Diaz Dismantled by Condit; Chavez, Donaire Win
Condit Denies Diaz, Captures Unanimous Nod at UFC 143
By Brian Knapp
Read more from Brian Knapp and other knowledgeable writers at the excellent mma website www.sherdog.com
For the first time in nearly four years, someone other than Georges St. Pierre wears welterweight gold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Carlos Condit circled out of harm’s way, stayed true to his game plan and willed his way to victory, as he captured the interim welterweight crown in a unanimous decision over Nick Diaz in the UFC 143 headliner on Saturday the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
All three cageside judges saw it for Condit (28-5, 5-1 UFC) by 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 counts. The 27-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native has delivered 13 wins in his last 14 outings and will face St. Pierre in a unification bout later this year, likely in the fall.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Condit said. “I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and teammates. I did what they told me to do, and I walked away with a victory.”
Diaz was largely unsuccessful in his approach, as he spent much of the 25-minute bout stalking and attempting to corner the former WEC champion. However, Condit leaned on his conditioning, maintained a strict adherence to strategy and never allowed the vaunted volume punching of his opponent to come into play. The “Natural Born Killer” seemed to find another gear in the third round, as he began putting leather on Diaz’s face with more regularity, mixing in thudding kicks to the leg, body and head, as well. Unlike previous Diaz foes, Condit never broke.
“My endurance has always been a strong point,” he said. “It’s always been a part of my game where I felt like I could overcome my opponents and outpace them, and, [in] this fight, I was able to hang with him.”
With the fight slipping out of reach, Diaz (26-8, 7-5 UFC) saw his last chance to finish come and go in the fifth round, when he wheeled around behind Condit, dragged him to the ground and locked him in a body triangle. From there, he searched for the rear-naked choke that would have rendered the judges’ scorecards moot, only to be denied the submission and, ultimately, a 12th consecutive win.
“In a lot of my other fights, I’ve kind of come on strong in later rounds, and I did [in this one],” Condit said. “I started to find my flow. Hat’s off to Nick Diaz. He’s a warrior, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for how he fights. I hope you guys were entertained.”
Condit will toe the line against Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts stablemate and longtime welterweight king St. Pierre once the pound-for-pound ace recovers from reconstructive knee surgery.
“It’s an honor,” Condit said. “Georges is a guy I looked up to since I was a young guy. It’s an honor to compete on this stage with guys like Nick Diaz and Georges St. Pierre.”
Werdum Clinch Work Wrecks Nelson
Two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Fabricio Werdum made a triumphant return to the Octagon, as he smashed Roy Nelson in the clinch en route to a unanimous decision in the co-main event. All three judges scored it 30-27 for Werdum, whose work under famed muay Thai trainer Rafael Cordeiro has paid enormous dividends.
Werdum (15-5-1, 3-2 UFC) trapped Nelson in the Thai plum repeatedly, bashing him with brutal knees to the head and body. By the end of round one, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner was a bloody mess. The knees took an obvious toll, but Nelson stayed in the fight. He winged right hands, hoping one would land and alter the trajectory of the fight. It never did.
Known more for his ground skills, Werdum has never looked better on his feet. In addition to the close-quarters knees, he blasted away with punches to the head and kicks to the legs and body. Nelson (16-7, 3-3 UFC) snatched a standing guillotine early in the third round, but Werdum, one of the world’s premier grapplers, freed himself without much trouble and resumed his work on the feet.
“I know Roy Nelson is a tough guy, but I trained my knees every day in muay Thai,” said Werdum, who had not fought in the UFC since October 2008. “I’m very happy. I’m ready for the next fight.”
Koscheck Edges Pierce on Scorecards
Koscheck slipped by Pierce.Josh Koscheck emerged victorious from a grueling three-round battle with Mike Pierce and secured a narrow split decision over the former Sportfight welterweight champion in a pivotal matchup at 170 pounds. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them for Koscheck (17-5, 15-5 UFC).
The two welterweight standouts spent much of their time jockeying for position in the clinch. Koscheck won the takedown battle, 2-1, perhaps swaying the judges ever so slightly to his side. Koscheck’s 15 UFC victories tie him with Tito Ortiz for fifth all-time, trailing only Matt Hughes (18), Georges St. Pierre (16), Chuck Liddell (16) and Randy Couture (16).
Pierce (13-5, 6-3 UFC) did nothing to lower his profile in defeat. The 31-year-old Portland, Ore., native hammered Koscheck with stiff left jabs, uppercuts and straight rights. All five of his career defeats have come by decision.
“I find a way to win,” Koscheck said. “Mike Pierce was a tough guy. I knew that coming into this fight.”
‘Barao’ Streak Reaches 18
A multi-pronged standup attack and airtight takedown defense carried surging bantamweight contender Renan Pegado to a unanimous decision over former WEC title challenger Scott Jorgensen. The 24-year-old Brazilian swept the scorecards by matching 30-27 counts, as he recorded his 18th straight victory.
Pegado (28-1, 3-0 UFC) assaulted the legs, body and head of his durable foe, firing jabs, knees and kicks with patient precision. A three-time Pac-10 wrestling champion at Boise State University, Jorgensen (13-5, 2-1 UFC) failed on every one of his takedown attempts against the Nova Uniao standout. With the exception of a buckling right hook in the first round, he was in over his head on the feet.
Content to stand on the outside, Pegado methodically picked apart the Twisted Genetiks representative, as he racked up the points with his superior standup skills and remained undefeated inside the Octagon.
“I came in here to fight three rounds. He was a very tough opponent. I expected that, but I was well prepared,” Pegado said. “I had a really good game [plan], and my team helped me a lot. I trained a lot at [using] the distance and [using my] kicks. That was exactly the game plan.”
Herman Choke Submits Starks
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 finalist Ed Herman submitted previously unbeaten Arizona Combat Sports representative Clifford Starks with a second-round rear-naked choke in their middleweight showcase. Starks (8-1, 1-1 UFC) tapped out 1:43 into round two. Starks made his presence known, even in defeat. The muscular 30-year-old peppered Herman (20-8, 7-5) UFC with heavy right hands throughout their encounter, bloodying his ear and damaging his left eye. However, he succumbed to takedowns in both rounds. In the second, Herman took it to the floor with a beautiful trip into side control, transitioned to mount and ultimately moved to Starks’ back. From there, he worked patiently for the rear-naked choke and secured it against the cage. Soon after, he was celebrating his third consecutive victory.
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5 things we learned in San Antonio
By Kieran Mulvaney; Kieran’s excellent blog can be found at www.espn.go.com
SAN ANTONIO — On Saturday, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. returned to the scene of his legendary father’s first professional blemish — an infamous draw to Pernell Whitaker at the Alamodome more than 18 years earlier. He was there perhaps to defend his family name, but also a middleweight title belt in seemingly his first strenuous test, against deserving contender Marco Antonio Rubio. Joining them on the card was Nonito Donaire, a former multidivision champion aiming for another belt in his first bout at junior featherweight, something of a grudge match against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Here’s what we learned from one night in San Antonio:
1. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a real fighter …
Not for the first time in recent bouts, Chavez showed that when the chips are down and he has to suck it up, dig in and fight, he can do just that. Rubio was advertised as potentially his toughest foe yet, and so he proved, refusing to give any quarter even as Chavez walked him down and dug into his body with hard hooks. In fact, Rubio was landing what appeared to be the higher percentage of punches as Chavez loaded up for big combinations. But Chavez kept coming, and the final two rounds had the crowd on its feet as the two men exchanged hellacious blows, each looking to provide a definitive conclusion to the contest.
2. … But he probably isn’t a real good one
At the same time, Rubio isn’t exactly a top-drawer talent. Yes, he stopped David Lemieux, but in hindsight, Lemieux was likely overrated. Rubio was flattened inside a round by Kofi Jantuah and was brutalized by Kelly Pavlik in the only fight in which Pavlik has looked half-decent in years. He showed little, if any, originality in his attack, yet Chavez was unable to nullify it. Similarly, two fights ago, Chavez went tooth-and-nail with an opponent (Sebastian Zbik) whom HBO once dubbed too poor to broadcast in a middleweight title fight.
Chavez has shown some genuine signs of improvement since connecting with trainer Freddie Roach. But there are also signs that the improvement may be plateauing. Of course, adding 20 pounds after the weigh-in couldn’t have helped; if Chavez is to develop into anything more than an entertaining battler, he needs to dedicate himself a lot more to his gym work and road work, and stay away from bars during training camp. That may not be enough — what you see may simply be what you get — but it won’t hurt.
3. Nonito Donaire has become dominant and disappointing
A year ago, Donaire blasted out Fernando Montiel in the knockout of the year, and there appeared to be no ceiling to his potential. But his two outings since then, although clear victories, have been underwhelming. In both cases there were extenuating circumstances: Omar Narvaez didn’t try to fight, while Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. at times also seemed content to hide behind a tight defense, at least until Donaire apparently broke his left hand. But, notwithstanding the fact that Donaire was a clear, and mostly one-handed, winner over a good young opponent (even though one judge, maintaining the tradition of criminally bad Alamodome scorecards, somehow contrived to score the contest for Vazquez), the victory felt unsatisfying.
Part of the problem is that “The Filipino Flash” showed signs on Saturday of regressing into a home run hitter, looking to please the crowd with spectacular bombs thrown from all angles. That’s all well and good, but when faced with a patient foe such as Vazquez, some basic jabbing and hooking might have served Donaire well, and perhaps helped to break his opponent down.
There’s no need to panic: The train hasn’t left Donaire’s station. But it’s warming up, and some disgruntled fans likely are starting to climb aboard. A trip back to basics would serve Donaire well if he is to reclaim and consolidate his place alongside Andre Ward as the best under-30 boxer in the world.
4. Vanes Martirosyan needs to step it up
Martirosyan is an engaging guy and a genuine talent, but in his 32nd professional contest, he needs to be facing opposition far more demanding than the utterly outmatched Troy Lowry, whom he beat up for three rounds on Saturday’s undercard. Martirosyan is good at calling out opponents (after dispatching Lowry, he mentioned Mexico’s Saul Alvarez), but whether because of him, his management or his promoter, he hasn’t followed that up with much in the way of actual, credible tests in the ring. It’s time for him to be matched in a meaningful contest against a real opponent, if only to see exactly what he can bring to the table.
5. HBO Boxing is off to a better start in 2012 than 2011
HBO’s kickoff bout last year seemed, on paper, a solid one: a clash between undefeated junior welterweight titlists Timothy Bradley Jr. and Devon Alexander. But the fight was a stinker, and the venue — the cavernous Pontiac Silverdome — was even worse, and not even close to being filled. By contrast, although Saturday night’s fights might not have had the same theoretical significance, they were far more entertaining. Meanwhile, the Alamodome was smartly configured for 15,000 people — and close to that many showed up, providing an enthusiastic crowd that roared at seemingly every punch. All told, it was a far more positive start to the year.
