UFC 143: Memorable Moments from the Event

UFC 143 was one of the most anticipated cards in recent memory, mainly due to the main event between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.

The three episode UFC Primetime series gained the interest of plenty of fans, and the enigma that is Diaz was enough to get anyone excited for this card.

Throw in Josh Koscheck and intriguing bouts between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum, as well as Renan Barao and Scott Jorgensen, and the night had the word “classic” written all over it.

While the main event wasn’t the war that everyone was expecting, it certainly gave fans plenty to talk about, and the abundance of exciting bouts certainly made UFC 143 a card to remember.

Stephan Thompson Impresses in His UFC Debut

There was a ton of hype prior to highly touted striker Stephan Thompson’s UFC debut, and unless he pulled off something spectacular, he was going to disappoint at least a few fans.

Lucky for us, Thompson made sure that he pleased everyone as he used his awkward karate-based stance to confuse his opponent and eventually landed a smooth headkick that left fellow UFC newcomer Dan Stittson out cold.

It was an incredibly impressive UFC debut, and after suffering little to no damage, hopefully it will be sooner rather than later when we see “Wonderboy” back inside the Octagon.

Matt Riddle Goes into Overdrive, Holds on to His Roster Spot

One of the select few UFC fighters who have spent their entire career inside the Octagon, Matt Riddle has gained a pretty decent fanbase due to his infectious personality and exciting fighting style.

Riddle was in danger of losing both his job and his chance to fight in the limelight when he signed to fight UFC newcomer Henry Martinez on short notice, and the risk was even greater when you realized that Ramirez is a lightweight fighting at welterweight.

After a first round where Martinez dominated on the feet, Riddle looked to be in trouble before a switch seemed to click on in his brain and he went after Martinez like he had stolen his lunch money.

After an action-packed flurry to steal the second round, Riddle took down the smaller fighter in the third and beat him up en route to a decision victory.

Alex Caceres Low-Blows His Way to a Decision Loss

In one of the most bizarre fights in recent memory, Edwin Figueroa defeated Alex Caceres by getting kicked in the nuts twice.

Early in the first round, an inside leg kick from Caceres landed a bit south of the border and actually knocked Figueroa off of his feet it landed so severely. Referee Herb Dean let “Bruce Leroy” off with a warning, and the bout was restarted after almost the entire five-minute limit.

The second round began, and once again Caceres threw a kick that landed low, and this time Dean was forced to take two points away from the TUF 12 cast member.

Although Caceres obviously won the fight, the two-point deduction was too much for him to overcome and he ended up losing a split decision.

Dustin Poirier Dominates to Continue His Climb Up the Featherweight Ladder

After losing two opponents in as many weeks leading up to this bout, it would have been easy for rising featherweight contender Dustin Poirier to overlook UFC newcomer Max Holloway in preparation for their bout.

But perhaps the parallels between Holloway and Poirier from just a year ago, where Poirier took out top contender Josh Grispi as a relative unknown, were enough to keep “The Diamond” focused on the task at hand, as he looked as impressive as ever in his first-round stoppage win.

After Holloway came out at a million miles per hour on the feet, Poirier showed his poise and took the fight to the mat where he clearly had the advantage and ended up locking in a B-E-A-utiful mounted triangle-armbar combo to secure his spot among the 145-pound elite.

Renan Barao Proves He Is a Legit Contender at Bantamweight

Training with featherweight champion Jose Aldo on a daily basis is going to help make you a great fighter, but when you throw in Renan Barao’s natural talent, there is a real chance that we’re looking at a future bantamweight champion.

Scott Jorgensen was ranked as a top five fighter in his division by nearly everyone going into this bout against Barao, but the rising prospect made him look outclassed for the entire 15 minutes they spent together in the cage.

Barao used his striking to frustrate his opponent on the feet and showed Aldo-esque takedown defense in order to keep it there, easily winning a decision.

Josh Koscheck Escapes with a Victory; Blasts Live Crowd

Mike Pierce called out Josh Koscheck in order to fight the former welterweight title challenger, and he proved he belonged in the same cage as Koscheck for the majority of their three-round battle.

Koscheck looked almost disinterested throughout much of the bout, pawing with his lead left hand and showing little offense throughout, but ultimately his takedowns and ability to avoid the offense of Pierce earned him a split-decision win.

It wasn’t the most impressive performance of Koscheck’s career, and the crowd let him know it with their post-fight reaction, but Koscheck played up his villainous character to perfection and threw the audience the finger.

Roy Nelson's Chin Is Legendary

While Fabricio Werdum was mightily impressive in his win over Roy Nelson, “Big Country” still found a way to steal the show by surviving the onslaught that Werdum threw at him.

The first round featured Werdum using some sickening knees from the clinch, landing a couple hard shots that would have knocked out almost anyone on the UFC roster, but Nelson’s legendary chin helped him survive.

Later on in the bout, Werdum landed several other hard shots, including an Anderson Silva-style front kick that Nelson was some how able to shrug off, proving that Nelson may be the one man in the sport who is impossible to finish.

Carlos Condit Uses a Great Game Plan to Squeak by Nick Diaz

It may not have been the all-out war that fans were expecting, but Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz kept fans glued to their televisions for the entire 25-minute duration of their title bout.

Condit’s game plan was to keep Diaz chasing him and to hit the former Strikeforce champion as he came in to attack, and it worked perfectly, as Condit was able to counter and fire off his leg kicks in order to seal the decision win.

Many fans have claimed that Condit’s constant backpedaling should have earned Diaz the decision, but the bottom line is that Condit fought his fight and earned the nod on the judge’s scorecards.

Nick Diaz Retires Due to Frustration with MMA Judging

Slightly overshadowed by the controversial nature of the decision of last night’s main event is that Nick Diaz’s claim that he is done with MMA after what he feels was a robbery of a decision.

Both Nick and his brother Nate have been complaining about MMA judging for years, and it seemed like Nick finally hit his breaking point after falling short in his title fight.

While most fans and UFC president Dana White feel that Diaz will eventually cool down and make his return to the UFC, Diaz’s frustration with the judges is unlikely to die down anytime soon.

It will be a long time before the unpredictable Diaz lets us forget this fight.