Carlos Condit's Camp Not Interested in Nick Diaz Rematch

• By Mike Chiappetta
• February 6, 2012 02:21 pm
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  In the hours after Carlos Condit's close but unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143, UFC president Dana White seemed to warm up to the possibility of a rematch between the two. After all, it may be nine months or more until division champion Georges St-Pierre returns to fight the interim champion, a lengthy wait.

  But at least for now, the Condit camp seems uninterested in the possibility of Condit-Diaz II. On Monday afternoon, his manager Malki Kawa told MMA Fighting that the new interim champion would be much more likely to set his sights on unifying the interim and linear titles.

  "At this point, [a rematch] is not something we’re looking to do," he said. "We're looking for Georges. People forget, Carlos waited a long time to get this fight. He was moved around, and shuffled around between fights. He won the fight. It doesn't interest us at all. I think clearly and decisively, he won the fight. Even [UFC president] Dana [White] scored it for him. All of the opinions that matter scored Carlos as winner."

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Greg Jackson: Stick-and-Move Game Plan Was 'No-Brainer' Against Nick Diaz

• By Ben Fowlkes
• February 6, 2012 04:35 pm
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  MMA trainer Greg Jackson might be, by his own admission, "completely and utterly biased," but he still thought the judges got it right when they handed Carlos Condit a unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz at UFC 143 this past Saturday night, he told MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.
  
  Saying there was "no doubt" in his mind that the decision would go Condit's way, Jackson defended his fighter’s strategy on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, and fired back at critics who accused Condit of running away from Diaz.
  
  "It’s not like we reinvented the wheel here with this game plan," Jackson said. "A stick-and-move game plan against a guy that’s such an amazing fighter and such a tough guy as Diaz, for me is a no-brainer. If you look at the numbers, we hit him many more times than he hit us."

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UFC 143 Fighter Salaries: Nick Diaz Rakes in $200,000

• By Ray Hui
• February 6, 2012 01:51 pm
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  Nick Diaz earned a reported salary of $200,000 for his fight against Carlos Condit at UFC 143 this past Saturday in Las Vegas, according to the Nevada athletic commission.

  Condit, who defeated Diaz for the UFC interim welterweight title, on paper made $55,000 as his show purse and a $55,000 bonus for the win.
  
  Please note that salaries reported by the UFC to the commission do not necessarily reflect a fighter's actual earnings, once other possible bonuses (such as a cut of the pay-per-view for big stars) and sponsorship money is factored in.
  
  Salaries for the rest of the fighters are below. Additionally, Werdum, Nelson, Thompson and Poirier each earned a $65,000 bonus at the post-fight press conference.
  

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Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 143

• By Ben Fowlkes
• February 6, 2012 12:33 pm
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  UFC 143 delivered everything from brutal finishes to narrow decisions, with post-fight demonstrations that ranged from awesomely acrobatic to jaw-droppingly bizarre. Now that we’ve all had some time to think it over and gorge ourselves on Super Bowl snacks, it’s time to sift through the rubble for our biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
  
  Biggest Winner: Carlos Condit
  The blood-and-guts crowd might not like how he did it, but Condit’s strategy was brilliant and disciplined. He avoided the tight exchanges against the fence that Diaz spent the whole fight working for, and he refused to be baited into a street fight. He came in with the perfect plan for negating Diaz’s offense, and unlike many of his predecessors, Condit actually stuck to it. He beat the former Strikeforce champ with nearly flawless execution of a superior, though not necessarily popular strategy. Now he’s the UFC interim champ, which means he gets a belt that’s only slightly more meaningful than the one Chael Sonnen walked around Chicago with. He also gets the ire of the fans who think any strategy that doesn’t include standing in one place and swinging from your heels is somehow unfair or undignified. If he decides to wait until GSP is healthy before he fights again, Condit will get the chance to remedy both those problems in one night. Don’t be surprised if winning over the fans proves to be a lot easier than winning the real belt.

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The MMA Wrap-Up: UFC 143 Edition

• By Ben Fowlkes
• February 6, 2012 09:40 am
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  After a wild night in Las Vegas for UFC 143, the MMA Wrap-Up returns to examine Nick Diaz's post-fight retirement speech and ask: is this guy for a real? Have we truly seen the last of Stockton's favorite son, and all because he didn't like the way the judges scored his fight? Seriously?

  As you can probably tell, the Wrap-Up has some strong opinions on the subject.

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The MMA Hour With Diego Sanchez, Greg Jackson, Cesar Gracie, 'Mayhem', Dave Herman

• By Ariel Helwani
• February 6, 2012 08:00 am
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday with another loaded show. Here's who will be stopping by:

  * Diego Sanchez will discuss his UFC on FUEL TV 1 fight against Jake Ellenberger on Feb. 15.

  * Greg Jackson will discuss Carlos Condit's win over Nick Diaz.

  * Cesar Gracie will explain why he thinks Diaz deserved to win the UFC 143 main event.

  * Jason "Mayhem" Miller will discuss what's next for him and look back at UFC 143's main event between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.

  * Dave Herman will preview his UFC on FUEL TV 1 fight against Stefan Struve.

  * And MMAFighting.com's Ben Fowlkes will look back at UFC 143.

  Got a question or comment? Give us a call at 1-888-418-4074.
  
  Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.

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Morning Report: Silva-Sonnen II Finally Set, Condit-Diaz Debate Rages On

• By Shaun Al-Shatti
• February 6, 2012 07:00 am
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  Well, that was an interesting weekend. While the rest of the sports world was whipped into a Super Bowl frenzy, the mixed martial arts community was still decidedly abuzz from UFC 143's polarizing main event. Plenty of fallout arrived amid Diaz vs. Condit, so catch up on everything you might have missed and everything you need to see on today's edition of the Morning Report.

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No Robbery Here: Carlos Condit Earned Decision Win Over Nick Diaz

• By Ben Fowlkes
• February 5, 2012 03:32 pm
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  Judging by Nick Diaz’s reaction to his unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, you’d have thought he’d just been robbed on live TV. You’d have thought he’d returned home to find that judge Cecil Peoples had made off with all his most prized possessions, from his road bike to his Tupac CDs. You definitely wouldn’t have thought that he’d merely lost a close decision in a close fight, though that’s exactly what happened.
  
  "I don't need this [expletive]," Diaz told Joe Rogan after the decision was announced. "He ran from me this whole fight. I landed the harder shots. He kicked me in the leg with little baby kicks."
  
  Of course, he said this while sporting a set of facial bruises and lacerations that told a very different story. You don’t get that kind of damage at a track meet. Obviously Condit must have been doing something besides running and baby-kicking. According to the FightMetric stats, that something was out-working Diaz with strikes in four of the five rounds, landing a total of 159 strikes to Diaz’s 117.

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UFC 143 Morning After: Carlos Condit Has What It Takes To Beat Georges St. Pierre

• By Michael David Smith
• February 5, 2012 11:00 am
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  Georges St. Pierre hasn't lost a fight -- and really hasn't even been tested -- in four years. That's about to change.

  Carlos Condit, who won the UFC interim welterweight title by beating Nick Diaz on Saturday night at UFC 143, is going to test St. Pierre in a way he hasn't been tested in years. The next time GSP steps into the Octagon, he'll be stepping into the Octagon with the best opponent he's faced.

  We knew heading into Saturday night how physically tough Condit was. You don't win 27 professional MMA fights and win four in a row in the UFC, as Condit already had heading into Saturday night, without a whole lot of toughness.

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Nick Diaz Says He's Walking Away From MMA, Confusing Us One Last Time

• By Mike Chiappetta
• February 5, 2012 10:01 am
• 

  Nick Diaz prepares to fight Carlos Condit at UFC 143. Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  If Saturday night was the end for Nick Diaz, it came just the way we would expect it: in a jumbled, confusing mess. The enigmatic UFC welterweight star lost a close, controversial decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, and then, seemingly on the spur of the moment, decided he was done with mixed martial arts.
  
  Never mind that it was his only loss in his last 11 fights. Never mind that he's just 28 years old. Never mind that he's as popular as he's ever been, to the point that the Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd booed Condit even after he won. The way Diaz phrased it, he wasn't leaving MMA; instead, it was the sport that was forcing him out.
  
  "I don’t need this s---," he said in his post-fight interview. "I pushed this guy backwards. He ran from me the whole fight. He ran this whole fight. I landed the harder shots. He ran the whole time. He kicked me in the leg with little baby leg kicks the whole fight. That’s the way they understand to win in here. I don’t want to play this game no more."

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Carlos Condit Believes He Won First Four Rounds Against Nick Diaz

• By Ariel Helwani
• February 5, 2012 04:25 am
• 

  Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

  LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Carlos Condit talks about his UFC 143 win over Nick Diaz, why he deserved to win, his performance and what's next for him.

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Dana White Believes Carlos Condit Deserved to Win UFC 143 Main Event

• By Ariel Helwani
• February 5, 2012 04:14 am
• 

  MMA Fighting

  LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Dana White talks about UFC 143, why he thinks Carlos Condit deserved to win the main event, his thoughts on Nick Diaz's retirement, Fabricio Werdum's impressive win and his take on the Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce fight.

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Banged Up Ed Herman Wants Top-10 Opponent Next

• By Ariel Helwani
• February 5, 2012 04:10 am
• 

  MMA Fighting

  LAS VEGAS -- Watch below as Ed Herman talks about his UFC 143 win over Clifford Starks, the injuries he sustained in the fight, his thoughts on Starks, the finish, and why he wants a top-10 opponent next.

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Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen Agree to UFC Title Rematch

• By Mike Chiappetta
• February 5, 2012 03:59 am
• 

  Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

  Chael Sonnen will get a second chance at Anderson Silva.

  Even after Sonnen's recent and repeated claims that Silva would never accept a fight with him, the middleweight champ has in fact agreed to once again put up his belt in an upcoming title defense, UFC president Dana White said on Saturday night. Sonnen has also agreed to the bout, according to White.

  The fight is likely to take place in June, in Silva's home country of Brazil.

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