UFC 143: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: Odds, Predictions, Analysis and More

The UFC will head to Las Vegas, Nev. this weekend for its Super Bowl weekend event. The fight card, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 4, will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and feature a bout between former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit. The winner of the contest will be crowned interim UFC welterweight champion.

The interim title became necessary when current champion Georges St-Pierre injured his knee while training for his bout against Nick Diaz, a fight that was originally scheduled for this card. The injury required St-Pierre to undergo surgery, and since his last defense of the title had been a five-round unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields on April 30, 2011, it was decided that an interim champion would be in the best interest of the promotion.

Diaz is currently in the midst of an 11-fight winning streak, with his last victory being the dismantling of former UFC champion BJ Penn at UFC 137. The loss, a three-round unanimous decision, was so disheartening to the bruised and bloodied Penn that he effectively announced his retirement in the cage, telling Joe Rogan, “Joe, this is probably the last time you see me in here. I want to perform at the top level.…I've got a daughter. I've got another daughter on the way. I don't want to go home looking like this."

Condit’s recent record rivals that of his opponent, as he has gone 12-1 in his last 13 fights, with his sole loss being a split decision to Martin Kampmann in April of 2009. The loss was Condit’s UFC debut bout.

Condit is currently on a three-fight KO streak, with his two most recent stoppages, against Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim, earning him “Knockout of the Night” bonuses. He also has a “Fight of the Night” bonus to his name since joining the UFC.

The co-main event on the card will feature Fabricio Werdum returning to the UFC for the first time since a knockout loss to current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 90. Werdum’s opponent on Saturday will be Roy Nelson, who earned a TKO victory over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in his last fight.

Bleacher Report MMA will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on all the fights on the upcoming fight card.

Check back often as the fight card nears for all the UFC 143 information you need.

6:01 PM ET

UFC 143 Predictions: Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit and Roy Nelson vs Fabricio Werdun

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit

Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit have both been saying the right things going into this fight. Both are dismissing the fans and pundits that are looking ahead to the winner taking on Georges St-Pierre, just as both are admitting to the fact they are facing a tough opponent.

The odds on this one started out as pretty much dead even, but over time the betting line has begun to favor Diaz and I can’t say that I disagree. There is no denying that Condit deserves a shot at the interim title in this fight, he can bring it just as well as Diaz can, but the difference is in the technique. With Diaz landing well over 100 strikes per fight (178 out of 350 thrown against BJ Penn), any fighter will have a rough time dealing with that volume of strikes. When you throw in the fact that Diaz has a gas tank that could probably go 10 rounds, well, I just feel he’ll be too much and will eventually weaken the resolve of Condit. Nick Diaz by fourth round submission

Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum

There’s a lot on the line for both fighters in this bout. While it’s true that Nelson has lost some of the girth that led UFC president Dana White to proclaim, “The fat thing was funny for a while, it’s not funny anymore,” following a loss to Frank Mir at UFC 130, it’s not a lock that his job is completely safe heading into UFC 143. Nelson’s opponent, Fabricio Werdum is also not a sure thing to continue UFC employment following Saturday night’s co-main event.

Nelson is coming off a win over a badly fading Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 137, while Werdum enters UFC 143 coming off one of the more bizarre losses of 2011, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Alistair Overeem in June, a fight he spent a good deal of time looking to draw Overeem into his guard, to no avail.

Both of these fighters are black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but Nelson has an advantage in his power and ability to take a punch. It’s doubtful that Werdum will fight the same style of fight on Saturday that he did against Overeem, but it’s also doubtful that he has the power to stop Nelson or that the difference in jiu-jitsu skill level is pronounced enough that he will be able to submit Nelson.

The question on Nelson is what kind of shape he will be in when he enters the Octagon. If he has continued to drop bulk and replace it with muscle then he should be able to use his power and ability to take abuse to outlast Werdum. If he comes in heavier he may end up gassing and leaving himself susceptible to Werdum’s submission attempts.

I think Nelson has learned his lesson and he will be in better shape than he was in the Cro Cop fight and he will take home the decision.

2:07 PM ET

UFC 143: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit: Early Betting Odds

The UFC will return to Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, February 4 when the present UFC 143 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The five fight main card will see former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz meet Carlos Condit in a battle to decide who will wear the interim UFC welterweight title while current champion Georges St-Pierre rehabs from knee surgery.

In the co-main event, Fabricio Werdum, the man that ended Fedor Emelianenko’s amazing unbeaten streak, will return to the Octagon for the first time since October 2008 when he meets Roy Nelson. Werdum will be looking to get back on track after putting on a somewhat odd performance in a losing effort against Alistair Overeem in his last bout, while Nelson will look to continue his winning ways after earning a TKO win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in his last fight.

Also on the main card will be a bantamweight bout between Renan Barao, a fighter who is currently enjoying a 28 fight unbeaten streak and highly ranked Scott Jorgensen. This bout may very well determine who will fight the winner of the as yet unscheduled Dominick Cruz versus Urijah Faber bantamweight title bout, a fight that will take place sometime after they complete their stint as coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Main Card Odds:

Nick Diaz (-200) favorite over Carlos Condit (+160)

Fabricio Werdum (-150) favorite over Roy Nelson (+120)

Josh Koscheck (-245) favorite over Mike Pierce (+195)

Renan Barao (-240) favorite over Scott Jorgensen (+190)

Ed Herman (-300) favorite over Clifford Starks (+240)

Preliminary Card Odds:

Dustin Poirier (-450) favorite over Max Holloway (+300)

Matt Riddle (-345) favorite over Henry Martinez (+275)

Edwin Figueroa (-150) favorite over Alex Caceres (+120)

Matt Brown (-310) favorite over Chris Cope (+250)

Stephen Thompson (-260) favorite over Dan Stittgen (+210)