry Martinez only has a handful of days to get to know Matt Riddle. Riddle also has the same handful of days to get to know Martinez, but Riddle has the benefit of a full training camp heading into this event. No matter how hot of a prospect you are, no one fights at their best with less than a week’s notice, especially if you just fought last month.

I’m not counting Martinez out of this fight; in fact, I’m still relatively certain that he could win this fight and even finish Matt Riddle. I just think that there are several outside factors beyond Martinez’s control that give Riddle a clear advantage going into this fight.

In the end, I’m predicting that the outcome of this fight rests solely on Martinez’s shoulders, and how he’ll react and adapt to making his UFC debut with only a few days to really train.

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