UFC 143 Predictions and Analysis

This Saturday, UFC 143 takes place in Las Vegas. A new welterweight king will be crowned, high-profile heavyweights will collide, and a bantamweight bout with title implications are among the many fights we will be graced with.

This card has carried a number of injuries that have seen Georges St. Pierre, Erik Koch, Ricardo Lamas, Amir Sadollah, Jorge Lopez, Mike Stumpf and Justin Edwards drop from the card.

Despite injury, this card still carries some solid fights that should be both entertaining and important. But who will win, and who will come away with Fight, Submission and Knockout of the Night?

Let's take a closer look at this weekend's event.

Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper

The night starts off in the middleweight division, where three-fight UFC veteran Rafael Natal takes on talented newcomer Michael Kuiper. In this bout of international fighters, we see an interesting stylistic match-up.

On one hand we have Natal, a talented grappler with developing stand-up skills, as demonstrated in his victory over Paul Bradley. Seven of Natal's 13 victories come by way of submission, crediting his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

His opponent, Kuiper, is also an exceptional grappler, holding a black belt in Judo and a purple belt in BJJ. In his previous bouts, Kuiper has shown a solid all-around game, which makes him a top European prospect in Europe.

Prediction: Expect the fight to start off slow, with both men testing each other's distance and takedown defense. If the fighters begin to clinch up, expect Kuiper to gain an advantage and throw Natal. Otherwise, Natal should be able to control Kuiper in the stand-up department en route to a decision victory.

Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson

The second and final Facebook fight takes place in the welterweight division, pitting newcomers Stephen Thompson and Dan Stittgen against one another.

Stephen Thompson is said to have great kickboxing skills, to go along with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Carlos Machado. He brings with him an undefeated 5-0 record in his professional career.

Stittgen, on the other hand, trains out of the Midwest Training Center, which has produced such UFC fighters as Clay Guida and Mike Lullo. Stittgen has shown solid submission skills, with five of his seven victories coming by tapout.

Prediction: Stephen Thompson will want to use his superior kickboxing to keep the fight standing. He will use his technical striking, along with scattered power shots, to knock Stittgen out early in the fight.

Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope

We start off the FX card in the welterweight division, where longtime UFC veteran Matt Brown will throw down with The Ultimate Fighter 13's Chris Cope. Both men utilize their striking for the most part, so this one could be entertaining.

The ultra-scrappy Matt Brown is most likely looking to keep his job with his fight, as he is 1-4 over his past five fights. He possesses power in his hands, but in the past has shown to be susceptible to submissions. This is proven, as nine of his eleven losses come by tapout.

Standing opposite in the cage, Chris Cope is coming off of a quick knockout loss to Che Mills. Cope has shown good takedown defense through his UFC career, and improved striking, as demonstrated in his bout against Chuck O'Neil.

Cope is still green, and could receive his walking papers should he lose Saturday night.

Prediction: It is doubtful that this fight reaches the ground, unless Brown utilizes the same game plan he did against John Howard. But Brown is a brawler at heart, and once he sees that familiar smirk on Cope's face, he will want to punch it off of him.

Brown takes this fight by knockout in the late first or early second round.

Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa

In a battle of exciting strikers, The Ultimate Fighter veteran Alex "Bruce Leeroy" Caceres finds himself opposite of Edwin Figueroa, an intriguing prospect in the bantamweight division.

Bantamweights continually prove exciting in the UFC and this match should be no different.

Caceres seems to have found his weight at 135, with his debut being a dismantling of Cole Escovedo. Caceres has shown solid striking, along with an underrated submission game. He is athletic and quick, which he will need to be against the powerful and technical Figueroa.

Figueroa has the experience of facing high-level talent in Michael McDonald. Figueroa is 1-1 in his UFC career so far and has shown great striking so far. In all eight of his wins, he has never gone the distance, with six knockouts and two submissions to his resume.

Prediction: Caceres is a talented and exciting fighter, but he is going up against a more talented fighter in Figueroa. Expect some exciting exchanges before Figueroa drops Caceres and eventually taps him out with a choke.

Matt Riddle vs. Henry Martinez

In our third welterweight tilt of the night, we will see UFC veteran Matt Riddle take on newcomer Henry Martinez, who is taking this fight on very short notice.

Riddle has lost two straight, while in the process of putting on entertaining fights against Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist. Riddle is a strong wrestler who will probably go back to his roots for this fight. He is in danger of being cut, so we can expect to see him play it safe here.

Martinez, a student of Greg Jackson, is coming off an impressive submission victory earlier this month at Jackson's MMA Series in New Mexico. Martinez has proven to be a solid submission guy, and seeing as he has fought as low as featherweight, the weight cut in the short time span will not be an issue.

He will need to utilize distance and takedown defense if he wishes success against Riddle.

Prediction: As stated, look for Riddle to set up a takedown with his hands. Look for a late first-round or mid-second-round stoppage from his ground-and-pound.

Martinez should be applauded though, as he took this fight during fight week.

Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway

Rounding off the FX card, we see rising prospect Dustin Poirier take on newcomer Max Holloway in the featherweight division. Holloway steps in on short notice for Erik Koch, which would have been an exciting battle of top prospects.

Poirier has rapidly become a top-10 featherweight in the UFC, bragging an all-around game that is envied by many. In his three UFC fights, he has destroyed Josh Grispi, Jason Young and Pablo Garza. His only career loss came in his WEC debut against Danny Castillo, when he was still unknown.

His opponent, Holloway, is still very young in his career. He has drawn a tough opponent here, so it will be wise for him to take control of the Octagon and not allow Poirier to get going.

Prediction: Poirier is definitely on another level than most featherweights, especially somebody as young and inexperienced as Holloway. Expect to see what you saw when Poirier fought Pablo Garza, in which he bullies Holloway into an early stoppage.

Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks

The pay-per-view commences with a middleweight bout between the resurgent Ed Herman and prospect Clifford Starks. This is a perfect example of wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu practitioner.

Since Ed Herman's return from a serious injury, he has been on a tear. He has easily run through Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke, submitting the latter with a devastating inverted heel hook. Herman is nasty on the ground and lethal on the feet.

He will definitely be looking for a higher-level fight following this match.

Clifford Starks was less than impressive in his victory over Dustin Jacoby in his debut. He used decent striking to set up his takedowns, but did little else. He should expect to be on the defensive, should he take a submission whiz like Herman to the ground.

Prediction: Expect just that. Starks will take Herman to the ground but will find that out to be no picnic. Expect Herman to catch him in a submission and send Starks back to the undercard.

Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen

In a bout with bantamweight championship implications on the line, we will see Scott Jorgensen step up to take on Renan Barao.

Jorgensen is a force at bantamweight, having brutal ground-and-pound to go along with an iron chin. Since dropping his title fight to Dominick Cruz, Jorgensen destroyed Ken Stone and outworked Jeff Curran to a decision.

A solid win here could catapult Jorgensen to the front of the line in terms of title talks.

Those title talks are similar to Barao, who is coming off an exciting submission victory over Brad Pickett. Barao is on a huge winning streak and will look to extend it over a strong wrestler like "Young Guns."

Should he be able to keep the fight standing, he will have more than a good chance to come away with a win.

Prediction: Jorgensen will continue his aggressive style, looking to take this fight to the mat. Barao possesses dangerous submissions, which he will need to avoid. Look for Jorgensen to mix punches and passes en route to a decision victory over Barao.

Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce

In yet another welterweight fight, we match up former title contender Josh Koscheck against the rugged and durable Mike Pierce. Pierce, who has asked for this fight, has previously competed against Koschek training partner Jon Fitch, who he dropped a decision to.

Koscheck is a longtime UFC employee, coming off a huge knockout victory over the legendary Matt Hughes. Koscheck has continued to show his improved stand-up in more recent bouts, but his wrestling is really his go-to.

Although Pierce also has good wrestling skills, it's obvious that Kosheck is superior.

On the other hand, we have a workmanlike fighter in Mike Pierce. He has quietly become a solid fighter at welterweight, always challenging himself against the division's brightest talent. Pierce also has developing striking, which he mixes nicely with submissions and dominant top control.

Prediction: Koscheck is a seasoned vet, and after seeing his training partner, Jon Fitch, get drudged in 12 seconds against a similar fighter to Pierce in Johny Hendricks, we can expect Koscheck to be more cautious.

He will use his hands to set up takedowns, and work to a decision victory over Pierce in the end.

Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum

In our only heavyweight tilt of the night, we see our co-main event graced by Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum. Both men possess great ground games, but whose will prevail?

Nelson is a solid all-around fighter when he wants to be, as he has knocked out the likes of Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve and Mirko Cro Cop. He has some of the best top control of any man in the heavyweight division using his unique physique to smother opponents. He has lost weight, but believe me, that belly is still there.

Returning to the Octagon following a stint in Strikeforce is Fabricio Werdum. If you watched his last fight, obviously Werdum would love to take this fight to the ground and use his world-class submission game to end this fight.

Nelson will not be easy to take down or finish.

Prediction: Nelson will look to send Werdum packing with power punches on the feet. If he wants, he can take Werdum down and attempt his patented smothering, while avoiding numerous submission attempts.

Look for a late knockout or a solid decision victory from Nelson, which will lead to an entertaining post-fight interview.

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit

Alas, we come to the main event, and this one (unlike last weekend) will not disappoint. For the Interim Welterweight Championship, Nick Diaz will take his mean mug to the Octagon to face off against a man who lives up to his "Natural Born Killer" nickname in Carlos Condit.

Diaz has impressed as of late, knocking out Paul Daley and dismantling an overwhelmed BJ Penn. I was not sold on Diaz until he picked Penn apart. It is hard to deny Diaz's all-around skills, as he brings insane cardio, a great chin, solid boxing and top-notch jiu-jitsu.

His weakness is wrestlers, but knowing Condit, he will challenge Diaz where he is strongest.

Condit is equally dangerous and mean as Diaz, powering through recent opponents such as Dong Hyun-Kim and Dan Hardy. He has a lot of power in his hands and brings a great kickboxing background with him.

He is no slouch on the ground himself, as he proved when Hyun-Kim could not hold him down. Condit is ferocious, and at the first sign of blood, he will look to finish the fight.

Prediction: This fight has fireworks written all over it. Almost as much as the fight, I cannot wait for the staredown at the weigh-ins. Anyway, I believe Condit has the power, chin and stamina to stick with Diaz, and should he land a ferocious combination on Diaz, he will finish him.

I may regard Condit too highly, but I think he has earned it to this point. He will punch his ticket Saturday to meet Georges St-Pierre, who will be very "impressed by his performance."

Fight Night Awards

Fight of the Night: Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz

Knockout of the Night: Carlos Condit

Submission of the Night: Ed Herman

That is all for now. Feel free to leave you own personal picks and comments.

I look forward to seeing the feedback!