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Georges St-Pierre discusses potential Nick Diaz fight, says he won't enter the cage at UFC 143

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:55:58 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Georges St-Pierre is rooting for Nick Diaz to win at UFC 143 on Saturday night, as he wants to meet him inside the cage later this year. In a fan chat at MMAFighting.com on Friday afternoon, St-Pierre touched on what he felt their matchup would be like.

"Nick Diaz is better than me at what he does best and I'm better than him at what I do best," St-Pierre wrote. "So I'm going to make the fight my fight and fight him where I'm better than him. I've got a lot of things in mind but it's part of my strategy and I don't want to elaborate on it other than to say I'm not going to fight his fight, I'm going to fight my fight."

Diaz's training as a triathlete has many considering him one of the most well conditioned athletes in the sport, but St-Pierre doesn't believe Diaz's abilities in that area should be attributed to his triathlon work.

"It's not about cardio," St-Pierre said. "Fighting is a different system of energy. He always finds a way to fight his fight and that's why he looks like he has good cardio. Triathlons and marathons don't translate to MMA. The cardio you build for triathlon is for triathlon, for MMA is MMA. It's very specific. If he stays in shape and has a passion for triathlon, OK. But I've never trained cardio and I never get tired in a fight so I don't believe in cardio."

"Nick Diaz doesn't get tired because he's more efficient and he fights his fight."

Diaz has to get past Carlos Condit on Saturday in order to make this fight happen, and while St-Pierre wants to see that happen he acknowledges that it's not going to be an easy fight.

"I believe it's going to be a very, very tough fight," St-Pierre said of the matchup. "I don't think it's a one-sided fight. I'm expecting a great, great fight. I would not be surprised if Condit wins. But I do hope Diaz wins. I want Diaz to win because that's a fight everyone wants to see and people rank Diaz higher right now. But if Condit wins people will rank him higher. I want to fight the best guy."

With St-Pierre in Las Vegas this week for the fight, many expect an in-cage showdown following the conclusion of the night's main event. However, St-Pierre said that's not something he's interested in taking part in.

"I will be there but I don't want to step into the Octagon," he said. "That's not my style. When someone wins it's their moment of glory. Maybe the UFC will force me to do it or Diaz will call me in but it's not my style to do that."

One of St-Pierre's most infamous moments was when he entered the cage at UFC 63 after Matt Hughes defeated B.J. Penn, telling Hughes he "wasn't impressed" with his performance. Fans may be hoping for a repeat of that moment on Saturday night, but he said it's not a moment that should have happened.

"I wish I would not have done that 'I'm not impressed with your performance' thing," he said. "I have apologized to Matt Hughes for that. It was a mistake on my part."

Penick's Analysis: St-Pierre's take on strength and conditioning when it comes to preparing for MMA fights is unique. He insists he doesn't lift weights outside of cosmetic reasons, and here he discusses not training specifically for cardio, yet he's continually shown an ability to fight for 25 minutes time and time again. There will be a lot of disappointed people if he doesn't get into the cage on Saturday, and I have a feeling the UFC will nudge him in there for a face off with Diaz should Diaz be victorious, but I suppose that's another reason to tune in, to see just what will happen.

[Georges St-Pierre art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC 143 "DIAZ VS. CONDIT" PREVIEW: Penick's breakdown and fight picks for Super Bowl weekend event

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:50:15 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's UFC 143 event was supposed to feature the showdown between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz. Instead, St-Pierre suffered an injury that took him out of action, so Diaz will take on Carlos Condit for the Interim Welterweight Championship. The main card also features a number of intriguing fights that have been a bit under the radar, so let's take a look at what we've got coming up on Saturday night:

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit (Interim Welterweight Championship)

Outside of Georges St-Pierre, these two just may be the best welterweights in the world. Diaz's stock has risen significantly after his one-sided beating of B.J. Penn, and the strides he had made as a striker over the last several years were really on display at the highest level he's faced in that time.

Carlos Condit made a name for himself with plenty of highlights in the WEC, and has finally begun getting the recognition he deserves as one of the best in the world with his recent string of knockout wins inside the Octagon.

The careers of both fighters are remarkably similar, as is their respective skill sets. Both fighters are extremely talented on the ground, but they enjoy the success they find with their striking games more often than not.

Diaz is all about accumulation of strikes and overwhelming his opponents with pressure. He's got a gas tank that will not fail him, and he'll continue throwing strike after strike after strike until his opponent breaks.

Condit will come forward with crisp technique and power, but he'll throw in a very good arsenal of kicks, knees, elbows, and more. Of the two, Condit absolutely brings more stopping power, with the ability to drop his opponents at any moment and finish them off. Diaz can stop just about anyone himself, but it's not often with one punch. Diaz's finishes come after he's worn his opponents out, and he's not afraid to fight through damaging offense from those opponents in order to do so.

The fearless attitude both fighters bring into the cage makes this one of the greatest stylistic matchups the UFC has put together in a long time, and comes as close to guaranteeing fireworks as a fight can do on paper.

Diaz being considered as big a favorite as he is doesn't seem quite right to me, and I think Condit's being undervalued coming in. Diaz is fantastic, and if the fight goes deep the advantage really does shift to him. However, Condit is capable of stopping this fight at any point in its duration, and I'm leaning towards Condit pulling off the upset and taking the GSP showdown away from Diaz.

PREDICTION: Condit via TKO in the second round

Fabricio Werdum vs. Roy Nelson (Heavyweight)

Werdum is reentering the UFC for the first time since his at-the-time shocking knockout loss to a debuting Junior dos Santos in October of 2008, and he's coming back off a loss to Alistair Overeem.

Roy Nelson snapped a two-fight losing streak to dos Santos and Frank Mir in his last fight when he knocked out Mirko Cro Cop, and he hopes to keep himself on the winning track.

The biggest question coming into this fight is what type of gameplan Werdum wants to employ against Nelson. When he faced Overeem last summer, he had no desire to strike with him, instead attempting to pull guard throughout in an ugly affair. Nelson, however, has a very good top game, and bringing the fight to the ground may be a dangerous proposition, even for an immensely skilled submission fighter such as he.

Werdum was able to defeat Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva with his striking game, but Nelson has one-punch knockout power himself, and presents a difficult test there as well. Then there's Nelson's durability and his ability to take punishment, a factor that makes it hard to see Werdum stopping this fight.

This is a hard fight to pick, because Werdum is certainly capable of damaging Nelson with strikes or scoring points with his grappling, but Nelson is more likely to have success on his feet and is very solid on the ground. Though Werdum is favored in the bout, I'm going to lean towards Nelson keeping the fight on the feet and getting the better of Werdum.

PREDICTION: Nelson via TKO in the second round

Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce (Welterweight)

This welterweight matchup came about when Condit was yanked up into the main event, and Koscheck agreed to face a much lesser-known name in Pierce. For Pierce, this fight is an opportunity to get himself into the title picture with what would be the biggest win of his career.

Pierce is a very talented wrestler, and his grappling game has allowed him to have success inside the Octagon with five wins in seven fights.

However, Koscheck is also a very talented wrestler, who has a much better striking game to go along with that. Koscheck has the power to damage opponents, and he can keep the fight standing if Pierce tries to get him down.

Pierce is a game opponent, and he won't make it easy for Koscheck, but I don't see him out-striking Koscheck in this one, and that's likely where the fight will be contested.

PREDICTION: Koscheck via unanimous decision

Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen (Bantamweight)

The second most exciting fight on this card, the Barao-Jorgensen matchup more likely than not will determine a Bantamweight Title challenger, or at least get the winner into a number one contender fight.

Barao is very good. He just is. That fact kind of flew under the radar because he racked up a 24-fight unbeaten streak while fighting competition in his home country of Brazil, and the Brazil scene itself hadn't been known for providing the most competition for the most successful fighters. However, Barao has racked up four straight wins under the Zuffa banner in both the WEC and now UFC, and his most recent destruction of Brad "One Punch" Pickett in November was his statement on how much fighters should take him seriously.

Jorgensen, meanwhile, has consistently proven himself to be one of the top bantamweights in the world through a lengthy career in the WEC and now UFC as well. His 7-2 run in the WEC earned him a title fight against Dominick Cruz to close out his run in that organization, but he fell short in a five round decision.

His UFC debut got him back on track when he knocked Ken Stone out in June, and then defeated Jeff Curran by decision in October. Jorgensen's not necessarily elite in any one area, but he's very, very good at almost everything, making him one of the toughest fights in the bantamweight division.

Barao is rightly favored after his performance against Pickett, but Jorgensen is capable of winning this fight. I think Barao will score well in two of the three rounds to take this one, but Jorgensen has only been stopped once in his career, and certainly could utilize his grappling game to take two rounds as well.

PREDICTION: Barao via unanimous decision

Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks (Middleweight)

Herman's career was in jeopardy back in 2009 after he shredded his knee in a fight with Aaron Simpson. He was on the sidelines for nearly two years before returning to the UFC last June, and in two fights in 2011 he looked as good as he had at any point in his UFC run.

He stopped Tim Credeur in just 48 seconds at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, then locked on a heel hook to submit Kyle Noke in August, and now he'll look to continue that momentum against the undefeated Starks.

Starks moved his career record to 8-0 in his UFC debut by utilizing his wrestling game to take a decision over Dustin Jacoby. It wasn't a great fight, but it was still a solid win to kick off his UFC career. The former D-1 collegiate wrestler at Arizona State University (and teammate of former UFC Champion Cain Velasquez), ran his MMA record to 7-0 before getting the call to the UFC, and moves up to his first pay-per-view card appearance in just his second fight.

However, Starks' dominant attribute may work against him in this bout, as Herman is really good off his back and is capable of snatching submissions on Starks if taken down. He's also no slouch standing, so Herman should win this fight.

PREDICTION: Herman via submission in the first round

=====Preliminary Card Quick Picks=====

* Dustin Poirier over Max Holloway via submission in the second round
* Edwin Figueroa over Alex Caceres via TKO in the second round
* Matt Brown over Chris Cope via TKO in the first round
* Matt Riddle over Henry Martinez via unanimous decision
* Michael Kuiper over Rafael Natal via TKO in the first round
* Stephen Thompson over Dan Stittgen via unanimous decision

=====Confidence and Betting Contest Picks=====

11 - Poirier - SUB RD 2
10 - Herman - SUB RD 1
9 - Koscheck - DEC
8 - Figueroa - TKO RD 2
7 - Brown - TKO RD 1
6 - Barao - DEC
5 - Condit - TKO RD 2
4 - Nelson - TKO RD 2
3 - Riddle - DEC
2 - Thompson - DEC
1 - Kuiper - TKO RD 1

$500 on Condit
$200 on Nelson
$100 on Figueroa
$200 on Figueroa, Nelson, Condit

UFC 143 ROUNDTABLE: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit predictions by MMATorch staff and contributors

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:55:19 PST

Predict the outcome of Saturday's UFC 143 main event between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz; who wins and how?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST 

I don't pick against Diaz anymore. Diaz by decision, in the most glorious fight ever. Let's just hope they don't have GSP up in the rafters of the arena, because I want him in the cage as soon as Diaz' hand is raised. UFC screwed the pooch last week by having Jon Jones in the broadcast booth instead of in the cage after Rashad Evans beat Phil Davis, so here's hoping they learned that lesson.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR  

I think Condit's going to get the TKO stoppage. It should be a really close fight, but Condit has tremendous power. If he can catch Diaz a few times he should get the win. This should be a very exciting fight, one that the UFC should have thought about putting on the FOX event.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Nick Diaz wins against Carlos Condit. We all have read and know the fighting skills and heart of each fighter, but the scary part about Diaz is that there is some true rage and anger within him. In the UFC Primetime, when Diaz talks about how he was picked on as a kid, he said sometimes he uses that anger in the cage as if he were fighting those same bullies in there. That's a scary thought. The fact that he's able to channel his hate into the cage and use it against his opponents, with his high level skills, make him the easy pick for this fight. I've got Diaz via TKO in the second round.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
  
 I think Diaz controls the fight on his feet with his superior boxing and on the ground with his world class BJJ. Diaz is just better everywhere the fight can go. I think Nick Diaz grounds out a decision victory on his way to a unification bout later this year with GSP.

BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
 
The team who ran the UFC Undisputed 3 simulation may have been very accurate. Condit will probably go for a takedown and pay for it. Diaz's jiu jitsu is outstanding and he's one of the best boxers in mixed martial arts. Condit on the other hand is also dangerous but his gas tank lacks the infinite fill that Diaz had shown. It will undoubtedly be an incredible fight while it lasts and both men have a very good chance to win if they execute their gameplans. In the end I'm going to say Nick Diaz via submission in the third round.

GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

This is a hard pick to make. Diaz is tough with solid ground skills and good MMA boxing. However who has he fought in the past five years? A wayyyyyy past his prime B.J. Penn. After that, there's a huge drop in competition for a long time. I'm going with Condit. But hey this is MMA. Greatest fighting sport on earth.

JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Nick Diaz is on a hell of a roll right now, but I'm going to predict the upset. Every fighter Nick Diaz has fought in the last few years has gotten the better of him at one point (and that includes Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos) but none of them has been unable to finish him. Carlos Condit is the best finisher in the division and I think he gets the same opportunity, but finishes without incident.

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Diaz is all about accumulation of strikes and overwhelming his opponents with pressure. He's got a gas tank that will not fail him, and he'll continue throwing strike after strike after strike until his opponent breaks.

Condit will come forward with crisp technique and power, but he'll throw in a very good arsenal of kicks, knees, elbows, and more. Of the two, Condit absolutely brings more stopping power, with the ability to drop his opponents at any moment and finish them off. Diaz can stop just about anyone himself, but it's not often with one punch. Diaz's finishes come after he's worn his opponents out, and he's not afraid to fight through damaging offense from those opponents in order to do so.

The fearless attitude both fighters bring into the cage makes this one of the greatest stylistic matchups the UFC has put together in a long time, and comes as close to guaranteeing fireworks as a fight can do on paper.

Diaz being considered as big a favorite as he is doesn't seem quite right to me, and I think Condit's being undervalued coming in. Diaz is fantastic, and if the fight goes deep the advantage really does shift to him. However, Condit is capable of stopping this fight at any point in its duration, and I'm leaning towards Condit pulling off the upset and taking the GSP showdown away from Diaz. Condit by TKO in the 2nd Round

UFC 143 Weigh-In Results: Condit, Diaz on point for Interim Title fight

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:35:47 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Below are the full weigh-in results for tomorrow night's UFC 143 event in Las Vegas:

Main Pay-Per-View Card

Carlos Condit (169) vs. Nick Diaz (169)
Roy Nelson (246) vs. Fabricio Werdum (246)
Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Mike Pierce (170)
Renan Barao (136) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135)
Ed Herman (185) vs. Clifford Starks (185)

FX Preliminary Card

Max Holloway (144) vs. Dustin Poirier (146)
Alex Caceres (136) vs. Edwin Figueroa (135)
Matt Brown (171) vs. Chris Cope (171)
Henry Martinez (169) vs. Matt Riddle (170)

Facebook Preliminary Card

Rafael Natal (186) vs. Michael Kuiper (183)
Dan Stittgen (170) vs. Stephen Thompson (171)

Live Video - UFC 143 "Diaz vs. Condit" weigh-ins from Las Vegas, Nevada

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:36 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Weigh-ins for tomorrow night's UFC 143 event take place today in Las Vegas at 7PM ET/4PM PT. Headlined by the Interim Welterweight Championship bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, the main card features a number of entertaining fights as well. Join us here with the embedded stream below as the weigh-ins begin:

Video URL: http://youtu.be/5jmz9v1SGXg

Strikeforce "Tate vs. Rousey" main card, preliminary card bout order set

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:30:21 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The fight order for next month's Strikeforce "Tate vs. Rousey" event in Columbus, Ohio, is now set, and five fights will air live on Showtime on March 3. The four-fight preliminary card will air live on Showtime Extreme. The full lineup is below:

Main Card (Showtime)

* Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey (Women's Bantamweight Championship)
* Mike Kyle vs. Gegard Mousasi
* K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson
* Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki
* Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Derek Brunson

Preliminary Card (Showtime Extreme)

* Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman
* Caros Fodor vs. Pat Healy
* Lumumba Sayers vs. Scott Smith
* Conor Heun vs. Ryan Couture

Frank Mir believes UFC 143's Fabricio Werdum the best jiu jitsu fighter at heavyweight

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:32 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

When Frank Mir broke Antonio Minotauro Nogueira's in December at UFC 140, it was a notch in his belt that established him as perhaps the best submission fighter in the heavyweight division to many. However, Mir himself believes he's not quite on the top of that list.

"When people compliment my Jiu-Jitsu I also say [Fabricio] Werdum's is better than mine," Mir said in an interview with Tatame.com.

That came as a big compliment to Werdum, who faces Roy Nelson on Saturday night at UFC 143 in his first UFC bout since 2008, and Werdum said he was surprised Mir felt that way.

"I didn't see it coming, I've always seen him as a 'cocky' guy," Werdum responded. "I guess he's a very good athlete, and he proved the world he has great Jiu-Jitsu level... I don't see myself as the best on the ground, but I've shown the world I can handle things there."

"I guess this fight could happen, absolutely," he continued, when asked if a fight between he and Mir may be in the cards. "My next appointment is Roy Nelson, but it's one of the fights that might come up."

Penick's Analysis: Mir and Werdum are probably 1a and 1b as far as submission specialists go in the heavyweight division. They're both immensely skilled and very dangerous on the ground, and anyone that hits the mat with them is in trouble. A fight between the two of them down the line would be quite intriguing, but Werdum's got to get past Roy Nelson on Saturday night at UFC 143 in order to bring a fight like that about down the line.

[Frank Mir art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Dana White discusses UFC on Fox 2 ratings, retroactive naysayers, and evolution of Fox events

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:14 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The ratings for last weekend's UFC on Fox 2 event were down from the organization's November debut, but were still rather good for an MMA event in North America, coming in amongst the most watched events ever. Still, the event was criticized after the fact when all three fights went to decision, with a fairly lackluster five-round main event closing out the show.

However, the negativity that came towards the card was in stark contrast to the excitement that preceded it, with the last minute change in match-ups seen as a good thing prior to the event. The Captain Hindsights of the MMA world have gotten on UFC President Dana White's nerves, and on Thursday he addressed the naysayers about last weekend's event.

"Ratings were awesome [for the event]," White said after Thursday's UFC 143 pre-fight press conference (transcribed by BloodyElbow.com). "I'm happy with the ratings. It was good... The funny thing about that is, the chatter that you get about fights. First of all there was so much hype about that fight. Sonnen vs. Bisping. The Maia fight. Even after the change people were like 'it's even more exciting now.' And then after, everyone was like 'they set themselves up for these boring fights.' Shut up. People who come out after, you're a liar. You're a liar. You're an idiot. You sound like an idiot when you say that."

The UFC has had two very different types of events on Fox thus far, with the one fight offering in November ending in 60 seconds while last weekend's card ran long with three full length fights. It's part of the growing pains in figuring out how best to approach the Fox deal and the fights they put on the network, and White discussed how things will continue to evolve moving forward.

"These fights all looked exciting," he said. "You just never know what's gonna happen. Anything can happen on any given night. You can have three fights go to decision or you can put on a fight that you think's gonna go longer and it lasts 60 seconds. It's fighting. The hardest part of this whole thing is figuring out production. How many fights can you schedule? The commercial load that we've got and all the other things that you have to do. We did a pretty good job at getting this thing dialed in after the first fight going 60 seconds."

"As this thing evolves it's gonna be more about fighting. Fox has a system that they use for sports and you come into a big desk. What people are used to with the UFC are Goldie and Rogan on camera for two seconds and we get right into fights."

Penick's Analysis: No one can honestly come out and say they truly thought last Saturday's main card was going to be as dull as it ended up being. All of the matchups were intriguing, and they all had the potential to be more than they wound up being, but we've seen time and again that fights can turn out many different ways. What ended up happening is all three fights were fairly evenly matched, which didn't allow any fighter to take much of an advantage. Even in the main event, which saw Evans completely in control throughout the five round affair, Davis was good enough that even in a one-sided loss he didn't allow Evans to do a whole lot to him. It's unfortunate the fights weren't quite as good as people hoped they would be, but the UFC put together a good event. Sometimes the best laid plans don't deliver, and there's nothing else they could have done about that.

TUF 14's Louis Gaudinot drops to flyweight, welcomes newcomer John Lineker at UFC on Fox 3

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:25:15 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC will introduce the flyweight division with a four man tournament at UFC on FX 2 in March; now, the first 125 lb. bout outside of that field has been booked, as the UFC on Friday announced that TUF 14 alum Louis Gaudinot will drop back to flyweight at UFC on Fox 3 in a bout against John Lineker.

Gaudinot lost his official UFC debut at the TUF 14 Finale in December, getting stopped by Johnny Bedford in the second round. Brazilian newcomer Lineker will debut with a 19-5 career record, though he has won 13 straight fights after beginning his career at 6-5.

UFC 143 CONTESTS: Confidence Pick and Betting Games are LIVE

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:50:07 PST

By: Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist

For those of you who missed the (extremely belated) UFC 142 Contest results, I announced a giveaway. To the first person who submits a confidence picks entry and also hits on all $1000 of their bets, MMA Torch is going to send you a copy of the best MMA book ever written: Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden. If two people send in perfect entries for the same event, the higher bet payout will be the tiebreaker. This giveaway will run until someone hits, so it's not just running for our UFC 143 games Good luck all.

Getting to the business at hand, Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit is a mere two days away from finally happening. And a bunch of other guys are going to be there as well. But like we always do, we're taking bets and picks on all the UFC fights this weekend, not just the appealing fight.

In the MMA Torch Betting game, defending champion Avery Clarke is on a roll. He's going to be making his bets against Mark Bunce, who won the pool at UFC 142. And in the Confidence Picks game, that same Avery Clarke is challenging MMA Torch Columnist Matt Pelkey in an attempt to be reigning champion of both of our stupid little games.

CONFIDENCE PICKS NOTE

UFC 143 is an 11 fight card. Therefore, the point values you assign must range from 11 (most confident) down to 1 (least confident).

When you email your entry, please sort the entry numerically from high to low. Thanks.

BETTING LINES

So, with no further ado, here are the lines we’re using, courtesy of Sportsbook:

Nick Diaz: -225
Carlos Condit: +175

Fabricio Werdum: -145
Roy Nelson: 115

Josh Koscheck: -250
Mike Pierce: +190

Renan Barao: -225
Scott Jorgensen: +175

Ed Herman: -290
Clifford Starks: +230

Dustin Poirier: -525
Max Holloway: +325

Edwin Figueroa: -135
Alex Caceres: +105

Matt Brown: -280
Chris Cope: +220

Matt Riddle: -500
Henry Martinez: +300

Raphael Natal: -185
Michael Kuiper: +155

Stephen Thompson: -250
Dan Stittgen: +190

CONFIDENCE PICKS GAME RULES

NOTE: A player does not need to play both games during each event. Players may choose to submit an entry for one game or the other, or for both, at their own choosing.

Assign a number from 1 through 12 (if a 12 fight card, 1 through 11 if a 11 fight card, etc.), with the highest number going to the fighter you are most confident in winning. Also list your prediction for method of victory, along with the round (or decision if you predict a decision)

Using UFC 124 as a template, here is how simple an entry will look:

Georges St-Pierre – 11 - decision
Thiago Alves - 10 - KO2
Jim Miller - 9 - decision
Stefan Struve - 8 - KO1
Ricardo Almeida - 7 - sub3
Mark Bocek - 6 - sub2
Joe Stevenson - 5 - decision
Dan Miller - 4 - decision
Rafael Natal - 3 - decsion
Matt Riddle - 2 - KO1
John Makdessi - 1 - decision

The first tie-breaker is the sum of confidence points. Using the example above, a Georges St-Pierre victory would earn 11 points, Thiago Alves winning would earn 10 points, etc.

If two participants earn the same number of confidence points, the next tie-breaker will be total number of winners predicted. If Player A earns 40 points on 7 winning picks, and if Player B earns 40 points on 6 winning picks, Player A would be declared the winner.

The next tie-breaker is the number of victory methods predicted correctly. Next would be predicted rounds of victory.

If both players are still tied at this point, both players will be declared winner, and they will face off again, along with the winner of the pool (to be described later), at the next event in a three way dance.

There is no money being wagered in this game, and there are no prizes, short of bragging rights.

BETTING GAME RULES

1.) Every player has $1000 of fake, imaginary, theoretical, play money to wager on each event. This is not a real money game, it is strictly for fun.

2.) Players must place a bet of at least $50, but not more than $500, on each of 3 or more different fighters. Bets may be in any denomination, as long as the amount falls in the range of $50 - $500.

3.) Players may also place a parlay bet. A parlay bet is a bet placed on multiple fighters. All fighters in the parlay must win their fights in order for the parlay to pay off. Parlay bets pay off at a higher rate than a bet on a single fighter. The parlay bet may be placed on either 2 or on 3 fighters.

4.) The minimum parlay bet is $50. The maximum parlay bet is $200. This money comes out of the $1000 allotted to each player. The parlay bet is not separate from the $1000 budget. A player is not required to play a parlay bet. The maximum number of parlay bets a player may wager is one.

5.) Whether or not a player chooses to place a parlay bet, the player must still place at least three straight bets ie: It is not legal to place two bets on individual fighters and one parlay bet. No entry is considered valid unless there are a minimum of 3 straight bets placed on individual fighters.

6.) If a fight ends in a draw, any money bet on said fighter will be refunded, with no fake money commission taken. If a fighter in a 3-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 3-fighter parlay will be treated as a 2-fighter parlay. If a fighter in a 2-fighter parlay is involved in a draw, that fighter will be removed from the parlay and the 2-fighter parlay will be treated as a straight bet on the remaining fighter.

Instructions on how to read and utilize the betting lines

7.) If a fighter has a positive number such as +150 next to his name, he is the underdog, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a higher rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $150 net profit for every $100 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $750. If a player bets $500 on a +150 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

8.) If a fighter has a negative number such as -200 next to his name, he is the favorite, which means a successful bet on that fighter will pay off at a lower rate. That means that if the fighter wins, the bet will payout $100 net profit for every $200 bet on him. If a player were to bet $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter wins, the player will profit $250. If a player bets $500 on a -200 fighter, and the fighter loses, the player will lose his $500 bet.

Structure for each game

9.) For each UFC numbered event, both the Confidence Picks and Betting Game will feature a champion and a challenger facing off against one another. The winner of the head to head battle will be declared the reigning champion.

10.) All other players for each UFC numbered event will compete against each other for the right to face off against the reigning champion at the next UFC numbered event. This is known as The Pool.

11.) As games administrator, I have the subjective right to eliminate any entry for any reason I deem worthy.

12.) Entries may be submitted via email (mmatorchrich@gmail.com), or on the comment section of this post. Email is the preferred method, because if a player posts an invalid entry, I have no way to make sure I can get hold of the player so that it may be corrected. Please, under no circumstances should you both email and post on the board your entry. One or the other please, preferably email.

13.) Any questions, please email me and ask, or find me on Twitter and ask. There are no new rules in this list of rules. I just wanted to have everything listed together. But that said, if you have a question, just ask.

Most important rule

14.) If you mention being a Packer fan, you will be banned. Try me.

Follow me on Twitter, @MMATorchRich.

POLL: UFC 143's Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit - Who Wins and How?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:55:47 PST

TO VOTE IN OUR POLL OR SEE CURRENT RESULTS, PLEASE *FIRMLY* TAP THE LINK BELOW ON YOUR PHONE SCREEN...

http://tinyurl.com/DiazConditPrediction

UFC gladiator intro gone, UFC 143 to feature new 60-second opening

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:50:35 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC's longtime pay-per-view gladiator intro is finally dead, as the organization will unveil a new opening video on Saturday night for UFC 143. The new 60-second clip is called "Evolve" and is essentially a tribute to the fighters and moments that helped the UFC get to where they've gotten.

The new opening video was created by Digital Domain Productions, a company founded by James Cameron, with a score produced by legendary film composer Hans Zimmer's 14th Street Music. It will feature highlights from 18 different fights, with all seven current Champions and six UFC Hall of Famers highlighted. Additionally, the ending will be customized for each event. The full list of fights featured in the open is below, and you can see it for the first time tomorrow night on UFC 143:

Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock - UFC 1
Tito Ortiz vs. Evan Tanner - UFC 30
Matt Hughes - Frank Trigg - UFC 52
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz - UFC 47
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk - UFC 84
Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes - UFC 65
Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia - UFC 68
Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva - UFC 92
Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring - UFC 87
Rich Franklin vs. Nate Quarry - UFC 56
Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel - UFC 108
Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson - UFC on VS 6
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar - TUF 1 Finale
Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar - UFC 121
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard - UFC 125
Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick - UFC 129
Jon Jones vs. Stephan Bonnar - UFC 94
Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort - UFC 126

Dana White says Dan Henderson wants to wait for UFC Title shot against Jon Jones

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:30:18 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Dan Henderson fought four times in an 11-month period from December of 2010 until last November, and now that Rashad Evans is getting the next fight against Jon Jones in April, he has decided to take a rest.

According to UFC President Dana White on Thursday, Henderson has decided to take a break and wait for the winner of the UFC 145 main event between Jones and Evans.

"Dan Henderson's in a position right now where it looks like he wants to wait for Jon Jones," White said after the UFC 143 pre-fight press conference (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com).

Henderson put himself in position to be a potential challenger for Jones with his return bout to the UFC in November. After knocking out three straight opponents in Strikeforce - taking out Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, and Fedor Emelianenko in succession - Henderson took on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139.

In an epic five round bout, Henderson took the unanimous decision, and then awaited the result of last weekend's UFC on Fox 2 main event. Had Evans lost to Phil Davis, Henderson likely would have gotten the fight with Jones in April. Instead, he'll be in line to face the winner later this year.

Penick's Analysis: Had he wanted to stay active, there may have been a fight or two that could have made sense for him to take, but at this stage Henderson may be better off not risking that shot. This may be the last time he fights for a title (unless, of course, he captures the belt), and at 41 he doesn't want to risk losing that spot against anyone. If Jones gets past Evans without injury, he's already said he wants to fight multiple times this year, so a three month turnaround may be feasible. If that's the case, Henderson will be on the sidelines for around nine months, which isn't all that bad for him.

[Dan Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC on FX 3 official for May 15 in Fairfax, Va.; Lawlor vs. MacDonald confirmed

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:55:30 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC's third event on FX is now official, as the UFC confirmed on Thursday night that the event will take place from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. on May 15.

One fight has been made official, as middleweights Tom Lawlor and Jason MacDonald will square off on the card. The undercard for the event is expected to air live on Fuel TV, but it will be the third main card for the organization to air on FX, following January's Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller headlined card and next month's return to Australia with Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves.

UFC 143 ROUNDTABLE: Nick Diaz or Carlos Condit? Who has the better chance at defeating Georges St-Pierre?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:45:01 PST

Between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, which fighter has the better chance at defeating Georges St-Pierre in a unification bout later this year? Do you believe St-Pierre would defeat them both?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST 

I've learned my lesson. I'm never picking against Nick Diaz again. I don't care if he's weak against wrestlers, I don't care if GSP (maybe) is vulnerable to massive KO power. I don't care. Nick Diaz gets in the cage against someone as fast as Demetrious Johnson or as massive as Alistair Overeem, I pick Diaz.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR  

I think St-Pierre would beat either guy, but I'm a big Condit fan so I think he poses a bigger threat to GSP than Diaz does. Both Condit and Diaz are really good fighters, but I think Diaz would be more stubborn in sticking to his stand-up even if GSP were winning there. I think Condit would be more likely to try to change strategy whereas Diaz would keep it standing even if he were losing.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

The best chance between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit to defeat Georges St-Pierre is easily Diaz. Nick Diaz has the striking and ground game to take out GSP, or at the very least, give him more trouble than any other fighter has recently. Diaz can also take a lot of punishment, and he hasn't been finished since 2002 (not counting the doctor's stoppage against K.J. Noons), and I don't see GSP finishing Diaz if they do end up fighting at the end of the year. Diaz will hang in the fight and either put away the champ, or give him the best competition that GSP has faced in his long reign as Welterweight Champion.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
  
 Both Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit are legit top five welterweights. Condit is good everywhere, but Diaz is GREAT everywhere. Diaz made B.J. Penn look terrible at UFC 137. He dominated one of the best fighters to ever enter the Octagon that night, and he possesses the best chance of dethroning GSP. His cardio is unmatched by any other MMA fighter. He matches up better in all areas and has a small chance to defeat the champ. If GSP makes an error, Diaz will win. That is a huge "if." Whoever wins between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit at UFC 143, GSP will defeat them though. He can beat either potential opponent wherever the fight might go. The only person that can beat GSP at this point, is himself.

BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
 
Honestly I think Nick Diaz has the better chance at dethroning GSP, primarily because he has reached his goal of getting inside St-Pierre's head. Diaz is dangerous in many ways, but his ability to make his opponents skin crawl is probably his greatest advantage. We saw his brother Nate do the same thing to Donald Cerrone and then take him out of his very own gameplan. I do believe Condit would also have a reasonable chance to beat GSP as well, he's a very skilled fighter who - no matter what the scenario is - will find a way to beat you. Diaz holds a larger advantage in my book, his mouth and his fists do equal amounts of damage.

GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I don't think it really matters who wins this week end, GSP is gonna dominate either. If I had to pick I'd go with Condit, but that's a long shot in my opinion.

JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Carlos Condit can stop any fighter in the welterweight division with a suddenness that Nick Diaz simply can't match. The Robbie Lawler KO will always be prominently featured on Nick Diaz's highlight reel, but Diaz can't leap into the air and crack a dude with a flying knee like Carlos Condit can. Nick Diaz hasn't shown the ability to secure a takedown and cave a dude's face in like Carlos Condit has. Nick Diaz simply can't finish the way Carlos Condit can.

Nick Diaz usually wins fights by drowning guys in deep water and I don't see Diaz being able to put that sort of pace on Georges St-Pierre. If at any point GSP feels threatened by Diaz on the feet, he'll take him down and there's nothing Diaz can do about it.

I don't think any fighter at 170 is going to win a points battle with St-Pierre, so if he's going to lose again, someone is going to have to catch him with something. I'd favor St-Pierre to decision both, but Carlos Condit simply has the better chance.

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza now meets undefeated middleweight Derek Brunson at March 3 Strikeforce event

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:20:31 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza will be fighting on March 3, but it's not against the originally reported Moise Rimbon. On Thursday, undefeated middleweight Derek Brunson posted on Twitter that he has signed his fight contract to face off against Souza on the card in Columbus, Ohio.

Souza returns to action for the first time since losing his Strikeforce Middleweight Championship to Luke Rockhold in September.

Brunson - who has competed three times in Strikeforce - picked up his ninth victory in November on a Strikeforce Challengers card to move to 9-0 in his less than two-year-old career.

Robert Peralta out of rematch with Mackens Semerzier at UFC on FX 2 due to injury

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:35 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

An exciting featherweight rematch between Mackens Semerzier and Robert Peralta will no longer happen at UFC on FX 2 in Australia, as MMAJunkie.com reports that Peralta has suffered an injury in training that has taken him out of the bout.

The two fought on the undercard of the first UFC on Fox show back in November, with Peralta stopping Semerzier in the third round. However, the stoppage came directly after an illegal (and accidental) headbutt sent Semerzier crashing to the mat. The bout was subsequently overturned to a "no contest" upon appeal.

They were then set up to fight on the March 3 event in Australia - which airs in the U.S. on Friday, March 2 - but Peralta's manager says he's suffered broken toes in training that have removed him from the event. The UFC hasn't yet officially announced Peralta's removal, but a replacement is likely being sought for Semerzier on the card.

UFC 143: Nick Diaz discusses mental advantage over opponents with his superior conditioning

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:30:20 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

One of the less talked about aspects of Nick Diaz's overall game is his superior cardio, a byproduct of his other passion in life for triathlons. The UFC 143 headliner has said in the past that he'd be a full time triathlete if it paid him like fighting does, and his work ethic on that front gives him an edge on most of his opponents in the cage.

It's something Diaz doesn't think most fighters work on enough, but his conditioning is never a concern to him when he steps into the cage. His ability to go as hard at the end of 25 minutes as he does in the first round is often what allows him to overwhelm opponents as the fight wears on, and it makes for a serious advantage.

"Fighters are afraid of conditioning, they are afraid of getting tired, but I don't want to have anxiety or be afraid of anything," Diaz said in an interview with the Huffington Post. "I can go 100 percent out there and never have to worry about getting tired. Everybody says fighting is 90 percent mental, and it's true. Knowing you can go 15 minutes or 25 minutes without any problem can help you sustain that mental advantage over your opponent."

Diaz says he just enjoys doing what he does, and unlike most he continues to keep working and keeping his conditioning on point even after a fight or a triathlon itself. For Diaz, it's necessary to keep himself moving.

"I just like to race," he said. "It gives me something to build for. During the triathlon season, I'll probably race every two weeks. I get stronger and stronger when building up to the race. After a race, a lot of people will crash and take their foot off the gas, but I'll keep building and building until I have to fight. I have a reason not to crash, and I try to keep the ball rolling until fight night."

"Doing the races keeps me in shape. By the time a fight comes around, I'm already in shape and ready to go. I don't have to get in shape for fights. When I am in the gym, I train mixed martial arts, I don't need to train to get in shape. I am already in shape. If I'm not running, I'm going to go for a swim or go on a bike ride. I don't like being stationary at any point during training."

Penick's Analysis: Diaz's ability to go as hard late in a fight as he does early on is a huge part of why he's able to keep his opponents on the defense late. The fight with B.J. Penn is a prime example, as Penn actually won the first round, but then Diaz wore him out with a vicious onslaught in the second and third rounds that would not stop. The longer the fight goes with Carlos Condit on Saturday night, the more it will play into Diaz's favor. And, if he can get past Condit, that conditioning will allow him to hang with Georges St-Pierre through a five round fight as well.

[Nick Diaz art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC 143: Nick Diaz believes he and Carlos Condit are out to win with damage, not points

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:30:15 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Nick Diaz continues to be seen as the perpetual antagonist, a button pusher who just also happens to be a very good fighter, which continues to put him in high profile spots. However, he also feels very misunderstood. He respects his opponent, he assures, but when they'll be getting into a cage to punch one another on Saturday night, he doesn't want to be cordial with him throughout the week.

"I don't have it out for people, but I know who I am supposed to fight to be the best and that's why I'm in this fight with Carlos Condit," Diaz said during Wednesday's open workouts in Las Vegas. "He's the next guy I need to prove myself against. We are both top level and we win by doing damage, not by trying to score points. He has a realistic fighting style like I do. I am not crazy, in my opinion everyone else is crazy. It is real fighting, real martial arts."

"Carlos is a very well rounded guy. He's tough and it will be a fight. I'm cool with him, but like always I don't want to be around him because I am fighting him. I don't act one way in front of a camera and another way when I'm not. I'm emotional but I don't stage anything. People say I am crazy but I think other people are crazy for acting all nice around people they are supposed to fight. I don't put on a show, what you see is what you get, and sorry some people can't handle that."

Diaz simply believes he's only being himself, and he can't help how others are going to react to that. Still, he insists he's never fake, and what fans and media see from him is simply who he is.

"With me, you get the real me, real martial arts and a real warrior mentality," Diaz said. "I don't act [like] friends with anyone I am going to fight. That's crazy, I don't understand that. Some people aren't mature enough to understand I don't want to put on an act for the cameras. I'm real. I'm acting natural, I don't want to be friends around a guy I am about to fight."

"This isn't soccer, it is fighting. I've got no problem that this is a sporting event and being respectful but it is a fight. It is what it is. It matters how I am seen by fans, sometimes I care, sometimes I don't but when I think about it I try to be real."

Penick's Analysis: The reasons behind how he carries himself during fight week are reasonable enough, and everyone is wired differently when it comes to the sport. Some fighters can be all about the competition, and simply be out to prove themselves as the best in that cage; others, like Diaz, need to have the mentality that they're in a fight, and they need to do whatever they have to in order to come out the victor of that fight. It's the interesting dichotomy of fighters in the sport, and Diaz is certainly on the extreme edge of one side. This fight with Condit is a huge fight for them both, and he knows they'll both be out to hurt the other inside the Octagon on Saturday night in order to claim that Interim belt.

[Nick Diaz art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC on Fox 3: Karlos Vemola drops to middleweight, meets Mike Massenzio in New Jersey

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:05:37 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Czech fighter Karlos Vemola made his UFC debut as an undefeated heavyweight in 2010, but lost his debut fight to Jon Madsen. That loss prompted a drop to the light heavyweight division, and he knocked out Seth Petruzelli in quick fashion before losing a decision to Ronny Markes last August.

Now, he'll drop a weight class again, as the UFC announced on Thursday that he's headed to the middleweight division, and will take on Mike Massenzio at UFC on Fox 3 in New Jersey this May.

Massenzio is in desperate need of a win after a submission loss to Rousimar Palhares last month. In six UFC appearances thus far, Massenzio has won just two fights, and a loss in this bout would put him at 1-3 in his last four.

POLL: Between UFC 143's Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, who is more likely to defeat GSP?

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:25:07 PST

TO VOTE IN OUR POLL OR SEE CURRENT RESULTS, PLEASE *FIRMLY* TAP THE LINK BELOW ON YOUR PHONE SCREEN...

http://tinyurl.com/DiazConditGSP

Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera rematch coming to UFC event on May 15 in Fairfax, Va.

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:25:24 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Thiago Silva defeated Brandon Vera back at UFC 125 on January 1, 2011, but that win was overturned to a no contest when Silva submitted an altered urine sample to mask a steroid shot administered for a back injury. Silva was suspended for a year and fined a significant amount of money out of the issue, but now that's he's served his suspension, he's getting ready to return.

For Vera, that fight led to him being cut from the organization, but when it was changed to a no contest he was brought back. He defeated Eliot Marshall in his return in October, and now the two of them will meet again.

The UFC announced late Wednesday that the two will meet on May 15 in Fairfax, Va. The event, likely to take place from the Patriot Center, has not been confirmed as an FX or a Fuel TV broadcast yet, though it's expected to be the former.

Penick's Analysis: I really don't know why Vera wanted this rematch, but the UFC gave it to him. Silva handled him in the first fight, and even though he failed his drug test afterward and has been out for a year, there's no real reason to believe the fight would go any differently. Vera simply isn't the fighter he was thought to be when he entered the organization at heavyweight, and though Silva's had his issues, he's a very violent and skilled fighter who still should win this fight upon his return.

[Thiago Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC on Fox 3 headlined by Miller-Diaz; Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson added to main card

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:45:21 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is going a different route for their third event on Fox this May, as they are bringing several action packed match-ups to the May 5 main card after three lackluster decisions last Saturday night.

The lightweight bout already announced in Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz had initially not been slated as the main event, but the fight will indeed headline the card from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That fight will also now be contested as a five round bout, and the winner will potentially earn a title fight, or at least a number one contender bout.

Additionally, the UFC announced that a very entertaining heavyweight matchup between Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson will join the night's main card.

Miller gets his second straight headlining slot after delivering big time in his last bout. After a loss to Ben Henderson last August that put Henderson on course for his own title shot, Miller was booked against Melvin Guillard at UFC on FX 1 last month. Miller took full advantage of the position, submitting Guillard in the first round.

Diaz moves into this fight after two excellent performances over Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone since returning to the lightweight division. The Ultimate Fighter season five winner has struggled with consistency in his UFC career, but he hopes to finally make a run at the title with this stretch.

Barry bounced back into the UFC's good graces on the UFC on FX 1 card, showing off an improved ground game to defend against Christian Morecraft's submission attempts. After surviving on the ground, he dropped Morecraft with a huge left and knocked him out cold with follow up strikes on the ground.

Johnson transitioned over from Strikeforce and made his UFC debut on Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 undercard, and made a big statement by knocking out Joey Beltran.

Penick's Analysis: The UFC is going for a completely different strategy for this third Fox show, and it's going to absolutely be a gamble. The Miller-Diaz fight is a fantastic lightweight fight, and five rounds of those two competing is a salivating prospect, but the name value isn't there as a main event on Fox. After a Heavyweight Championship fight and a former Champion trying to get back to a title fight, this is a step down from a name value standpoint. But they're looking to showcase the action side of things for this card, and both Miller-Diaz and Barry-Johnson have the potential to deliver on that front in a big way.

UFC 143: Scott Jorgensen looking to finish Renan Barao; eyes second Bantamweight Title shot

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:20:01 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's UFC 143 card has essentially been presented as a one-fight card, with the fantastically exciting Interim Welterweight Championship bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit rightfully getting nearly all of the attention. However, that's not all there is to like on the main card of the pay-per-view event this weekend.

There are a number of entertaining matchups and relatively big names, and one fight that should be an excellent and meaningful affair is the bantamweight matchup between Scott Jorgensen and Renan Barao.

Jorgensen, a WEC standout who challenged Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight Championship in December of 2010, has won two straight in the UFC and hopes to work back to a title shot. Barao, meanwhile, hasn't lost a fight since his MMA debut back in 2005, and sits with a record of 27-1 with one no contest. In his last fight, he made his biggest impression to the UFC when he submitted another former WEC stand out - Brad Pickett - in the first round.

For Jorgensen, his sole focus is on getting back to a second shot at that Bantamweight Title; and despite the big record and the skills that Barao brings into the fight, Jorgensen says nothing's going to stand in his way.

"I'm coming in as a fully focused, ready-to-fight, non-stop ball of fun," Jorgensen said in an interview with Heavy.com. "I'm going in there chin buried and ready to fight. I have a saying before every single fight, and that's to take their heart and take their soul. I'm going to break him, get him tired – and then I'm going to finish him. I'm going to make him think about whether this was a fight he should've taken at this point in his career. I'm on a mission. I've had a taste of that UFC belt. I've fought for it once, and there is nothing that is going to stop me from fighting for it again and winning it."

"I think it's a great fight. Neither one of us are afraid to let our hands go and stay on our feet. We both have excellent ground games. His is a little more jiu-jitsu based, where mine is more wrestling. I think the equalizer will be that I can dictate where this fight takes place. He's never fought anyone with the type of wrestling I have, and I have a great knack for getting my opponents tired. Those types of things will change a fight quicker than anything."

Jorgensen's expecting this to be an immensely exciting fight, and with the style that both he and Barao employs, he's sure it's going to deliver. If that happens, and if the fight goes as he feels it will, he believes there'll be no choice for the UFC but to give him another shot at the belt.

"I definitely think this is a 'Fight of the Night' candidate," Jorgensen said. "I have two of them in the past, and I've consistently put on exciting fights. I know Barao's style is the same. It's going to come down to when pressure meets pressure, and that's when diamonds are made. It's going to be a war on Saturday night, and it's something I've been looking forward to since I first started preparing for this thing. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a fight, and we're going to go out there and open some eyes."

"With a performance that I'm proud of, and that would be a solid victory, there is no doubt in my mind I should be next in line for the title. Right now, my mind is fixed on fighting Barao and taking care of business. A win Saturday would be my third in a row, but those decisions are up to the UFC. I'd love to have a second shot at that belt, but first things first – I'm going to go out there and handle Barao."

Penick's Analysis: Jorgensen is a fantastic bantamweight fighter, and though he had a poor performance against Dominick Cruz, he's capable of raising his game to compete with the best of the best at 135 lbs. Barao is going to be the biggest test he'll have in the bantamweight division outside of a title fight, though, and it's going to be a very tough task to accomplish what he hopes to accomplish on Saturday night. Barao looked fantastic in his last fight against Pickett, and handled the British bantamweight with a level of ease that Jorgensen did not have in his own win over Pickett. This is a great fight, and the winner will establish themselves as one of the best choices to face the Cruz-Urijah Faber winner after TUF 15 this summer. If Jorgensen can pull off a career best performance, he just may get his second shot at the belt this year.

Carlos Condit tells GSP he's going to "spoil his party" at UFC 143 by beating Nick Diaz

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:45:17 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Georges St-Pierre's desire to fight Nick Diaz has meant hoping for Carlos Condit to lose on Saturday night at UFC 143. The two fighters have never been training partners together, but they share an affiliation through Greg Jackson's camp and have shared many training partners in the past.

St-Pierre said this week that he really wants Diaz to win the bout on Saturday night in Las Vegas, but that he's fearful Condit will win the fight and keep him from getting his shot at defeating Diaz himself.

"I respect Carlos Condit, but I want Diaz to win," St-Pierre said. "It will be a weird feeling, sitting at the Mandalay Bay wanting Nick Diaz to win. I want this fight with Diaz so badly, as badly as I wanted the title shot when I got down on my knees... I am very nervous that Carlos Condit will win on Saturday night, and that I won’t be able to fight Nick Diaz this summer.

"I am not personal friends with him but I know him a little and he's a great person. I know a lot of people who know him well because we train with the same people, but I have only spoken with him a few times. He is a true mixed martial artist. I feel bad, it is weird that I want him to lose, but I have never wanted to fight anyone as much as I want to fight Diaz."

The Champ's comments haven't offended Condit to this point, but Condit did get a chance to respond via satellite to St-Pierre himself during Tuesday's "UFC Tonight" program on Fuel TV. St-Pierre was an in studio guest, and Condit had to let him know that he's just not going to get his wish.

"Well, Georges I hate to say it, but I'm looking to spoil your party, man," Condit said. "I'm looking to take it to Diaz, and [earn] the Interim belt."

For his part, St-Pierre responded well, and made it clear it's nothing personal against Condit himself, who he likes much better than Diaz in general.

"I wish you the best of luck, Carlos," St-Pierre said. "As a competitor, as a human being, I like you much more than Nick Diaz. But, it's the fighting game, and I just hope that the best man will win."

Should Condit be that man, the two will square off later in the year to unify the Interim title with St-Pierre's Championship to determine the Undisputed Champion at welterweight.

Penick's Analysis: I'm sure if Condit was fighting anyone other than Diaz, St-Pierre would openly pull for him to win a number one contender fight. Seeing as Diaz has gotten under St-Pierre's skin, it's not a surprise at all that he'd want Diaz to win. That means - at least for Condit - that he just needs to go out there and do what he has to do regardless of what anyone thinks. St-Pierre isn't being disrespectful to Condit in saying he wants Diaz to win; he's simply being honest about who he wants to fight next. But Condit very well may throw a wrench in those plans on Saturday in the biggest fight of his own career.

[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

UFC on Fox 2 reportedly peaks with over 6.6 million viewers during Evans-Davis main event

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:10:54 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though the average viewership for Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 event was down from November's network television debut for the UFC, the main event bout between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis was still seen by the second most viewers for an MMA fight in the U.S. ever.

The full average of the two-hour broadcast was below the EliteXC debut in May of 2008 on CBS, but the main event bout for UFC on Fox 2 peaked higher than the EliteXC main event between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson.

According to veteran MMA reporter Loretta Hunt on Twitter, the Evans-Davis main event peaked with 6.613 million viewers at the 10:10-10:11 PM ET mark. The main event fight itself averaged just over 6.1 million viewers for its five rounds of action.

November's 64-second main event between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez peaked at 8.8 million viewers live, with nearly ten million catching the fight when DVR numbers were taken into account.

Penick's Analysis: The peak was boosted because of the overrun into the 10PM ET hour, as that is local news time, and many probably tuned in, saw news wasn't on yet, and turned away. Still, with the average coming in over 6.1 million, some of them may have stuck around for the fight until news started up. Either way, this technically makes the main event fight the second most seen MMA fight in the U.S. ever behind dos Santos-Velasquez, and the UFC will hope most of their main events on Fox will get similar distinction above what EliteXC did on CBS.

Joey Beltran reportedly released by UFC following UFC on Fox 2 loss to Lavar Johnson

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:05:18 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After seven fights in the Octagon, "The Mexicutioner" Joey Beltran has been released by the UFC following a loss to Lavar Johnson last weekend, according to a report from Fighter's Only.

Beltran won his first two fights in the organization, and developed a reputation for taking large amounts of punishment yet still coming forward. However, while that ability to take punishment certainly put him in some entertaining brawls, he won just one of his final five fights in the organization.

Add in the fact that last Saturday's loss to Johnson at UFC on Fox 2 was a particularly devastating knockout, the release doesn't come as too much of a surprise. However, he's been entertaining enough for fans that he could be brought back with a couple of wins outside of the organization.

UFC on Fox 2: Davis, Weidman, six others receive medical suspensions out of Chicago event

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:05:22 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Eight fighters received medical suspensions following their fights at last weekend's UFC on Fox 2 event. The event took place from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., with the three fight main card airing live on Fox. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation handed out the suspensions, though the nature of the injuries involved were not released. Illinois also does not release fighter purse information, so the disclosed salaries for the event will not be known this week. Here is the list of fighters suspended, along with the length of those suspensions (via MMAJunkie.com):

* Phil Davis: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
* Chris Weidman: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
* John Olav-Einemo: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days
* Nik Lentz: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
* George Roop: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
* Joey Beltran: Suspended 60 days with no contact for 45 days
* Dustin Jacoby: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days
* Chris Camozzi: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days

Penick's Analysis: I'm not surprised to see Beltran get the lengthiest time off, as he suffered the most damage on the card in his first round knockout loss to Lavar Johnson. Davis' suspension is likely surrounding the nasty cut he suffered on his shin, highlighted in Dana White's most recent video blog as he had it stitched up backstage. Same goes for Nik Lentz, who suffered some injuries in his loss to Evan Dunham. Roop and Jacoby may have suffered a few injuries not necessarily noticeable right away, and for Weidman, Einemo, and Camozzi, it was all likely relatively minor things out of their bouts.

Video - THQ's UFC Undisputed 3 predicts UFC 143 victory for Nick Diaz over Carlos Condit

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:35:02 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

THQ has released a simulated preview of Saturday's UFC 143 main event between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz via the upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 video game. Check out the video below, along with some stats from the simulations:

Video URL: http://youtu.be/l0DI7dsPn64

- Diaz won by TKO with strikes to the body in one out of 25 matches
- Diaz defended 40% of Condit's takedown attempts
- Condit won by leg kick TKO in one out of 25 matches
- Diaz and Condit threw a combined total of 6,675 punches in 25 matches
- Condit shot for a takedown within the first round in all 25 matches
- Diaz won by submission in seven out of 25 matches

The game's official prediction is a first round submission for Nick Diaz.

UFC 143: Carlos Condit ready for "spectacular" main event fight with Nick Diaz

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:45:36 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's main event between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz has been billed as "the fight neither of them wanted," but with the Interim Welterweight Championship on the line, it's a fight that means more to them both than any they've had previously.

For Condit, it's a fight he's often thought about, and though he wants the Welterweight Championship fight with Georges St-Pierre, he's absolutely looking forward to Saturday's main event.

"I've been watching him for a long time," Condit said this week in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "I like his style, I like how exciting he is, and I myself like to put on good shows and good fights as well, so I always thought a fight against him would be pretty spectacular."

Many favor Diaz in Saturday's fight after what he was able to do against B.J. Penn in October. However, Condit has confidence in himself, and he believes a win in this fight will get him the recognition he feels he deserves as one of the best in the world.

"I think styles make fights and I don't think he's unbeatable,” Condit said. "I've walked a long road. I've been fighting professionally for like nine years now, fought some of the best guys in the world, and if I beat Nick, I definitely deserve that belt because he is one of the best."

Penick's Analysis: Most expect this fight to be on the spectacular side, as the styles of both fighters - at least on paper - makes for one of the more intriguing matchups the UFC could put together. Both are immensely dynamic in their striking games, with unique approaches to the stand up game that have provided highlight after highlight throughout their careers. But both are also extremely adept on the ground as well, having each pulled off numerous submission wins in their time in the game as well. This is simply two really high level mixed martial artists competing for a title, and it should be fantastic.

[Carlos Condit art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

ASK THE TORCH: Amadi answers reader questions on Forrest Griffin, Rampage Jackson, reach in MMA, and more

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:29 PST

By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist

Joseph writes: I had a question. I have been watching MMA for about ten years now and have seen some really great fights and some real lackluster ones as well. My question is... can some of the lackluster fights be attributed to the fact that fighters are straying away from the love of the sport and are in it for just the money? We have read a lot recently where fighters say "if the money is right" instead of "I want to be the best" like Forrest Griffin and Rampage Jackson.

Also, I particularly liked the Rashad/Davis fight. That was MMA wrestling at its finest.

A: First of all, it's important to remember that mixed martial artists are prizefighters; they all fight for money. Sure, there are people who would legitimately fight for free, but how many of those people would consistently go through the grind of training camps and cut weight just for kicks? Not many.

The fact is, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin have both had long careers and are now looking at life post-MMA, as they should be.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was a superstar in Japan, came to the United States, became a superstar here and captured a UFC Championship. He's made plenty of money fighting in the UFC and has gotten to a point where he can parlay his fighting fame into an acting career. At his age and with everything he's done in the sport, it makes perfect sense that he'd be thinking about having a few more big money fights and then cashing out.

As for Forrest Griffin, this is a guy who not only held a UFC Championship, but took part in the most important fight in the company's history. At this point in his career, what is he supposed to do that's going to top any of that?

Speaking to the first part of your question in a broader sense, when fighters no longer have title aspirations, the only real incentive left is financial. Whether or not that definitively leads to worse performances, no one can ever really say for sure. In the case of the aforementioned light heavyweights, their best days are behind them. Perhaps Josh Kosheck will be the most fitting test case moving forward, considering the fact that he seems intent on staying at 170 pounds and has likely maxed out his opportunities as Georges St-Pierre.

As far as Evans-Davis being MMA wrestling at its finest, I respectfully disagree. I just feel like Phil Davis is far too green to showcase any aspect of mixed martial arts at its finest. The only way that Rashad Evans was going to consistently take him down was by catching his kicks, and when that became apparent in the fight, Davis never adjusted. He simply didn't have the hand speed or overall boxing game to exchange punches with Rashad Evans and he couldn't set up effective takedowns without those punches. Evans completely neutralized his striking, got takedowns when available and used his jiu jitsu game to further expose him.

If you really want to see MMA wrestling at its finest, check out the 2-3 knee tap of Davis' teammate, UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.

Another Joseph writes: Recently, all discussion relating to the top "pound for pound" fighters seems to revolve around three people; Jon "Bones" Jones, GSP and Anderson Silva. However most of these debates center on these three fighter's contention for the number two and three slots respectively, none of the articles weighing in on this debate, particularly on your own site seem to make any mention of who is considered the number one pound for pound fighter. Perhaps you could offer some clarity on this.

Secondly, while I understand how reach is measured in boxing I fail to understand why people believe that this is a statistic which has, especially in the MMA world, any impact on a fight. So do you believe that a fighter's reach has any real impact on their performance when the whole point of MMA is that the fighters have many options at many different ranges and positions? If so then why do you believe that reach is a major factor?

A: I can't speak for the entire MMATorch staff, but as far as I'm concerned there is no debate; Anderson Silva is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world right now, without argument. That's probably why you don't hear too much chatter about the #1 spot any more. Anderson Silva simply holds too many UFC records, has beaten too many top 10 opponents and has been so dominant for so long, that there isn't any way to construct an argument against his being the top fighter in the world without bias.

As far as reach goes, you can easily make the argument that it's even more important in MMA than in boxing. First of all, people box in MMA, so obviously reach plays a role there. However, the length of a person's arms also plays a role on the ground, in the clinch, and when it comes to submissions.

If you go back and watch the first round of Anderson Silva's bout with Yushin Okami last August, you'll see him throw really wild overhand punches that seem unfitting for such a technical striker. But what he was actually doing was gauging the distance and studying the reactions of his opponent. He's able to throw punches like those without reprisal because his opponent is at a distance where they can't attack him.

It often goes unnoticed, but UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre also usually enjoys a considerable reach advantage over most of his opponents.

Obviously, if we're talking about reach in mixed martial arts, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones deserves mention. During his UFC run thus far, Jones has been able to secure chokes on Jake O'Brien, Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida from unorthodox positions due to his ability to change up grips and create leverage.

Fighters like Jones, with particularly long arms are also able to rain down elbows and finish fights from inside the guard.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi and direct your "Ask the Torch" questions to mmatorch@gmail.com

UFC 143's Mike Pierce plans to break Josh Koscheck physically and mentally

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:25:06 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

When Georges St-Pierre tore his ACL, taking him out of a UFC 143 title fight with Nick Diaz, it had a ripple effect to the card. Carlos Condit got moved out of a fight with Josh Koscheck and into the bout with Diaz, leaving Koscheck without an opponent.

That opening provided Mike Pierce with one of the biggest opportunities of his career. Pierce, who has gone 5-2 in seven fights in the organization, has only lost by decision to two top-flight welterweights in Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks. Now, he has another chance to try to get a win over a top-ten opponent.

For his part, Koscheck doesn't think much of Pierce's skill set, and has made comments recently about how he'll "make an example" out of Pierce in Las Vegas this weekend. However, Pierce doesn't see things that way, and absolutely believes he knows the way to defeat Koscheck.

"I think you just press the pace on him and wear him down," Pierce said in an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday's MMA Hour at MMAFighting.com. "I tend to think he's kind of got that bully style where if he goes in there and starts beating someone up, he gets that momentum going, and it's kind of hard to stop him. But if you come at him from the opening bell and put the pressure on him, and get inside his head and show him that he's not in the fight, he's just going to give up and break down."

Koscheck's UFC losses are to Georges St-Pierre (twice), Paulo Thiago, and Thiago Alves, and outside of the flash knockdown by Paulo Thiago, it's only been St-Pierre and Alves that have pressed the pace on him effectively. Pierce thinks he can do the same, and that's how he thinks Saturday's fight will go.

"I want to just press the action on Josh and watch him break down," Pierce said. "Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching a guy mentally and physically give up and then having the referee pull me off of him. That's what I want."

Penick's Analysis: Pierce is a very talented wrestler, but he's come up short against the two best fighters he's faced in the UFC thus far. Koscheck is right up there with Fitch and Hendricks in the welterweight division, and will be another really tough test for him, but we have seen him surprise people with his bullying style before. If he can come out of the gate pressing the pace and make Koscheck fight his fight, he absolutely has the skills to win, but he's going to need to put forth one of his career-best performances against a perennial difficult opponent in Koscheck.

HYDEN BLOG: UFC on Fox Aftermath, and Chael Sonnen Promos

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:50:21 PST

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

The second UFC on Fox event was this past Saturday, and it was a pretty bad show. I've read some comments online that some of the fights were ok, or even good, and I couldn't disagree more.

Rashad Evans had a lackluster win over Phil Davis. A win's a win, and I'm sure Rashad will take it, but it doesn't exactly inspire fear in the hearts of the other UFC fighters. It certainly won't make UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones shake in his boots. I'm sure Rashad can, and will, up his game and he's going to need to; if Rashad fights the same way he did Saturday against Jon Jones, he's going to get crushed. I think Davis can recover from this loss, but he's not on the fast track to superstardom like some thought.

Chael Sonnen earned a bogus decision win over Michael Bisping. Some people have sent me FightMetric numbers showing that Sonnen outstruck Bisping. Analyzing the numbers shows you that Sonnen landed three more head power shots and one more body power shot. I don't know where they come up with Sonnen having a 40-30 advantage in significant strikes, the numbers say four strikes.

Here's the thing, though, despite what a certain show on ESPN2 says, numbers can, and often do, lie. It's very possible to compile impressive stats, but that isn't the entire story. I watched the fight with several friends. None of us thought Sonnen should have won. There's no question Sonnen won the third round, but we all thought Bisping had won the first two rounds. You could argue that Sonnen won the first round, or make a case for a draw. However, I don't think you could make a convincing case that Sonnen won all three rounds, as one judge thought.

This isn't the first time that judges have made an unpopular decision, and it won't be the last. This is why I hate decisions; sometimes they're conclusive, but a lot of times you end up with a bad taste in your mouth. We've all gone down this road before about how there needs to be set criteria for judging. I personally thought Bisping should have earned more points for pushing Sonnen up against the cage so often. We're running a poll on this site, and so far more people think Bisping won the fight than Sonnen. Are all these people wrong?

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

I've noticed a lot of people have a problem with Chael Sonnen and his pro wrestling-style promos, but I don't as long as they're not insane. The problem with Sonnen's statements are that they're delusional. He goes around talking about how he's the undefeated champion and blah, blah, blah. Here's the guy who will say things like Lance Armstrong gave himself cancer by taking drugs (steroids), then deny that he said that even though it's on tape, then get busted for having an extraordinarily high level of testosterone-to-epitestosterone himself.

When I was watching his fight against Michael Bisping Saturday, one of the guys I was with was rooting for Sonnen to win. This friend of mine hates Bisping. He's a casual fan who doesn't follow MMA as much as the NBA or the NFL, so he'd never heard of Sonnen. I told my friend Sonnen is the guy who almost beat Anderson Silva. This got him excited because he figured that Sonnen would lay waste to Bisping.

The fight was very disappointing to my friend, as well as the rest of us. Then Sonnen opened up his mouth after the decision was announced and went on his pro wrestling rant to Joe Rogan about "Are you not mesmerized?" and about how Rogan was inches from greatness. My friend had one thing to say, and I won't type exactly what he said, but you'll know what it means, "STFU".

That's the problem with Sonnen's rants, they're too over the top. If he wants to go pro wrestling, he should have said something about how Bisping gave him a hell of a fight, but he managed to pull out the victory because that's what he does, find a way to win. There's a way to be cocky, to be the heel, without being so over the top that you become a caricature. Sonnen could have talked about how he only had 11 days to prepare for Bisping, but he still managed to pull out the win because that's how good he is.

It's one thing to talk big before a fight, it raises expectations, but you can always counter with a statement on how your opponent raised his game to a high level. To talk in such grandiose terms after a lackluster fight, though, is a fool's game. People don't take Sonnen seriously because he only has one gear for his mouth, full-bore. If he were to dial it down a few notches from time to time it would benefit him greatly.

Another thing that really bothers me is when outside people play along with his schtick. I've heard Sonnen on the Jim Rome radio show a few times and Rome is playing along. The same thing happened on Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable. Playing the straight man for Sonnen's routine is ridiculous, that's as bad as pro wrestlers staying in character when they're giving interviews, or Tom Hanks playing Forrest Gump when he's being interviewed by Stephen Colbert.

I don't blame Sonnen for this, I blame the guys doing it. Sonnen's character is such that he'll tell you that he's undefeated, or that he's never lost a round. He's got to do that, that's his character, that's his routine. However, that doesn't mean that you have to agree with him, or that you can't call him on his BS.

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

I've noticed a lot more talk recently about how the UFC should utilize the lighter weight classes on their FOX televised events in order to ensure more excitement. I totally agree with that. I even jokingly created the principle of Hyden's Law months ago, which states that "the lighter the fighter, the more exciting the fight." I'm definitely in favor of showcasing lighter fighters, these guys always have great cardio and are always trying to win. Far too often you see guys gassing out early in the heavier divisions.

The UFC needs to use the guaranteed excitement that the lighter divisions bring to create interest in their shows among non-fans. There's always a chance for an exciting fight regardless of the weight class, but there's a much greater chance the lower the weight class.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com

PEREZ: Rashad Evans' Long and Winding Road to UFC Title Shot

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:30:29 PST

By: Anwar Perez, MMATorch Columnist

I have been writing for MMATorch for two years now, and have enjoyed every single bit of it. My very first article was about Rashad Evans and how I felt that taking the Rampage Jackson fight after it initially wasn't going to happen - because of Jackson's role in "The A-Team" movie - would be a mistake and push him further away from getting his opportunity to fight for a championship again. I wasn't exactly wrong, nor was I entirely right; there were definitely other factors that contributed to his lack of opportunity for the Light Heavyweight Championship belt.

After losing his championship, Evans came back and faced Thiago Silva in early 2010. He won that fight via unanimous decision, then decided to take the Rampage fight that was supposed to happen after both of their stints as coaches on the Ultimate Fighter the previous Fall. Evans would go onto win that fight against Rampage via another unanimous decision. Due to an injury to then newly-crowned Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Evans - who was the number 1 contender for the championship - decided to wait until the champ was healed before taking the fight.

While waiting for the opportunity to get a fight against the Champ, his teammate Jon Jones was working his way up the ladder, taking out Vladimir Matyushenko and Ryan Bader before another setback plagued Evans. During training, Evans got injured in preparation for his bout with Shogun. Because of this, Dana White and the UFC had to find a replacement. They decided on Jon Jones, provided he defeat his opponent Ryan Bader first (which he did). So not only did Rashad Evans get injured and lose his chance to a title fight, he lost it to a teammate who many thought was THE premier fighter to beat in the division, looking the other way entirely on the merits of Rashad Evans.

When Jones won the belt from Shogun, many assumed that it would be Evans vs. Jones next, especially from the built in storyline of former teammates fighting each other for the championship belt. That was the plan, but due to a hand injury to Jones, the fight was delayed, and Evans then fought in a rematch against Tito Ortiz (the two had fought to a draw in their first bout), which Evans won via TKO. Jones took a fight with Rampage Jackson once he was healed and was able to put him away via submission.Then again it was to be Jones vs. Evans in December of last year. Once again, Evans was injured, and a replacement was sought, this time with Lyoto Machida in tow to face Jones (Machida lost). Evans then went ahead and accepted a fight with up-and-comer Phil Davis for late January, effectively putting his championship opportunity on the line.

Well, this past Saturday, Evans was able to outclass Davis, and finally (at least, barring injury from either fighter) get his opportunity at trying to regain the championship. Jones is on a completely different level as far as competition goes, and Evans will have a hard time ahead of him getting the championship back. When Shogun or Lyoto Machida held the belt - at a time when Evans took other fights or got injured - he had either a slight advantage to defeat (or avenge in Machida's case) either of those fighters. With Jones easily dismantling both Shogun and Machida, not to mention Rampage Jackson, all within the last year, Evans will have to have the fight of his life if he wants to regain the title. It has been a long and winding road for Evans, but now he has finally come to the end of it, and it's up to him to take hold of the opportunity that is in front of him.

UFC 142 CONTESTS: Extremely Belated Confidence Pick and Betting Game Results

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:58:47 PST

By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist:

So, here’s the thing with New Year’s Resolutions. Nobody REALLY keeps them, you know? And nobody should expect them to be kept either, right? So, if say a chronic procrastinator who is unable to post Confidence Picks and Betting game results in a timely manner makes a resolution to actually post them in a timely manner, one shouldn’t hold me, I mean him, to that expectation. Right? Right?

Oh. Um, OK, I screwed up, again. To make it up to you, I’m sending a copy of Total MMA to the first person to submit a perfect Confidence Picks AND a perfect Betting entry. That’s right, an actual prize. If you can submit an entry where every single bet hits AND where every single Confidence pick is correct, I’ll send you one brand new copy of the best MMA book ever written, Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden. That ought to shut you people up about my procrastinating!

On to the results already, no? In the Confidence Picks game, defending champion Carll Light was unable to defend his title, losing by a meager one point margin to the hottest player going right now, MMA Torch columnist Matt Pelkey. Both Carll and Matt lost on their two, four, and five confidence picks, but the difference was Carll losing ten points on Erick Silva, whereas Matt only lost nine points on Silva. Matt scored 35 out of a possible 55 points in the event which happened seemingly five months ago.

Matt will be defending his newly won title against another veteran player in Avery “Odin” Clarke. Avery scored 45 points, which was one point more than Stephen Woodall’s 44 point total.

In the Betting game, our reigning champion Avery Clarke slaughtered his challenger Matt Pelkey (Holy déjà vu, Batman!). Avery’s payout of $1762.61 was $1762.61 more than Matt’s $0 payout. Apparently, betting on Stout, Massenzio, Omigawa, and Prater wasn’t the best way to go.

Avery Clarke will be facing off on Saturday night against the winner of the Betting pool, one Mister Jason Lyon. Jason’s total of $1686.53 illustrates clearly how tough this card was on bettors, as not one player managed to even double their original investment.

UPDATE - 2/1/12

I missed an entry, and of course the entry I missed earned a total of $1884.54. So my apologies to Mark Bunce for missing your entry. You won the pool and you will be challenging against Avery Clarke. Also, apologies to Jason Lyon.

CONTINUING ON

So to set up UFC 143, in a rematch of the UFC 142 Betting Game, new Champion Avery Clarke will face off against Matt Pelkey in the Confidence Picks. And in the Betting Game, our defending Champion Avery Clarke will be trying to defend yet again, this time versus Mark Bunce. Good luck everyone.

CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Avery Clarke: $1762.61
$325 on Belfort for $628.74
$200 on Gonzaga for $372.41
$200 parlay on Aldo, Barboza, and Belfort for $761.46

Matt Pelkey: $0

Mark Bunce: $1884.54
$400 on Belfort for $773.83
$200 on Tavares for $349.25
$200 parlay on Aldo, Barboza, and Belfort for $761.46

CONFIDENCE GAME RESULTS

34 people submitted entries for the UFC 142 picks contest. Here’s how those entries broke down

Silva 39
Prater 0

Pyle 38
Funch 1

Palhares 37
Massenzio 2

Stout 34
Tavares 5

Aldo 32
Mendes 7

Alcantara 29
Omigawa 10

Carvalho 29
Arantes 10

Gonzaga 24
Oliveira 15

Barboza 23
Etim 16

Belfort 21
Johnson 18

And now that you know how we picked, here are the results of the Confidence Picks pool:

Avery Clarke 45
Stephen Woodall 44
Andreas Winter 43
Bob Oso 42
Charles Mickael 41
Luke Foster 40
Anthony Sinnott 40
Brad Walker 39
Scott Pipher 39
Jamie Penick 37
Jason Binder 37
Jason Lyon 37
Chris Knight 37
Christopher Moore 36
Lex Potapoff 36
Kevin Seng 36
Rich Race 35
Andrew Arnold 35
Matt Boyce 34
Clay Burley 34
Sam Martin 33
Daniel Moore 33
Jason McKee 33
Samuel Nobile 32
Shaun Louis 31
Brent King 31
Chris McCann 31
Joe Williams 31
Mike Jensen 31
Skarz 30
Casey Vaccaro 29
Rich Hansen 27
Simon Kerry 27
Joel Wielenga 27
Dionicio Ortiz 27
Corry Porter 22
David Moxon 21

BETTING CONTEST RESULTS

Jason Lyon $1,686.53
Bob Oso $1,606.27
Luke Foster $1,464.52
Anthony Sinnott $1,292.48
Samuel Nobile $1,181.39
Christopher Moore $1,148.86
Stephen Woodall $1,146.25
Brad Walker $931.03
Kevin Seng $796.73
Jason Binder $739.68
Charles Mickael $738.01
Jason McKee $713.68
Steven Kaye $570.94
Chris Wallner $564.00
Andrew Arnold $558.62
Simon Kerry $533.41
Sam Martin $483.64
Carll Light $471.68
Chris Knight $372.41
Clay Burley $282.00
Chris McCann $193.46
Rich Race $152.63
Lex Potapoff $93.10
Daniel Moore $71.37
Rich Hansen $0.00
Jamie Penick $0.00
Shaun Louis $0.00
Skarz $0.00
David Moxon $0.00
Brent King $0.00
Corry Porter $0.00
Joe Williams $0.00
Dionicio Ortiz $0.00
Casey Vaccaro $0.00
Mike Jensen $0.00

Performer of the Night: Avery Clarke defended one title, and won the pool for the other game.

Goat of the Night: First off, I was weeks late posting this. Secondly, I laid a goose egg on the bets. Lastly, only 2 people had fewer confidence points than I. Maybe that’s why this was two weeks late…? I suck.

The FTC has closed its investigation into Zuffa

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:30:24 PST

By: Rich Hansen, MMATorch Columnist

The Federal Trade Commission's investigation into Zuffa, LLC's 2011 purchase of Strikeforce has been closed. The FTC will take no further action against the Las Vegas based company.

Full text of the FTC's letter, which can be found
on the FTC website, reads as follows:

Stephen Axinn, Esq.
Axinn Veltrop, and Harkrider LLP
1330 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036

Re: Acquisition of Explosion Entertainment, LLC (Strikeforce) by Zuffa, LLC (UFC)
FTC File No. 111 0136

Dear Mr. Axinn:

The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition has been conducting a nonpublic investigation to determine whether Zuffa, LLC’s acquisition of Explosion Entertainment, LLC may violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act or Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Upon further review of this matter, it now appears that no further action is warranted by the Commission at this time. Accordingly, the investigation has been closed. This action is not to be construed as a determination that a violation may not have occurred, just as the pendency of an investigation should not be construed as a determination that a violation has occurred. The Commission reserves the right to take such further action as the public interest may require.

By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark
Secretary

Nik Lentz's job safe after UFC on Fox 2 loss to Evan Dunham; sees loss as changing point in career

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:05:13 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Nik Lentz had gotten a bad rap in the UFC following a fight with Andre Winner back at UFC 118, the fourth fight of his that went to decision in the UFC and definitely the worst. His reputation was tarnished to the point where many felt a single loss may lead to him being released from the organization. However, he's since taken part in several exciting fights, starting with a come from behind win over Waylon Lowe.

After a loss to Evan Dunham last Saturday at UFC on Fox 2 - his second straight loss following a no contest against Charles Oliveira due to an illegal knee - Lentz took to his own blog at NikLentz.com to talk about his recent slide.

"For some reason that I don't understand, people are dropping out of fights with injury after injury," Lentz wrote. "This is something that just should not happen. If you are getting injured while practicing on a regular basis (not injured in a fight), you are doing something wrong. I took the Dunham fight and had a total of three weeks to train for it. Three weeks is simply not enough time to train for a fight with a top ten guy, but I wanted to prove to the UFC and fans that I'm worth keeping around. So I asked to be the replacement."

"Could I be in proper shape for this fight? No... Could I have the perfect game plan? No... but simply put, I said #$%@ that, I'm going to beat him anyway. The fight was exciting, I proved that even without being able to train properly, I belong in the UFC Octagon. The outcome is far from what I hoped, but that’s life. Things do not always go as planned."

He definitely proved himself to the UFC, as his two-round bout with Dunham took the fight of the night, and he said in a separate interview with MMAJunkie.com that he was told by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva that he will not be cut from the organization. Still, he's not satisfied with the last two losses he's suffered.

"Trust me when I say this: there is no one on this planet that hates failure more than I do," he wrote. "I was so upset at myself after my last two fights that I wanted to hide in a corner and rip my hair out while ending it Seppuku style. The training for the [Mark] Bocek fight was horrible. Coming off of the shattered orbital and herniated discs in my neck was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I got sick multiple times during the camp. I had to avoid the normal training because of my neck. I couldn't sleep because my neck was in too much pain. Overall I let the injuries defeat me through most of my training camp for Bocek fight. Maybe I should have just called up the UFC and said, 'sorry can't fight,' but I'm too stupid and hard headed for that."

"Going into the Dunham fight, I got my injuries under control and felt like a new man. I truly feel if I would have had a proper ten week training camp for the fight it would have turned out differently. I would have been more explosive, stronger, faster, and overall the better fighter at the end of the day. Too bad this is the real world, and I lost the fight. It's no one's fault but my own."

Still, while he's on this slide, he sees an opportunity to turn his career around, and he feels at the very least he's accomplished some very important things during this strech.

"At the end of the day I accomplished a great deal of things," he said. "The illusion that Nik Lentz is a boring fighter is gone. I won FOTN for the second time, which helps my status with fans and the UFC, not to mention gives me a little extra spending money! I proved that I belong in the UFC, and although there will be talk that 'Lentz is never going to be a contender,' or 'Lentz can't hang in the 55 lb division,' I know and proved to myself that this is all bulls***."

"MMA is not the safe guarded, [record] padding event that boxing has become. Look at the MMA greats, Randy Couture 19-11, B.J. Penn 16-8-2, and many more people have tasted defeat and come back stronger. I felt like this one other time in my life, changed what I was doing, and went undefeated for 3+ years."

"This is a changing point in my life. The only person to blame for my current failures is myself. Trust me, I wont be down for long."

Penick's Analysis: That Winner fight simply stuck with people because it was his first opportunity at a televised bout, and it was an awful fight. But that didn't mean he was a bad fighter or that he was incapable of exciting fights. He's shown that with Waylon Lowe, Charles Oliveira, and now Evan Dunham. Now, he'll just need to show that same excitement in his next outing, but get himself back into the win column as well. If he can do that, and find another run of consistent success, he can still be a force in the lightweight division.

UFC on Fox 2 final ratings in just under 4.7 million viewers, tied for 3rd most-watched event in U.S. MMA history (UPDATE)

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:00:57 PST

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Saturday's UFC on Fox 2 broadcast didn't garner the same ratings that the UFC's network debut garnered in November, but it still registers as the third most-watched MMA event in the U.S. ever.

TVByTheNumbers.com has adjusted their initial overnight ratings, and the event averaged just under 4.7 million viewers for the two hour timeslot. According to an additional report from MMAJunkie.com adding in the extra 20 minute overrun, the event averaged that 4.7 million viewers, tying it with UFC 75 on Spike TV for the third most-watched MMA event ever in the U.S.

Above both of those was the EliteXC debut on CBS, which averaged 4.85 million viewers for the Kimbo Slice headlined event.

Saturday's broadcast, which featured three fights from the United Center in Chicago, Ill., scored a 3.21 in both key demographics of men 18-49 and men 18-34.

Penick's Analysis: They were probably hoping for a better number, and three relatively lackluster fights during the broadcast certainly didn't help things. Still, this was by far the most viewed network television broadcast of the night, and Saturday nights are not typically home to massive numbers. The UFC will need to figure out the right balance of major fights and exciting matchups for their Fox cards, but they will probably be consistently getting these types of numbers, with occasional bumps up depending on the fights put together.

[Updated with peak number and correction with EliteXC's numbers]

UPDATE #2: A new report from MMAJunkie.com has updated numbers from Fox Sports. The headlining bout between Phil Davis and Rashad Evans averaged 6.1 million viewers, meaning the peak number for the event will still come in somewhat higher than that. The opening bout between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman was seen by an average of four million viewers, while the co-main between Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping averaged 4.9 million viewers.

WALKER: The MMA Stock Exchange - A Look at the Rising and Falling in the UFC's Featherweight Division

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:45:17 PST

By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Contributor

Here is a brief summary of what I will be doing here; I'm going to look at the current champ from each division and label them "now." Then I will look at who I feel has the best chance to dethrone that champ and label them "next." Next I will select two each of the following: fighters with rising stock, fighters with stagnant (unchanging) stock, and fighters with dropping stocks. I will give explanations as to why I feel each one is placed where they are, and feel free to give me any feedback you believe would be a credible argument, after all analysis is partially opinion, now let's roll our sleeves up and dig in.

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Now: Jose Aldo. Unquestionably one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, Aldo has demolished every fighter he has faced, except one. He is an artist in the cage painting us a picture of pure domination and relentless power to knock out his opponents. He holds a staggering 21-1 record, with 14 consecutive wins, most of which have come by way of knockout. Honestly, I don't believe that there is currently a fighter in the weight class who can defeat him, so deciding who was next was a great difficulty due to the nature of Aldo's dominance, and his ability to adapt to any opponent and overwhelm them either on the ground or standing toe to toe. He has some of the most memorable wins in recent memory, including his incredible performance against Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Brazil. In the years to come Aldo could prove him to be the best fighter in the world, and at the age of 25 he still has plenty of time to do so.

Next: Yuri Alcantara. The man who fans forgot. I am unsure how it took him so long to wind up in the WEC and UFC, but Alcantara's career record is phenomenal. At a powerful 27 wins against only three losses he has showed incredible skill for some time now, and his Jiu-Jitsu is incredible. He has relatively heavy hands, winning 11 fights by knockout, but still taking home 12 via submission, showing out how well rounded his game is. Part of the reason we don't tend to see Yuri ranked is he has fought mostly unknown opponents during his eight year career. He is a two-time former lightweight champion in other organizations but seems to have found a comfortable home in UFC's featherweight division. Only two of his fights have taken place at his new 145 pound weight class, but his decisions have both been well earned. I believe once we get him up against some better recognized talent his stock within the division will sky-rocket and we will see him on his way to fighting Jose Aldo.

Rising Stock: Jim Hettes. The undefeated southpaw from wonderful Pennsylvania, who has dominated two separate cast members from The Ultimate Fighter season twelve. His win over Nam Phan was impressive as he absolutely beyond dominated him to the tune of 30-25 on two of the judges' scorecards. I openly admit and realize beating Alex Cacerces and Nam Phan is no huge task, but to dominate them both as he did is an exceptional achievement. Hettes has submitted every opponent with the exception of Phan, but showed off how badly he could wound him with strikes. His background in judo mixed with his purple belt in jiu-jitsu make for incredible take downs followed by mind boggling submissions. I look forward to seeing Hettes back in the cage, perhaps against the aforementioned Yuri Alcantara.

Rising Stock: Eric Koch. An incredibly talented fighter at just 23 years of age, Koch has the potential to be a top three featherweight in the very near future. He holds notable wins over Jonathan Brookins, Eric Wisely and Raphael Assuncao, but only has one loss, which came at the hands of Chad Mendes. Koch is still very young and has a lot of room to grow and evolve in the sport but the ability he already has at such an early age makes him a big threat down the line. He's already beating good fighters, and doing so decisively, he still however needs to defeat some great fighters. Working with Duke Roufus is a great way to explore that potential and continue his way up the ladder of the division. I would love to see him attempt to avenge his only loss to Chad Mendes in his next fight, and see if he has come far enough to change what he did wrong in their first bout.

Stagnant Stock: Pablo Garza. Garza actually poses some problems to write about, because his record is impressive, but his skill set is just lacking the roundedness you would want to see from a fighter in the UFC. His ability to be explosive is downright scary, with his last two wins coming via flying knee and a flying triangle submission. Pablo has a lot of potential and has shown it off frequently, but generally against lesser opponents. His most notable win came over Yves Jabouin, but he has been less than reliable when it comes to winning. He's lost two of his last four fights, and has shown that he's not the best at defending against chokes. Losing via d'arce to Dustin Poirier and via guillotine to Zhang Tiequan, you have to wonder how hard he works on his defense while he practices his crazy flying tactics. He needs a good rebound fight right now, and with Nam Phan on the warpath to destruction let's put them together and see what happens.
 
Stagnant Stock: Leonard Garcia. There is no doubting his toughness or his ability to stand and trade, especially after his fight with Chan-Sung Jung in 2010 which earned a nod for fight of the year. The problem for Garcia is that since that fight he has been rather unimpressive, posting a less than stellar three losses in his last four fights, including submitting to Chan-Sung Jung's infamous twister. He has been fighting for nearly 13 years now, but his record stands at 15-8-1 which does not scream "big time fighter." Being a member of Greg Jackson's camp usually means you're going to bring you're A-game to every fight, but it seems that Garcia's A-game may have expired during his hiatus from 2003 to early 2006. He's defeated some good fighters, Jens Pulver included, but after starting 8-1 he has gone a very lackluster 7-7-1 since returning to the world of MMA. I don't know what Garcia can do right now to prove that he deserves to be on UFC's roster, but I also won't say that his stock should be dropping. He is scheduled to face Zhang Tiequan at UFC 144, if he wins that fight, he will be saving his job.

Falling Stock: Nam Phan. I have never quite understood why people got so excited about this guy. His record is unimpressive, his abilities seem to diminish between each of his fights, and he's just generally an unexciting fighter to watch. His two matchups with Leonard Garcia are the only bright spots in his career, not only because they both earned fight of the night, but because although one is listed as a loss, he should have won them both. Phan is kind of an enigma, one fight he will look on point and take his opponent apart, and the next he will look sloppy and passive. In his most recent fight with Jim Hettes he looked absolutely awful and completely outmatched as Hettes steamrolled him to multiple 10-8 rounds. Phan has to come back and absolutely destroy a couple of consecutive opponents or he'll be in line at the unemployment office.

Falling Stock: Tyson Griffin. Does anyone else remember back in 2009 when Tyson Griffin was a serious threat to make a run at the Lightweight Title? He was victorious against some of the best fighters in the world, including Urijah Faber, Clay Guida, Hermes Franca and Gleison Tibau. The problem is that, for some unknown reason at UFC 115, the Tyson Griffin we had all become accustomed to disappeared without a trace. He lost three consecutive fights, and then decided to drop to featherweight for a fresh start. Low and behold, he won his first fight at featherweight, by majority decision – and then failed to make weight AND lost his second via KO in the first round. Griffin has all the tools to make it work, but for some reason unbeknownst to us he hasn't been making use of them over the last couple of years. Tyson can be a serious contender if he gets back into the zone, but right now he's deadweight in any division – and that doesn't lead anywhere good. Let's set up a loser leaves Zuffa fight with Nam Phan or Pablo Garza.

Be sure to follow me on twitter at @bradmmatorch or just tweet me your feedback – it's always appreciated. 

Coming soon: The MMA Stock Exchange – Bantamweights!

Have a topic you'd like to see me write about? Tweet me and let me know!