Sherdog MMA Pick’Em users favor Nick Diaz at UFC 143. | Photo: Silton Buendia
Since his first go-around in the Octagon, Nick Diaz has been on quite a tear, winning 12 of his last 13 fights while capturing the Strikeforce welterweight title. His return to the Las Vegas-based promotion in October sent a resounding message, as the Stockton, Calif., native overwhelmed B.J. Penn with his volume punching style en route to a clear-cut, unanimous decision win.
Players in Sherdog’s MMA Pick’Em game have taken note: 71 percent favor Diaz in his interim welterweight title clash at UFC 143 on Saturday against Carlos Condit. Before dominating Penn, Diaz defended his Strikeforce belt twice in 2011, earning a technical knockout triumph over Paul Daley in April and submitting Evangelista Santos via armbar in January.
Condit has been on a hot streak of his own, including four straight wins in the UFC. Most recently, he stopped the previously unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim with a flying knee and punches at UFC 132. The “Natural Born Killer” also owns victories over Dan Hardy, Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger in his UFC career. A former World Extreme Cagefighting 170-pound titleholder, Condit has finished 26 of his 27 career wins by way of knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Pick’Em participants are having a much more difficult time choosing between Fabricio Werdum and Roy Nelson in the co-main event, as a 50-50 split in voting has developed. Out of the UFC since 2008, Werdum has beaten Mike Kyle, Antonio Silva and Fedor Emelianenko while competing for Strikeforce. He most recently was defeated by current UFC top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem in June.
Nelson rebounded from a unanimous decision loss to Frank Mir in May to earn a third-round stoppage against Mirko Filipovic at UFC 137. He also owns notable wins over Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve in his UFC career.
Other Pick’Em trends for the UFC 143 main card, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas:
• A strong 87 percent of users believe Josh Koscheck will defeat Mike Pierce in their welterweight scrap. Koscheck is coming off a first-round finish of Matt Hughes at UFC 135. Pierce defeated Paul Bradley via split decision at UFC on Fox 1 in his last outing.
• Unbeaten since his mixed martial arts debut in 2005, Renan “Barao” Pegado brings an impressive winning streak and loads of talent to the cage for his bantamweight showdown with Scott Jorgensen. Users like the potential of the Brazilian, as 66 percent have chosen him to defeat the former WEC standout.
• Ninety percent of players have picked Ed Herman to top Clifford Starks in the initial main card bout. Herman has beaten Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke since returning from a serious knee injury. Starks beat Dustin Jacoby in his UFC debut in October.
Friday, February 3 2:15 pm PT: Jack Encarnacao returned the The Sherdog Radio Network Friday for another Roundtable discussion. Jack was joined by Sherdog.com's Jordan Breen, Trusten Critchfield and WrestlingObserver.com's Brian Alvarez to break down all of the action from tomorrow's UFC 143 card, including the main event between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.
Check out the show and our archives by clicking here.
Few work the body better than Nick Diaz. | Photo: Sherdog.com
Nick Diaz has some of the best boxing in mixed martial arts today, and a big part of that is his ability to attack the body. In fact, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion’s body punches were No. 3 on Sherdog.com’s Top 10 list of “MMA’s Most Dangerous Weapons.”
Carlos Condit will have to defend against Diaz’s volume punching style in their UFC 143 interim welterweight title bout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Saturday. Condit’s striking coach, Mike Winkeljohn, shared his thoughts with Sherdog.com on why Diaz is so effective when working the body.
“He hits hard to the body. A lot of people, if you’re getting hit lazily to the body, the counterpunches are there. But when they’re the kind of body punches that Nick Diaz throws, they’re very hard to counter,” Winkeljohn said. “He leads those things in there, and it ruins a guy’s fight. If you go back over a lot of [his previous] fights, people think, ‘Well, he wore the guy down because he kept walking forward,’ but a lot of it has to do with the body shots earlier. We want to avoid those places as much as possible because Nick does hit the body very hard.”
By Carlos Arias (The Orange County Register) (carias@ocregister.com)
Friday, February 3 12:15 am PT:
UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck does not mind being labeled the villain or the heel. Boos are like music to his ears.
UFC President Dana White even admits Koscheck is “the most hated guy in the UFC.” It figures that Koscheck would pull for Tony Montana when he watches “Scarface.”
“I would have loved to see Tony Montana win it in ‘Scarface’ -- absolutely,” Koscheck said. “That’s the underdog, the guy everybody’s counting out. I [go for] guys such as myself that everybody’s hating on, that everybody’s booing. I love to come out to the Octagon when people boo the [expletive] out of me. It motivates me more to [expletive] all over them and say, ‘Ha Ha, I [expletive] on you. I just knocked this guy out. So keep booing me, and I’ll keep [expletive] on you.”
3:30 p.m. ET MAVTV: MMA H.E.A.T.
Host Karyn Bryant interviews the top names in MMA fighting and gives you a personal look inside the sport.
4:00 p.m. ET The Score: Bodog Fights
Bodog Fight staged some of the most exciting MMA fights and developed some of the sports biggest stars in events around the world. The promotion was founded by online gambling magnate Calvin Ayre and features some of the sports most well known fighters including Chael Sonnen, Gegard Mousasi, Dan Hornbuckle, Fedor Emelianenko and Cung Le.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
The best fights from the UFC archives, including pay-per-view events, The Ultimate Fighter finales, and Fight Nights, and more, all in one show. UFC Unleashed brings you the big fights that you missed or want to see all over again.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Countdown to UFC 143
Leading up to UFC 143 Diaz vs. Condit at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Countdown to UFC sets the stage for the big fight with in-depth interviews and behind the scenes access to fighter training camps.
6:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Primetime
An all access look at top welterweight contenders, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, as they prepare to battle for the interim UFC title. As fight night draws closer, viewers go inside the training camps as the workouts grow more intense, and the pressure builds. This is the real story, in real time.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC 143 Weigh In (Premiere)
Weigh-In: Diaz vs. Condit. UFC's biggest and baddest stars weigh-in and face-off Live before a night of epic battles inside the Octagon.
7:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: Countdown to UFC 143
Leading up to UFC 143 Diaz vs. Condit at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Countdown to UFC sets the stage for the big fight with in-depth interviews and behind the scenes access to fighter training camps.
7:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
As the official news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC Tonight is your number one source for UFC highlights, in depth analysis and interviews with the best MMA fighters in the world.
8:00 p.m ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Primetime “Diaz v Condit”
An all access look at top welterweight contenders, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, as they prepare to battle for the interim UFC title. As fight night draws closer, viewers go inside the training camps as the workouts grow more intense, and the pressure builds. This is the real story, in real time.
8:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: Countdown to UFC 143
Leading up to UFC 143 Diaz vs. Condit at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Countdown to UFC sets the stage for the big fight with in-depth interviews and behind the scenes access to fighter training camps.
8:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet ONE: UFC Primetime “Diaz v Condit”
An all access look at top welterweight contenders, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, as they prepare to battle for the interim UFC title. As fight night draws closer, viewers go inside the training camps as the workouts grow more intense, and the pressure builds. This is the real story, in real time.
9:00 p.m. ET HDNet: Inside MMA
Former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin joins TV and film star Laura Prepon (That 70s Show) on the panel with hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten to preview UFC 143. Ron Kruck reports on the Gracie family's efforts to empower women.
10:00 p.m. ET HDNet: It's Showtime 54
World championship kickboxing from the Netherlands. Tyrone Spong meets Melvin Manhoef in the main event.
10:30 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: Countdown to UFC 143
Leading up to UFC 143 Diaz vs. Condit at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Countdown to UFC sets the stage for the big fight with in-depth interviews and behind the scenes access to fighter training camps.
11:00 p.m. ET Sportsnet West: UFC Primetime “Diaz v Condit”
An all access look at top welterweight contenders, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, as they prepare to battle for the interim UFC title. As fight night draws closer, viewers go inside the training camps as the workouts grow more intense, and the pressure builds. This is the real story, in real time.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Pacific: UFC Primetime “Diaz v Condit”
An all access look at top welterweight contenders, Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit, as they prepare to battle for the interim UFC title. As fight night draws closer, viewers go inside the training camps as the workouts grow more intense, and the pressure builds. This is the real story, in real time.
