The event’s Fight of the Night bonuses went to Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson. The two heavyweights engaged in a back-and-forth battle that took place predominantly on the feet, with Werdum taking the unanimous decision.

KO of the Night went to newcomer Thompson, who laid out fellow debutante Dan Stittgen with a highlight-reel head kick in the first round.

Dustin Poirier earned Submission of the Night for his mounted first-round triangle/armbar over Max Holloway. With the win, Poirier moves to 4-0 inside the Octagon.

Each bonused fighter received $65,000.

 Press Conference highlights:

Werdum and Koscheck

Condit

Holloway, the youngest fighter on the UFC roster at 20, was the aggressor early on the feet, but he was unable to stop a Poirier double leg slam that forced the action to the canvas.

“I’m happy. You know, I’m 4-0 in the UFC now. I’m for real now,” said Poirier, who keeps inching his way into title contention against UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. “(Max Holloway) is tough. He’s a great kickboxer. A lot of people don’t know him but I trained for him like I would train for Anderson Silva.”

Watch Poirier’s post-fight interview

EDWIN FIGUEROA VS. ALEX CACERES

Edwin Figueroa walked away from the Octagon holding his crotch. Alex Caceres walked away wondering … well, who really knows? Surely the 23-year-old bantamweight could learn a valuable lesson after controlling Figueroa for much of their scrap – but he was unable to overcome a two-point deduction for the second of two killer low blows that made Figueroa collapse to the canvas, writhing in pain and requiring minutes to recover.

Only Figueroa can say how much those devastating illegal kicks to the groin weakened him. But Texas’ Figueroa was performing early in round one – finding “Bruce Leroy’s” chin on a few occasions, even though Caceres did momentarily drop him with a shot.

Then came a brutal low kick from Caceres. Upon the first infraction, referee Herb Dean warned Caceres but did not deduct a point.

After taking minutes to regroup, and visibly miffed, Figueroa fought on and landed a hard kick to the face that dropped Caceres, who absorbed some ground and pound shots but later turned the tide, forcing a ground war and hanging on Figueroa like a backpack but unable to finish him with a rear naked choke.

Caceres was finding his groove early in the second, scoring with a front kick and a hard right hand. Then came a second, hard blow to the crotch. Again Figueroa lay on the canvas in agony.

When they resumed, referee Dean signaled for the two-point deduction, and urgency set in for Caceres to make up the deficit on the judges’ scorecards. The Miamian was impressive for the remainder of the bout against a weakened Figueroa, whom he dominated in the grappling realm. But at every turn Figueroa fought off Caceres’ choke attacks, triangles and armbars.

In the end judges scored it 28-27, 28-27 and 27-28 for Figueroa, now 9-1. Caceres fell to 6-5. Hear what “El Feroz” had to say after the fight

CHRIS COPE VS. MATT BROWN

A right-hand missile from Matt Brown put Chris Cope on the deck in their welterweight bout, and four blistering ground and pound shots sealed the deal at 1:19 of the second round.

The right hand that rocked Cope (5-4) caught him behind the ear.

“That’s exactly what I need to be doing,” Brown said of his knockout. “I got away from who I am. I’m back. I had always been trying out new things and this ain’t really the place to be trying them out. So enough of that. I got a right hand that will knock out anybody so I believe you’ll see more of that.” Watch Brown’s post-fight interview

MATT RIDDLE VS. HENRY MARTINEZ

Sometimes you have to think that Matt Riddle just doesn’t give a damn about strategy and doing whatever it takes to win. Foremost for the free-spirited welterweight, is to put on a show for fans, snatch a Fight of The Night bonus and be involved in the bloodiest battle possible. The more damage, the better – even if Riddle is the punching bag. And that he was for most of the first round, when the much speedier Henry Martinez repeatedly cracked him with hard punching combinations, bloodying Riddle’s eyes, ears and nose.

Interesting to note is that Riddle is the much larger fighter, 6’1” to Martinez’s 5’7”. While Riddle is eating punches – and apparently enjoying it – you can’t help but wonder, “Why not throw more kicks?” “Why not mix it up with a little Muay Thai clinch or even some wrestling?” Why not put that much bigger body on the smaller fighter and make him carry your weight and maybe get tired down the stretch?”

Well, Riddle did adapt in round two, unloading with a much greater volume of hard kicks to Martinez’s body and head. Finally the Las Vegas transplant had broken the groove of Martinez, a very crisp boxer, who countered punches very well but could not stop the array of kicks coming his way. As a now-bleeding Martinez began to tire, Riddle amped up his assault and the two southpaws treated fans to toe-to-toe exchanges as the second round ended. Riddle did his best Ray Lewis impersonation on the way to his stool between rounds, screaming at the top of his lungs and imploring fans to get fired up.

In the third round, Riddle suddenly employed strategy, whacking Martinez with hard kicks to the leg and liver. Then he finally decided to put that big body on Martinez, taking him down and taking his back. Riddle would score another takedown and rain down with ground and pound as time expired, earning a split decision from judges by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. Watch the post-fight interview here

MICHAEL KUIPER VS. RAFAEL NATAL

There were moments when Rafael Natal, a BJJ black belt, repeatedly outstruck newcomer Michael Kuiper, popping The Netherlands’ standup specialist with some solid right hands, scoring with leg kicks and even a spinning backfist. But it was Natal’s bread and butter – grappling – that cemented his unanimous decision victory and dealt Kuiper (11-1) his first professional loss.

The first round wasn’t a barnburner, but Natal scored five takedowns. He was reversed late in the round and ate a few shots on the bottom, but seemed to have done enough to win the round. In round two, fatigue seemed to afflict both fighters in what was mostly a standup battle that saw Natal possibly get the better of the exchanges (Kuiper just kept coming forward, with little head or lateral movement, and ate quite a few right hands as a consequence).

Seconds into the third, a Kuiper uppercut dropped the New York transplant to his knees. Kuiper swarmed on top but could not find the shots that would put away his woozy adversary. The second half of the round belonged to Natal, who somehow mustered the strength for an explosive slam, dominated with top position and threatened with an arm triangle as time expired.

After the fight, Natal spoke of the wicked right uppercut that rocked him.

“It was bad because it was the beginning of the round. I felt everything was dark,” said Natal, a Brazilian native who is now 14-3-1 and has won two straight in the UFC. “But my jiu-jitsu saved me again (when) I got him in the half-guard.” More from “Sapo” Natal

STEPHEN THOMPSON VS. DAN STITTGEN

For one fight at least, Stephen Thompson was as good as advertised. The highly-touted kempo karate and kickboxing ace showed remarkable poise and grace in his UFC debut, essentially toying with Dan Stittgen before putting him out cold with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Unorthodox throughout, the lanky South Carolinian (6-0) patiently picked Stittgen (7-2) apart with a wide variety of kicks. Most interestingly, Thompson held his hands very low, almost daring Stittgen to be aggressive so he could counterattack. Yet Stittgen maintained a low punch volume. When the Illinois fighter did attack, he threw a left hook and stepped to his left – unwittingly walking right into a perfectly placed roundhouse to the jaw.

At 4:13 of round one, it was a wrap.

“No words can really describe it,” said the 28-year-old Thompson, unbeaten in 50-plus kickboxing fights as well. “Those round kicks, we use them a lot in Karate. They can pack a lot of power and people don’t see ‘em.” Watch Thompson’s post-fight interview

The whuppin’ Werdum delivered also featured high kicks, front kicks to the face and crisp punching combinations. The world champion grappler’s unpredictability served notice to future heavyweights that Werdum, after nearly 3 and ½ years away from the Octagon, can beat opponents in so many different ways.

“This was the strategy. I know Roy Nelson is a tough guy, but I do Muay Thai every day,” said Werdum, whose closest call came when Roy Nelson trapped him in a tight standing guillotine choke.

Scores for Werdum were 30-27 across the board. Watch Werdum’s post-fight interview

MIKE PIERCE VS. JOSH KOSCHECK

Up and coming welterweight Mike Pierce called out longtime contender Josh Koscheck and did his best to back it up, but it was “Kos” who grinded out a split decision in UFC 143 main card action Saturday.

In what was predominantly a standup affair between two high-level wrestlers, a couple of Koscheck takedowns, some timely right hands and being busier down the stretch likely proved to be the difference. Koscheck bled from the mouth and Pierce from the nose by the end of the fight.

As they often do, when “Voice of the Octagon” Bruce Buffer announced the winner, fans indulged the opportunity to massively boo Koscheck, which didn’t faze the welterweight contender too much.
 
“You guys boo me all the time. I’m the most hated man in MMA,” he said nonchalantly. “Guess what? I win. Deal with it, man. I win.”

Two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Koscheck (19-5); the third saw it 29-28 for Pierce (13-5).Hear what a fired-up Kos had to say after the fight

RENAN BARAO VS. SCOTT JORGENSEN

Fast and accurate puncher? Check.

Hard leg kicks. Check.

Distinguished BJJ black belt? Check.

Superb takedown defense? Check.

Future UFC champ? Well, the verdict is still out on whether Renan Barao will reach MMA’s Promised Land, but after stretching his unbeaten streak to 30 fights (tops in the UFC) with a commanding win over Scott Jorgensen, it does not seem far-fetched to think the 24-year-old Brazilian just might follow in the footsteps of teammate and featherweight superstar Jose Aldo.

Through the first two rounds, Barao virtually put on a clinic, loading up on his jabs, low kicks, and cracking Jorgensen hard with combinations that occasionally snapped the Idahoan’s head back. A lesser opponent would have folded, for sure, but Jorgensen is nothing short of a battering ram, and he just kept brushing off the carnage and charging forward (and occasionally landing some hard shots himself).

Jorgensen, a decorated Division I wrestler in his day, tried in vain for takedowns but was always rebuffed. Entering the third round, this much was clear: Jorgensen would need a finish to pull it out. One of his cornermen tried to inspire that sense of urgency in Jorgensen as he stepped off his stool to begin the final round.

“Win this fight right now! Come on let’s go!” he yelled.

Jorgensen (13-5) remained super-aggressive and had his best round, drawing blood on Barao’s face with his punches. Yet Barao, despite losing a little bit of steam on his punches, always retaliated and usually got the better of the exchanges.

Judges handed him a unanimous decision via scores of 30-27 across the board.

“I came here to fight three rounds. He was a very tough opponent and I expected that,” Barao said. “We trained a lot the distance and the kicks. That was exactly the gameplan.”

Before leaving his interview with commentator Joe Rogan, Barao had a message for everyone else at 135 pounds.

“I want the belt!” he yelled. Watch Barao’s post-fight interview

ED HERMAN VS. CLIFFORD STARKS

Ed Herman couldn’t stop the heavy right hand of Clifford Starks. And Clifford Starks couldn’t stop the Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills of Ed Herman.

In the end, it was Herman’s BJJ that triumphed, knocking Starks from the ranks of the unbeaten with a rear naked choke at 1:43 of the second stanza.

“He was landing some good right hands on me; luckily I got a good chin because he was hitting me hard,” said Herman, his left eye swollen and beginning to close. “I was surprised I was getting hit with them. I shouldn’t have been standing right in front of him, but I pulled it off.”

Herman improved to 20-7. Starks, a former Arizona State University wrestler, fell to 8-1. Watch Herman’s post-fight interview

With GSP watching cageside, Condit uncharacteristically and methodically danced and kicked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Diaz Saturday night in the UFC 143 main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The triumph earned Condit the UFC interim welterweight title, and he will meet St-Pierre for the belt sometime later this year depending on St. Pierre’s pending recovery from a torn ACL.

 “It was pretty sweet. My coaches and teammates prepared me for this fight,” said Condit, the former World Extreme Cagefighting champ who pushed his record to 28-6. “I did what they told me to do and it carried me to victory. Hats off to Nick Diaz. He’s a warrior. I’ve got nothing but respect for how he fights.”

Regarding his future date with GSP, who trains at Tri-Star in Montreal under Firas Zahabi but who has also trained extensively with Condit trainer Greg Jackson, Condit had this to say:

“It is an honor. Georges is a guy I’ve looked up to since I was young and before I was in the UFC. I’m completely honored.”

Diaz, who stalked Condit nearly all of the fight and had his moments with combinations – including an impressive 8 or 9-punch combo to Condit’s body in round two – surprised everyone in the post-fight interview, effectively announcing his retirement at the relatively tender age of 28.

“I’m not going to accept the fact this was a loss,” said Diaz (27-8), who hadn’t lost in over four years. “I’ve lost fights before…but that (decision) ain’t right. I pushed him back the whole fight, I walked him back …Carlos is a great guy. I think I’m done with this MMA … I had some fun. I don’t need this s—. I pushed this guy backward the whole fight. He kicked me with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. I don’t want to fight this way anymore. I’m out of this s—.”

Diaz had made things very interesting late in the final round when he took Condit down, took his back and tried for a rear naked choke.

To chants of  “Diaz! Diaz!” the usually ultra-aggressive Condit came out in the first round way more mobile than usual, firing away with leg kicks.

In the second half of the round, however, Diaz, ever-stalking and now verbally taunting, scored with his boxing, included a beautiful shot to the body followed up with a crisp punch to the face. By round’s end, Diaz was still sticking out that chin and taunting and Condit was bleeding under his left eye.

In round two, Condit was more reticent and dancing. Greg Jackson’s were fingerprints all over it and Diaz was the one constantly pushing the action. In Diaz’s best sequence of the fight, he caught Condit against the fence and unleashed a volley of eight or nine punches to the body. Condit wasn’t nearly as busy as he had been in the first stanza.

In rounds three and four, Condit started attacking Diaz with more vigor, primarily behind an assortment of kicks to Diaz’s lead leg, midsection and head. Never did it seem as if the charging Diaz was wounded, but perhaps the noted boxer became frustrated by Condit’s constant mobility and refusal to stand in the pocket to exchange. Nevertheless, it was an intelligent and effective strategy, one that allowed Condit to cinch rounds three and four in the eyes of many in media row. Simply, Diaz’s fists had trouble finding any part of Condit’s body.

Judges scored it 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 for Condit.

Watch Condit’s post-fight Interview

Hear what Diaz had to say during his post-fight interview

Heavyweights Barry vs. Johnson to Collide on FOX updated February 1
Get ready for heavyweight fireworks as verbal agreements are in for a showdown between knockout artists Lavar “Big” Johnson and Pat “HD” Barry on the main card of FOX’s third event this May 5 in New Jersey.

Plus, Karlos Vemola has verbally agreed to drop down to middleweight to face New Jersey’s own Mike “The Master of Disaster” Massenzio.

UFC officials also confirmed that the lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller that night will be the main event and will be scheduled for five rounds.

Superman vs. the Boogeyman in New Jersey in May updated January 30
A second lightweight scrap has been added to the UFC on FOX </a>fight card recently announced for May 5 in East Rutherford, NJ. Lightweights Dennis “Superman” Hallman and TUF 13 winner Tony “El Cucuy” (which translates to “The Boogeyman”) Ferguson have verbally agreed to the matchup.

Ferguson is coming off a December 3rd decision win after a thrilling three-round fight with fellow stand-up ace Yves Edwards; Hallman scored a first-round blitz submission over John Makdessi a week later at UFC 140.

Third FOX Event to Feature Lightweight War updated January 24
East Rutherford, New Jersey could well be home to Fight of the Year this May 5 on FOX, as two of the best lightweights in the world collide to move closer to a title shot. New Jersey’s own Jim Miller, coming off of a Submission of the Night win over Melvin Guillard, will take on Nate Diaz, who is coming off a Fight of the Night-winning victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

UFC president Dana White tweeted the news today, noting that both men are known bonus collectors. Miller has won a Fight of the Night award and three Submission of the Night awards; Diaz has won three Submission of the Night awards and five Fight of the Night awards.

Also at that event, verbal agreements are in for a meetup at 125 pounds between last season’s Ultimate Fighter bantamweight winner, John Dodson, and Darren Uyenoyama. Both men are moving down from 135 pounds to do battle in the UFC’s newest division, flyweight.

The event’s Fight of the Night bonuses went to Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson. The two heavyweights engaged in a back-and-forth battle that took place predominantly on the feet, with Werdum taking the unanimous decision.

KO of the Night went to newcomer Thompson, who laid out fellow debutante Dan Stittgen with a highlight-reel head kick in the first round.

Dustin Poirier earned Submission of the Night for his mounted first-round triangle/armbar over Max Holloway. With the win, Poirier moves to 4-0 inside the Octagon.

Each bonused fighter received $65,000.

 Press Conference highlights:

Werdum and Koscheck

Condit

Holloway, the youngest fighter on the UFC roster at 20, was the aggressor early on the feet, but he was unable to stop a Poirier double leg slam that forced the action to the canvas.

“I’m happy. You know, I’m 4-0 in the UFC now. I’m for real now,” said Poirier, who keeps inching his way into title contention against UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. “(Max Holloway) is tough. He’s a great kickboxer. A lot of people don’t know him but I trained for him like I would train for Anderson Silva.”

Watch Poirier’s post-fight interview

EDWIN FIGUEROA VS. ALEX CACERES

Edwin Figueroa walked away from the Octagon holding his crotch. Alex Caceres walked away wondering … well, who really knows? Surely the 23-year-old bantamweight could learn a valuable lesson after controlling Figueroa for much of their scrap – but he was unable to overcome a two-point deduction for the second of two killer low blows that made Figueroa collapse to the canvas, writhing in pain and requiring minutes to recover.

Only Figueroa can say how much those devastating illegal kicks to the groin weakened him. But Texas’ Figueroa was performing early in round one – finding “Bruce Leroy’s” chin on a few occasions, even though Caceres did momentarily drop him with a shot.

Then came a brutal low kick from Caceres. Upon the first infraction, referee Herb Dean warned Caceres but did not deduct a point.

After taking minutes to regroup, and visibly miffed, Figueroa fought on and landed a hard kick to the face that dropped Caceres, who absorbed some ground and pound shots but later turned the tide, forcing a ground war and hanging on Figueroa like a backpack but unable to finish him with a rear naked choke.

Caceres was finding his groove early in the second, scoring with a front kick and a hard right hand. Then came a second, hard blow to the crotch. Again Figueroa lay on the canvas in agony.

When they resumed, referee Dean signaled for the two-point deduction, and urgency set in for Caceres to make up the deficit on the judges’ scorecards. The Miamian was impressive for the remainder of the bout against a weakened Figueroa, whom he dominated in the grappling realm. But at every turn Figueroa fought off Caceres’ choke attacks, triangles and armbars.

In the end judges scored it 28-27, 28-27 and 27-28 for Figueroa, now 9-1. Caceres fell to 6-5. Hear what “El Feroz” had to say after the fight

CHRIS COPE VS. MATT BROWN

A right-hand missile from Matt Brown put Chris Cope on the deck in their welterweight bout, and four blistering ground and pound shots sealed the deal at 1:19 of the second round.

The right hand that rocked Cope (5-4) caught him behind the ear.

“That’s exactly what I need to be doing,” Brown said of his knockout. “I got away from who I am. I’m back. I had always been trying out new things and this ain’t really the place to be trying them out. So enough of that. I got a right hand that will knock out anybody so I believe you’ll see more of that.” Watch Brown’s post-fight interview

MATT RIDDLE VS. HENRY MARTINEZ

Sometimes you have to think that Matt Riddle just doesn’t give a damn about strategy and doing whatever it takes to win. Foremost for the free-spirited welterweight, is to put on a show for fans, snatch a Fight of The Night bonus and be involved in the bloodiest battle possible. The more damage, the better – even if Riddle is the punching bag. And that he was for most of the first round, when the much speedier Henry Martinez repeatedly cracked him with hard punching combinations, bloodying Riddle’s eyes, ears and nose.

Interesting to note is that Riddle is the much larger fighter, 6’1” to Martinez’s 5’7”. While Riddle is eating punches – and apparently enjoying it – you can’t help but wonder, “Why not throw more kicks?” “Why not mix it up with a little Muay Thai clinch or even some wrestling?” Why not put that much bigger body on the smaller fighter and make him carry your weight and maybe get tired down the stretch?”

Well, Riddle did adapt in round two, unloading with a much greater volume of hard kicks to Martinez’s body and head. Finally the Las Vegas transplant had broken the groove of Martinez, a very crisp boxer, who countered punches very well but could not stop the array of kicks coming his way. As a now-bleeding Martinez began to tire, Riddle amped up his assault and the two southpaws treated fans to toe-to-toe exchanges as the second round ended. Riddle did his best Ray Lewis impersonation on the way to his stool between rounds, screaming at the top of his lungs and imploring fans to get fired up.

In the third round, Riddle suddenly employed strategy, whacking Martinez with hard kicks to the leg and liver. Then he finally decided to put that big body on Martinez, taking him down and taking his back. Riddle would score another takedown and rain down with ground and pound as time expired, earning a split decision from judges by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. Watch the post-fight interview here

MICHAEL KUIPER VS. RAFAEL NATAL

There were moments when Rafael Natal, a BJJ black belt, repeatedly outstruck newcomer Michael Kuiper, popping The Netherlands’ standup specialist with some solid right hands, scoring with leg kicks and even a spinning backfist. But it was Natal’s bread and butter – grappling – that cemented his unanimous decision victory and dealt Kuiper (11-1) his first professional loss.

The first round wasn’t a barnburner, but Natal scored five takedowns. He was reversed late in the round and ate a few shots on the bottom, but seemed to have done enough to win the round. In round two, fatigue seemed to afflict both fighters in what was mostly a standup battle that saw Natal possibly get the better of the exchanges (Kuiper just kept coming forward, with little head or lateral movement, and ate quite a few right hands as a consequence).

Seconds into the third, a Kuiper uppercut dropped the New York transplant to his knees. Kuiper swarmed on top but could not find the shots that would put away his woozy adversary. The second half of the round belonged to Natal, who somehow mustered the strength for an explosive slam, dominated with top position and threatened with an arm triangle as time expired.

After the fight, Natal spoke of the wicked right uppercut that rocked him.

“It was bad because it was the beginning of the round. I felt everything was dark,” said Natal, a Brazilian native who is now 14-3-1 and has won two straight in the UFC. “But my jiu-jitsu saved me again (when) I got him in the half-guard.” More from “Sapo” Natal

STEPHEN THOMPSON VS. DAN STITTGEN

For one fight at least, Stephen Thompson was as good as advertised. The highly-touted kempo karate and kickboxing ace showed remarkable poise and grace in his UFC debut, essentially toying with Dan Stittgen before putting him out cold with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Unorthodox throughout, the lanky South Carolinian (6-0) patiently picked Stittgen (7-2) apart with a wide variety of kicks. Most interestingly, Thompson held his hands very low, almost daring Stittgen to be aggressive so he could counterattack. Yet Stittgen maintained a low punch volume. When the Illinois fighter did attack, he threw a left hook and stepped to his left – unwittingly walking right into a perfectly placed roundhouse to the jaw.

At 4:13 of round one, it was a wrap.

“No words can really describe it,” said the 28-year-old Thompson, unbeaten in 50-plus kickboxing fights as well. “Those round kicks, we use them a lot in Karate. They can pack a lot of power and people don’t see ‘em.” Watch Thompson’s post-fight interview

The whuppin’ Werdum delivered also featured high kicks, front kicks to the face and crisp punching combinations. The world champion grappler’s unpredictability served notice to future heavyweights that Werdum, after nearly 3 and ½ years away from the Octagon, can beat opponents in so many different ways.

“This was the strategy. I know Roy Nelson is a tough guy, but I do Muay Thai every day,” said Werdum, whose closest call came when Roy Nelson trapped him in a tight standing guillotine choke.

Scores for Werdum were 30-27 across the board. Watch Werdum’s post-fight interview

MIKE PIERCE VS. JOSH KOSCHECK

Up and coming welterweight Mike Pierce called out longtime contender Josh Koscheck and did his best to back it up, but it was “Kos” who grinded out a split decision in UFC 143 main card action Saturday.

In what was predominantly a standup affair between two high-level wrestlers, a couple of Koscheck takedowns, some timely right hands and being busier down the stretch likely proved to be the difference. Koscheck bled from the mouth and Pierce from the nose by the end of the fight.

As they often do, when “Voice of the Octagon” Bruce Buffer announced the winner, fans indulged the opportunity to massively boo Koscheck, which didn’t faze the welterweight contender too much.
 
“You guys boo me all the time. I’m the most hated man in MMA,” he said nonchalantly. “Guess what? I win. Deal with it, man. I win.”

Two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Koscheck (19-5); the third saw it 29-28 for Pierce (13-5).Hear what a fired-up Kos had to say after the fight

RENAN BARAO VS. SCOTT JORGENSEN

Fast and accurate puncher? Check.

Hard leg kicks. Check.

Distinguished BJJ black belt? Check.

Superb takedown defense? Check.

Future UFC champ? Well, the verdict is still out on whether Renan Barao will reach MMA’s Promised Land, but after stretching his unbeaten streak to 30 fights (tops in the UFC) with a commanding win over Scott Jorgensen, it does not seem far-fetched to think the 24-year-old Brazilian just might follow in the footsteps of teammate and featherweight superstar Jose Aldo.

Through the first two rounds, Barao virtually put on a clinic, loading up on his jabs, low kicks, and cracking Jorgensen hard with combinations that occasionally snapped the Idahoan’s head back. A lesser opponent would have folded, for sure, but Jorgensen is nothing short of a battering ram, and he just kept brushing off the carnage and charging forward (and occasionally landing some hard shots himself).

Jorgensen, a decorated Division I wrestler in his day, tried in vain for takedowns but was always rebuffed. Entering the third round, this much was clear: Jorgensen would need a finish to pull it out. One of his cornermen tried to inspire that sense of urgency in Jorgensen as he stepped off his stool to begin the final round.

“Win this fight right now! Come on let’s go!” he yelled.

Jorgensen (13-5) remained super-aggressive and had his best round, drawing blood on Barao’s face with his punches. Yet Barao, despite losing a little bit of steam on his punches, always retaliated and usually got the better of the exchanges.

Judges handed him a unanimous decision via scores of 30-27 across the board.

“I came here to fight three rounds. He was a very tough opponent and I expected that,” Barao said. “We trained a lot the distance and the kicks. That was exactly the gameplan.”

Before leaving his interview with commentator Joe Rogan, Barao had a message for everyone else at 135 pounds.

“I want the belt!” he yelled. Watch Barao’s post-fight interview

ED HERMAN VS. CLIFFORD STARKS

Ed Herman couldn’t stop the heavy right hand of Clifford Starks. And Clifford Starks couldn’t stop the Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills of Ed Herman.

In the end, it was Herman’s BJJ that triumphed, knocking Starks from the ranks of the unbeaten with a rear naked choke at 1:43 of the second stanza.

“He was landing some good right hands on me; luckily I got a good chin because he was hitting me hard,” said Herman, his left eye swollen and beginning to close. “I was surprised I was getting hit with them. I shouldn’t have been standing right in front of him, but I pulled it off.”

Herman improved to 20-7. Starks, a former Arizona State University wrestler, fell to 8-1. Watch Herman’s post-fight interview

With GSP watching cageside, Condit uncharacteristically and methodically danced and kicked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Diaz Saturday night in the UFC 143 main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The triumph earned Condit the UFC interim welterweight title, and he will meet St-Pierre for the belt sometime later this year depending on St. Pierre’s pending recovery from a torn ACL.

 “It was pretty sweet. My coaches and teammates prepared me for this fight,” said Condit, the former World Extreme Cagefighting champ who pushed his record to 28-6. “I did what they told me to do and it carried me to victory. Hats off to Nick Diaz. He’s a warrior. I’ve got nothing but respect for how he fights.”

Regarding his future date with GSP, who trains at Tri-Star in Montreal under Firas Zahabi but who has also trained extensively with Condit trainer Greg Jackson, Condit had this to say:

“It is an honor. Georges is a guy I’ve looked up to since I was young and before I was in the UFC. I’m completely honored.”

Diaz, who stalked Condit nearly all of the fight and had his moments with combinations – including an impressive 8 or 9-punch combo to Condit’s body in round two – surprised everyone in the post-fight interview, effectively announcing his retirement at the relatively tender age of 28.

“I’m not going to accept the fact this was a loss,” said Diaz (27-8), who hadn’t lost in over four years. “I’ve lost fights before…but that (decision) ain’t right. I pushed him back the whole fight, I walked him back …Carlos is a great guy. I think I’m done with this MMA … I had some fun. I don’t need this s—. I pushed this guy backward the whole fight. He kicked me with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. I don’t want to fight this way anymore. I’m out of this s—.”

Diaz had made things very interesting late in the final round when he took Condit down, took his back and tried for a rear naked choke.

To chants of  “Diaz! Diaz!” the usually ultra-aggressive Condit came out in the first round way more mobile than usual, firing away with leg kicks.

In the second half of the round, however, Diaz, ever-stalking and now verbally taunting, scored with his boxing, included a beautiful shot to the body followed up with a crisp punch to the face. By round’s end, Diaz was still sticking out that chin and taunting and Condit was bleeding under his left eye.

In round two, Condit was more reticent and dancing. Greg Jackson’s were fingerprints all over it and Diaz was the one constantly pushing the action. In Diaz’s best sequence of the fight, he caught Condit against the fence and unleashed a volley of eight or nine punches to the body. Condit wasn’t nearly as busy as he had been in the first stanza.

In rounds three and four, Condit started attacking Diaz with more vigor, primarily behind an assortment of kicks to Diaz’s lead leg, midsection and head. Never did it seem as if the charging Diaz was wounded, but perhaps the noted boxer became frustrated by Condit’s constant mobility and refusal to stand in the pocket to exchange. Nevertheless, it was an intelligent and effective strategy, one that allowed Condit to cinch rounds three and four in the eyes of many in media row. Simply, Diaz’s fists had trouble finding any part of Condit’s body.

Judges scored it 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 for Condit.

Watch Condit’s post-fight Interview

Hear what Diaz had to say during his post-fight interview

Heavyweights Barry vs. Johnson to Collide on FOX updated February 1
Get ready for heavyweight fireworks as verbal agreements are in for a showdown between knockout artists Lavar “Big” Johnson and Pat “HD” Barry on the main card of FOX’s third event this May 5 in New Jersey.

Plus, Karlos Vemola has verbally agreed to drop down to middleweight to face New Jersey’s own Mike “The Master of Disaster” Massenzio.

UFC officials also confirmed that the lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller that night will be the main event and will be scheduled for five rounds.

Superman vs. the Boogeyman in New Jersey in May updated January 30
A second lightweight scrap has been added to the UFC on FOX </a>fight card recently announced for May 5 in East Rutherford, NJ. Lightweights Dennis “Superman” Hallman and TUF 13 winner Tony “El Cucuy” (which translates to “The Boogeyman”) Ferguson have verbally agreed to the matchup.

Ferguson is coming off a December 3rd decision win after a thrilling three-round fight with fellow stand-up ace Yves Edwards; Hallman scored a first-round blitz submission over John Makdessi a week later at UFC 140.

Third FOX Event to Feature Lightweight War updated January 24
East Rutherford, New Jersey could well be home to Fight of the Year this May 5 on FOX, as two of the best lightweights in the world collide to move closer to a title shot. New Jersey’s own Jim Miller, coming off of a Submission of the Night win over Melvin Guillard, will take on Nate Diaz, who is coming off a Fight of the Night-winning victory over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

UFC president Dana White tweeted the news today, noting that both men are known bonus collectors. Miller has won a Fight of the Night award and three Submission of the Night awards; Diaz has won three Submission of the Night awards and five Fight of the Night awards.

Also at that event, verbal agreements are in for a meetup at 125 pounds between last season’s Ultimate Fighter bantamweight winner, John Dodson, and Darren Uyenoyama. Both men are moving down from 135 pounds to do battle in the UFC’s newest division, flyweight.

• Make better quality gear than anyone else in the market.
• Offer it at a better price than anyone else in the market.
• Deliver greater value than anyone else in the market.
• Produce everything in the USA, under ethical working conditions.

Believe it or not, it’s relatively easy to enter the clothing business. Try finding a company that manufactures rash guards. A quick search on alibaba.com or tradekey.com gives you instant gratification from many foreign countries. You’ll get promising emails, guarantees of satisfaction, desires of “long lasting relationships”, even free samples. It is a statistical fact that between 95-97% of clothing sold in America today are made overseas. Why is soft goods importing so attractive? In a word, cost. But what’s the price we really pay?

We all know the US economy hasn’t been great, so let’s take the US unemployment rate first: It’s currently hovering at around 10%. Then, there’s this:

“The number of child workers around the world remains extremely high with 73 million children from 10-14 years old now employed worldwide, more than 13 percent of all children in this age group, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced today in Geneva.

These figures only tell part of the story, warns the ILO. No one really knows how many children under 10 are working and no statistics are available on the number of girls engaged full-time in domestic work. If all were taken into account, the total number of child workers around the world today might well be in the hundreds of million.”

These are staggering statistics. Can you imagine sending your 7 year-old to work in a factory instead of going to school? Here’s a video of a child working in the Hanes factory - I could not make it halfway through. Global competition for cheaper commodities feeds this vicious cycle. Someone said to me once: “My clothes come from China, and my tax money go to weapons factories. I don’t like either one, but that’s reality.” Unfortunately, there’s a lot of truth in that statement – it is up to us to change that.

A lot of you know the reason behind our company’s name. It originated from a torn pair of board shorts, incidentally made in China. Our slogan, however, is an entirely different story. Being “A Genuine American Brand” is something we take extremely seriously. And it comes at a price, both monetarily and from an opportunity standpoint. Finding overseas manufacturers is easy. Now try finding a decent cut and sew facility that does the same in the United States – your luck starts running out quick. Anything from grappling shorts, T-shirts, hoodies, even packing accessories and hang tags. Your choices are extremely limited, because soft goods manufacturing in the USA is close to extinction. And, just as in every other industry, there are the good companies and the not so good companies. Finding the great ones from a smaller sampling is quite a bit more difficult.

US-based manufacturing is not only more expensive, it limits the products we can offer. Expanding our product line is our most difficult undertaking. We receive hundreds of requests a month for sparring gear (gloves, shin guards, etc.), gi’s, even shoes. We could probably triple our business overnight and cut costs in half by outsourcing the manufacturing of our products to a third-world country. The monetary incentives are there in black and white. So why haven’t we sold out?

Well, because of this: We’re pretty damn proud of the fact that every time we sell a product, an American gets to keep their job, or an American family gets to send their son or daughter to school rather than to a factory. We have dealt with the same US-based suppliers and manufacturers since we have been in business, and everything we make is proudly made in the USA. Wealso take an enormousamount of pride in the quality of the products we make. To date, we have had two single returns in two years out of the thousands of products we have sold, and only one was due to a manufacturing defect. Every day we exist, we prove that America can still compete, even in an industry where it’s outnumbered by over 9 to 1. And not only compete, but crush the competition. We not only promise uncompromising quality and durability, we deliver it – day by day, garment by garment. Our gear constantly rates higher than every other company, and we’re the fastest growing brand in athletic apparel, specifically in MMA and grappling.

It’s not easy to do the right thing. It hardly ever is. But the feedback we get from our customers for being a true “Made in the USA” company is overwhelming. We can’t change the way our government spends our tax dollars, but we don’t have to perpetuate the problem of importing goods made under unethical conditions.

***************

Dear Sir ,

Hope you will be fine.

We are quality manufacturer of Grappling/Gym Wears/Boxing/Textile Products, our factory is in Sialkot-Pakistan.

FOB Prices

1. MMA Gloves Cowhide Leather………..US$ 9.20

2. Boxing Gloves Cowhide Leather……..US$ 13.50

3. Bag Gloves Cowhide Leather………….US$ 8.00

4. MMA Short Taslon……………………….US$ 7.00

5. MMA Short Micro…………………………US$ 6.00

6. Boxing Short……………………………..US$ 5.00

7. Rash Guards Stretchable Lycra……….US$ 7.00

8. Shirts cotton………………………………US$ 6.00

9. Hoodies……………………………………US$ 10.50

10. Polo Shirts………………………………US$ 6.50

11. Thai Kick Pads…………………………..US$ 15.50

12. Handwraps………………………………US$ 1.20

13. Power Fitness Belts……………………US$ 5.00

14. Weight Lifting Belts……………………US$ 5.00

15. Weightlifting Gloves…………………..US$ 6.00

16. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu white ………………US$ 23.00

17. Brzilian Jiu-jitsu black/blue………….US$ 25.00

1. Motor Bike Cadora Jackets………….US$ 22.00

2. Motor Bike Pant……………………….US$ 13.50

3. Ladies Tank Tops……………………..US$ 6.00

4. Gym Short……………………………..US$ 6.00

5. Gym Suit……………………………….US$ 13.00

6. Tuta Suit/Working Suit cotton……..US$ 23.00

Hoping to have prompt reply from your side.

wish you all the best.

***************

I’m leaving this company’s name out on purpose.  More than 60% of the grappling gear out on the market today comes from this factory.  But ethics and child labor, etc. aside (just this time), let’s do a bit of math here.

They offer a lycra rash guard for $7 wholesale.  Note, this is their starting price and definitely negotiable based on factors such as MOQ (minimum order quantity), pricing concessions, bundled orders, etc.  Let’s for the sake of the argument say a company could purchase some number of these rash guards for around $6/unit.  We don’t import from overseas, so correct me if I’m wrong here, but add 20% for freight, customs, etc.  You’re looking at a $7.20/unit cost price.  Hell, round it up to 8 bucks just in case I missed anything.

Cost to random brand?  Around 8 bucks.  Cost to shady company in Pakistan?  Who knows, but even at $7 they are making money, so it has to be less than that.  What do most branded rash guards retail for in stores, both online and brick/mortar?  $50 and up.  If you’re not furious by now, you should be.

I don’t think I’m stretching the truth at all when I say that our rash guards are pretty much the gold standard as far as rash guards are concerned.  There is plenty of public data to back up this claim.  Without revealing our cost, I can tell you that it is more than twice the $8 price given here – excluding logistics costs such as shipping, QA, etc.  We retail our rashies for $49.90.  They’re designed in the USA, and sublimated, cut and sewn in a state-of-the art factory in California using the highest quality materials available from a US fabric mill.

The moral of this story is two-fold:

1) Companies should stop being greedy for the sake of greed, and begin to act in the best interest of consumers.  600% profit is a bit ridiculous by any standard.  I believe the term used to describe this is “rip-off“.

2) At the same time, consumers should start asking questions such as where does my gear really come from, under what conditions is it made, and how much does it really cost the company to make it?

Ultimately, the onus is on the consumer to hold the companies accountable.  As long as most companies are allowed to mark up their inventory by 600% or more, and have a willing, buying audience, the pattern of behavior won’t change. Ask the questions, and ask them publicly.  And save your money.

In Person!

On the Big Screen in 3D Sure, you’ve seen action on the big screen but never like this! For the first time ever, a UFC Pay-Per-View will be broadcast live in movie theaters on the big screen! Find a screen near you and buy tickets now at www.ufc.com/3d. Plus, at select theaters in Vegas, Mobile, Mesa, Denver and Fairfax, the night will be hosted by a UFC fighter.

Pay-Per-View… or Pay-Per-View 3D! UFC 143 can be seen on Pay-Per-View through your local cable
operator. (Available on Main Event in Australia; Sky Arena in NZ; UK fans see it for free on ESPN at 3 am.) If you’ve got a 3D television, select cable providers (including DirecTV, At&T U-verse, Cox and Comcast) are also offering the fights in 3D – check yours for details. Besides Superman punches that look like they’re going to break through your TV, the 3D broadcast will feature its own announcing team.

On Xbox LIVE Download the UFC on Xbox LIVE app to your Xbox 360 and get free access to exclusive programming, live streams of the weigh-in and press conference and more (US and Canada only for now – more countries coming soon!). Plus, during Xbox LIVE Free Gold Weekend, you can use the upgrade features like fight picks and an expanded video on demand menu. Then on Saturday, watch the Pay-Per-View live and check out interactive features such as fight card displays.

UFC.tv 
Re-watch every knockout from multiple angles. Keep the camera on your
favorite fighter even during his opponent’s walkout. Hear every
word Nick Diaz’ corner shouts (on second thought…). Watch the free demo of UFC.TV
with its multiple camera angles, HD-quality stream, audio feeds and DVR
controls. It’s a futuristic experience available at your fingertips
today – www.UFC.tv.

At a bar It’s Super Bowl weekend, so you’ve already got wings on your mind – why wait until Sunday!? Visit bars.ufc.com from your computer or mobile device to find a location showing the big guys nears you.

On your Android On the move with your phone? Use the UFC Android Application watch UFC 143 live.

On Your Favorite Site The biggest online video portals are catching UFC fever – catch the Pay-Per-View on YouTube, UStream, Yahoo!, and more.

On Facebook Fans can use Facebook credits to view the stream right on the same tab where you watch the prelims. Like!

On ROKU This UFC experience combines internet streaming on large-screen televisions. Make sure you download the UFC Channel on
your ROKU set-top box.

“Here’s the thing, and I’m not trying to sound cocky or arrogant, but I’m kinda like a Rudy, and how can you not like the underdog?” said Cope, referring to Rudy Ruettiger, the walk-on for the Notre Dame football team whose story was immortalized in the film “Rudy.” “Forrest Griffin is never gonna be known as a spectacular, crazy fighter, but that guy provides the average Joe with hope because he’s a guy who came from grass roots, he worked hard and trained hard and now he’s in the UFC and he’s one of the poster boys.”

Already 1-0 in the UFC with an impressive win over TUF13 castmate Chuck O’Neil in June of last year, Cope was in the process of building his own success story until a crushing knee sent him to the canvas and kicked off a sequence that saw him stopped in 40 seconds by Mills. Yet as he walked back out into the LG Arena to watch the rest of the event, once again he was stunned by what happened.

“I got laid out in that fight,” he said. “I got caught with a knee 40 seconds in, and I was embarrassed as hell. I knew I was going up against a really good fighter and I knew that things could happen even though I’ve never been caught like that before. It is what it is, and it happened. But I remember going back to the locker room and then coming back out to sit down, and they all wanted autographs. They all wanted pictures. I’m like ‘guys, I lost; I got caught in there, why do you want my autograph?’ They said ‘We don’t care. We love you, you’re great.’ That made me feel good because it made me really feel like it doesn’t matter whether I win or lose because these people have got my back. I call it the Woo Nation. I do it, they do it, and when I fight, I’m not just fighting by myself. They’re in there fighting with me.”

This Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, odds are that the Woo Nation will be out in force again to back their man when he faces Matt Brown in one of those fights that promises action.

“I think he’s a very tough guy, he comes out to fight very hard right off the bat, he’s got very good striking, underrated submissions off his back, and he’s a gamer,” said Cope of Brown. “He comes to fight, and he’s always very dangerous. I’m a fan of his and I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

There’s also plenty on the line for both men. Cope, still relatively inexperienced with eight pro fights, is coming off the loss to Mills, which puts him at 1-1 in the Octagon. Brown is 1-4 in his last five, making a win imperative. But regardless of what’s at stake, Cope has never strayed from a path of work, work, work.

“I’m a grinder,” said Cope, who does paralegal work at a Southern California law firm in addition to his fighting career. “I wake up at six in the morning, I’m at work by seven. My lunch break is training, I train and then I go back to work, I leave at four. And then I basically go to pro practice from 4:15 to 5:30, then I work another hour with a trainer from 5:30 to 6:30, then either run or do strength and conditioning after that. I don’t know what it is about me, but if you’re gonna build a wall of success, you build it one brick at a time. And all those practices add up.”

For him, that’s the key, just being consistent and working harder than the next guy.

“People saw me on The Ultimate Fighter, and they didn’t think I was that good,” he said. “And you might be better than me, you might be faster than me, and you might be more athletically gifted than me, but when you’re missing sessions, I’m not. I’m in the gym, and come hell or high water, I’m getting those three goals.”

Three goals?

“I’ve got three goals in this thing, and once I do those, I’m done. One of them is to fight for the UFC, and I’ve done that. The second is to fight in Japan. The third one is to win a belt, and if I can do it in the UFC, that’s the number one dream come true. And once I get those three, I’m out.”

If Cope sounds like he’s got everything together at the age of 28, that would be an accurate assessment. But it wasn’t always that way for him.

“My dad used to be a narcotics cop, and when I was growing up, he always told me that he’d disown me if he ever caught me on drugs, and the whole time I was growing up, when kids were getting involved with weed and ecstasy, and after graduation, cocaine, I never messed around with it,” he said. “Alcohol was the one thing, and I’m like ‘it’s no big deal; it’s legal, I’m fine doing this.’ Well, lo and behold, in my opinion it’s one of the most destructive drugs out there. Almost every time there’s a murder, or an accident, or sometimes a fight, usually alcohol’s involved. It’s America’s drug.”

And Cope bought into it hook, line, and sinker, using alcohol as a means to fit in with the crowd his father warned him about.

“I thought I was the cool guy,” he said. “I graduated from UCSB (Cal-Santa Barbara) and Playboy rated it like the number two or three party school in the country. And the college parties I threw were out of a movie. I thought I was awesome and the coolest party guy ever.”

But after getting picked up by the police on three misdemeanors (vandalism, public intoxication, and resisting arrest), Cope began to see that he was headed in the wrong direction.

“For the first time in my life, I saw myself on the other end of the legal system, and I didn’t like that at all,” he said, “But I still kept drinking for a couple years.”  

All the while, his pro MMA career was taking off, and when he got called to Las Vegas to be interviewed by producers for season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2010, it was party time for the 4-1 Cope.

“I was faded, and that was 11 in the morning the next day,” he recalled. But when he got home to San Diego, he took a good, hard look at himself and didn’t like what he saw.

“I was embarrassed about myself,” he said. “I said enough’s enough. I’m done. I quit. And that was December 8th, 2010.”

More than 13 months later, he’s still sober.
 
“I used to call myself an alcoholic and I don’t call myself that anymore,” he said. “I just say that I’m a person that doesn’t really have a kill switch. It doesn’t define who I am, it’s just an aspect of my life, and I just keep going.  It (alcohol) didn’t add anything to my life. It really alienated people from me, it caused me to blow a lot of my money, and I would guarantee that if I was drinking on that Ultimate Fighter show and got drunk on there, I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now. Life couldn’t be better now and I’m glad I did it.”

If that’s not a reason to become a full-fledged member of Woo Nation, I don’t know what is. And if you’re looking to count someone out of a fight, Chris Cope is probably not that guy, because no matter what the final result is, he’s already won.

“You can play in small in life, or you can play big, but to play big, you’ve got to get on the field,” he said. “And when you get on the field, you might win or lose, but you still got on the field and played ball.”

After spending the final four months of 2011 in what felt like a constant state of limbo, the 27-year-old will finally get to switch from hitting mitts with coach Mike Winkeljohn to putting his considerable talents to work in the cage. In a fitting twist of fate, Condit will get to take out the frustrations he’s endured against the man who has been at the root of many of them.

Rewind to September: Condit was slated to face UFC legend BJ. Penn in the co-main event of UFC 137, a bout that would be followed by Diaz challenging Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title.

But when Diaz missed a string of media obligations, UFC President Dana White made a change, demoting Diaz from the main event, and elevating Condit. The man known as “The Natural Born Killer” broke down in tears on the phone when White told him the news.

Just 11 days before he was set to fight for the UFC welterweight title, Condit’s dream was put on hold. St-Pierre tweaked his knee in training; their bout was rescheduled for UFC 143, the annual Super Bowl weekend show. Diaz and Penn headlined UFC 137 instead, with Condit assured the outcome of the main event would not have an impact on his upcoming title fight.

On October 29, Diaz battered Penn before throwing down the gauntlet for GSP, questioning the legitimacy of his injury, trying to talk his way back into the fight he lost a month early. By the time White took the podium for the post-fight press conference, Condit’s fight calendar needed adjusting once again.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs; a lot of excitement and disappointment,” admitted the former WEC welterweight champion. “It’s been crazy, as anybody looking from the outside can imagine. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of focusing on what I need to do — which is train and be prepared for whoever I end up fighting — and this time it ended up being Diaz.”

After shuffling places twice in the last six months, Condit and Diaz will now pair off, a torn ACL sending St-Pierre to the sidelines and the surgical table. With the date of his return to the cage uncertain, the top two welterweight contenders will battle for an interim version of the 170-pound championship on Saturday night.

It’s a fight that has been a long time coming for the 27-5 native of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“I’m stoked to be done with camp. I’m stoked to be finally stepping out there to do what I’ve been training to do for the last six months: to go out there and fight, compete to the best of my abilities.”

While Diaz began his second stint in the UFC with much fanfare and an immediate shot at the welterweight title, Condit has quietly been working his way up the 170-pound ranks.

The last welterweight champion in WEC history, he lost a razor-thin decision to Martin Kampmann in his debut, coming out on the right side of the verdict against Jake Ellenberger in his second Octagon appearance. A come-from-behind victory over Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 caused people to start taking notice, and a first-round knockout of Dan Hardy in his own backyard announced Condit as a potential contender, though he remained behind some of the more established names in the company.

“It’s hard to get out from under the shadow of these guys like (Jon) Fitch, and (Josh) Koscheck, and maybe even Thiago Alves — guys that have been in the division for years and years and years, and all had great wins.”

But now is Condit’s turn in the spotlight.

His savage first round destruction of Dong Hyun Kim was his fourth consecutive victory, the second straight bout that he’s earned Knockout of the Night honors, and the third consecutive contest to produce a post-fight bonus. Though it looked like the gods were against him, Condit’s patience and perseverance has been rewarded, and he’s ready to make the most of it.

“This is a fight I’ve wanted for a really long time, and the fact that it’s happening now, after all this turmoil and craziness with the change of opponents and everything, it really couldn’t have worked out better.

“I think that styles make fights, and I think that this style match-up is going to be extremely exciting. It’s a very tough fight; Nick’s one of the best in the welterweight division. I think there are some guys stylistically that could probably beat him, but I think the matchup between us — we’re very evenly matched. We have similar skill sets, maybe a little bit different approach — different style — but it’s exciting.”

The 28-year-old Diaz is on an 11-fight winning streak that includes nine stoppages, with victories over the likes of Frank Shamrock, KJ Noons, Paul Daley, and Penn. An enigma outside of the cage, Diaz is all business when the lights go up and the fight begins, blending tremendous boxing with a slick submission game.

He’s also adept at shaking his opponents with a barrage of pre-fight banter, an ability and instinctual talent he’s passed on to his younger brother Nathan as well. Condit is prepared for it all — the boxing, the jiu-jitsu, and the verbal jabs.

“Nick likes to get in your head, talk a lot of trash, so I need to stay composed, and step in with the attitude that I always do; just be about my business, and not get sucked into all that other stuff. I just have to fight my fight. No matter what an opponent says or how much trash they talk, I get the opportunity to go in there and beat him down. I can just hold my tongue and let it build, and as soon as the cage door closes, it’s game time.”

Condit knows he’s in for a battle, but he’s ready, and confident that if he sticks to the game plan, he’ll emerge from Saturday’s headliner as the interim UFC welterweight champion.

“Nick is probably the toughest guy I’ve ever fought. He’s an endurance athlete — he puts tons and tons of pressure on guys — and he’s got some really good skills with his hands; his jiu-jitsu’s great.

“But I just really need to fight my fight. If I do that, I feel like I’m going to walk away with the belt.”