Carlos Condit pulls upset on Nick Diaz to take UFC interim welterweight title, loser says he’s done

Posted by jmusc on Feb 5, 2012 in Featured Articles, Fight News | 0 comments

By Steve Cofield

LAS VEGAS — Nick Diaz is brilliant at playing mind games with his opponents. Carlos Condit never took the bait before or during the fight, stuck to the gameplan and outsmarted Diaz to get himself a share of the UFC welterweight title.

Condit moved beautifully all night and landed 60-plus kicks. He never stood in front of Diaz for more than a few seconds. It all added to a unanimous decision victory, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Condit picks up the UFC’s interim welterweight belt. The champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined until late 2012 after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL. UFC president Dana White couldn’t say for certain before the fight if the winner tonight would sit out 8-9 months until GSP is ready.

Condit was a pretty big underdog at plus-185. The Diaz-GSP fight was expected to be one of the fights of 2012. A St-Pierre-Condit fight won’t have the sizzle, but it should be a helluva fight based on what the new interim champ showed tonight.

Diaz’s behavior is nearly impossible to predict. He shocked few by complaining about the decision, but then threw everyone for a loop saying he’s had it with the sport.

“I’m not going to accept this as a loss. I pushed him back all fight. I’m happy for Carlos and his family, but I think I’m done with MMA,” said Diaz.

Diaz is just 29 years old and one of the rising stars of the sport. He’s got a bright future with massive earning potential.

“I don’t need this [expletive]. He ran from me this whole fight. I landed the harder shots.. He kicked me in the leg with little baby kicks. I don’t want to play this game no more. I’m out of this [expletive],” said Diaz.

The judges made the right call. The first round was tough to call with Condit starting out strong and Diaz closing well. Condit ran a little too much in the second and lost the round. He corrected his mistake from there and was simply brilliant in the final three rounds. Diaz stalked him for 15 more minutes ate kick after kick. By the time Diaz tried to settle and throw Condit was nowhere to be found. He scooted out of the way in most cases it looked like a classic Diaz 10-12 punch flurry was coming. The work to Diaz’s legs really sapped him late. He looked a step slow in the final round.

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UFC 143 Weigh-In Highlight: Koscheck vs. Pierce

Posted by jmusc on Feb 4, 2012 in Fight News | 0 comments

Watch UFC 143 Weigh-In Highlight: Koscheck vs. Pierce and Get Hype for UFC 143

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Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida (Full) – UFC 140

Posted by jmusc on Jan 30, 2012 in Fight News, Fights | 0 comments

Click To watch Full Fight Video. Jon Jones VS. Lyoto Machida

TORONTO — Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones survived a challenging first round to choke out former champion Lyoto Machida at 4:26 of the second round in UFC 140 on Saturday night.

The Brazilian didn’t tap out and toppled when referee John McCarthy stepped in and the champ finally let go of the standing guillotine choke.

Jones (15-1) became the first 205-pound champion since Chuck Liddell to make consecutive successful title defenses.

“He looked phenomenal. Jon Jones is the real deal,” UFC President Dana White said. “I just don’t see anybody beating this guy any time soon.”

The main event took fight of the night honors, earning Jones and Machida an extra $75,000 apiece.

Machida (17-3) darted in and out and got Jones’ attention in the first round with quick attacks and some counters. At one point, Machida drove Jones backward.

It was more of the same in the second. Jones scored with some kicks, but was hurt on the counter.

Jones restored the balance with an elbow that carved open a gash on Machida’s forehead. Machida got back up, only to have McCarthy call in the doctor.

The fight was allowed to continue and Jones stunned Machida with a punch, then locked in the standing guillotine choke at the fence.

In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir (16-5) rallied to submit Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1 with one no contest) in the first round.

Earlier, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira — Rodrigo’s twin brother — pounded out a first-round TKO over former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

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Frank Mir Breaks Nogueira’s Arm In Gruesome Submission (Video)

Posted by jmusc on Dec 11, 2011 in Featured Articles, Fight News | 0 comments

Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir became the first man to submit Brazilian great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in mixed martial arts competition, finishing him with a horrific first-round kimura in the co-main event. The hold snapped Nogueira’s shoulder out of place in gruesome fashion, eliciting the tapout 3:38 into round one.

“Now I’m the first person to knock him out and the first person to submit him,” Mir said.

Nogueira (33-7-1, 1 NC, 4-3 UFC) had Mir badly hurt before the submission. He landed a right hook, backed it up with a left and put Mir on wobbly legs. It went to the ground, and Nogueira swarmed with punches, closing fast on the finish. Somehow, the Las Vegan survived.

“I was stunned. I was really trying to play out the first three or four minutes to see what he was doing differently,” Mir said. “He caught me. I didn’t come up to my knees, so he couldn’t drive into me. I kept flat, chest heavy and was able to break it. That’s what I trained for.”

During a subsequent scramble, Mir (16-5, 14-5 UFC) caught the arm, locked up the kimura and wrenched. Nogueira tried to roll free, but Mir only cinched it deeper. Ultimately, the arm snapped and Nogueira tapped in visible pain.

“I honestly hope that Nogueira ends up being OK,” Mir said. “I idolize him. When you’re our size and you’re as dangerous as we are, things happen. You can get caught. It takes nothing away from Nogueira.”

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Exclusive Dan “Hendo” Henderson UFC 139 Post-Fight Video Interview

Posted by jmusc on Nov 21, 2011 in Fight News | 0 comments

Dan gave Clinch Gear this exclusive post-fight interview after his epic win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139 in San Jose, CA.

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