By Ryan Kester

UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
Aired live on PPV from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

1. Ed "Short Fuse" Herman (19-7) vs. Clifford Starks (8-0) [Middleweight Division]

Round One: 10-9 Starks. Herman was the more aggressive fighter, but Starks landed a ton of head shots and kept Herman clinched against the cage for most of the round.

Round Two: Herman scored an early takedown to side control. From there, he transitioned to full mount, took Starks' back, and locked in a rear naked choke that Starks was unable to escape.

Official Decision: Winner by submission at 1:43 of the second round, Ed Herman.

Ryan's Rant: Impressive display from Herman. He wasn't able to do what he wanted in the first round, but he had no issue taking Starks' back quickly after the takedown.

2. Renan Barao (29-1, 1 NC) vs. Scott "Young Guns" Jorgensen (13-4) [Bantamweight Division]

Round One: 10-9 Barao. Very close round, but Barao managed to control where the fight went. Solid striking from both men, but they have yet to find their range.

Round Two: 10-9 Barao. Barao found his range early and unloaded combination after combination in the first half of the round. Jorgensen managed to pull guard, but he was unable to accomplish anything once he was on his back.

Round Three: 10-9 Barao. Jorgensen was the aggressor in this round, but e very time he managed to land a strike, he ate two from Barao.

Official Decision: All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Renan Barao.

Ryan's Rant: Entertaining fight with a disappointing finish. Barao deserved the decision, but with how aggressive the two men were, I was surprised to see the fight go to the judges.

3. Josh "Kos" Koscheck (18-5) vs. Mike Pierce (13-4) [Welterweight Division]

Round One: 10-9 Pierce. Pierce controlled the round with the clinch and scored more strikes in a wild exchange later in the round.

Round Two: 10-9 Koscheck. Close fight so far, but Koscheck had the edge in striking that round and managed to score a late takedown.

Round Three: 10-9 Koscheck. Both men scored a takedown during the round, and the striking was extremely close. I give the edge again to Koscheck, who seemed to be the aggressor for the majority of the round.

Official Decision: 29-28 Pierce, 29-28 Koscheck and 29-28 for the winner via split-decision, Josh Koscheck.

Ryan's Rant: Very, very close and exciting fight. It's crazy that the entire fight may have come to one extra successful takedown. Koscheck was lucky Herb Dean was patient with him, as there were several breaks for unintentional eye pokes throughout the rounds, and one docked point would have cost Koscheck the fight.

4. Roy "Big Country" Nelson (17-6) vs. Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (14-5-1) [Heavyweight Division]

Round One: 10-9 Werdum. Werdum took Nelson's back early but Nelson managed to fight back to his feet. Werdum worked a great Thai clinch that managed to bust Nelson open. Nelson scored an overhand right late in the round that knocked Werdum down, but Werdum outpaced Nelson the entire round.

Round Two: 10-9 Nelson. Werdum scored several strikes early, but Nelson managed to catch Werdum with several solid strikes that had Werdum reeling. Nelson was the aggressor and controlled where the majority of the round went.

Round Three: 10-9 Werdum. Very similar to the last round, only Werdum never got caught and became hesitant. Werdum hit several combinations in the round and Nelson was unable to connect with a bomb to turn the fight.

Official Decision: All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Fabricio Werdum.

Ryan's Rant: Wow, what a fight. The first round was extremely entertaining, and I have to give respect to Nelson for the heart and resilience he displayed in this fight. Werdum's reach and clinch game were simply too much for him.

5. Nick Diaz (27-7-1) vs. Carlos "The Natural Born Killer" Condit (27-5) for the Interim Welterweight Championship

Round One: 10-9 Diaz. Diaz was easily the aggressor and he controlled where the fight went. Condit scored several solid strikes and leg kicks, but Diaz fought his fight.

Round Two: 10-9 Condit. Rinse and repeat. Diaz is controlling the fight via aggression, taunting, and combination after combination, but Condit has been able to avoid most of Diaz's strikes and has landed several of his own.

Round Three: 10-9 Condit. Condit still spent most of the round backing up, but he scored several solid combinations that Diaz was unable to stop. Condit is finding his range.

Round Four: 10-9 Condit. Condit continued his game plan of avoiding Diaz's combinations and answering with his own. Condit is easily landing more strikes at this point.

Round Five: 10-9 Diaz. Condit continued his game plan for the first part of the round, but Diaz took Condit's back late in the round. Diaz fought for a submission, but Condit managed to fight out in the last moments of the round.

Official Decision: 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 for the winner by unanimous decision and new Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos Condit.

After the fight, Nick Diaz announced that he was done with MMA and referred to the judge's decision as shit.

Ryan's Rant: What a weird, weird fight. That certainly wasn't what I expected to see, but Condit managed to find a means to overcome Diaz's style. It certainly wasn't the most impressive way to win a fight, but Condit deserved the win for his work.

Overall Show: While there were some exciting moments throughout the night, this show really didn't feel like it lived up to the hype. Most of the action on the undercard felt forgettable, and while I enjoyed the work of the last two fights, there was nothing really spectacular that happened in either. The most interesting aspect of this night was Diaz's post-fight interview, and that really doesn’t bode well for a UFC show.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow UFC fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter at @TheRyanKester.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: