UFC 143: 5 Reasons Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Will Be Fight of the Year

UFC 143 takes place tonight and features the Fight of the Year, which is Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship and the No. 1 contention for Georges "Rush" St-Pierre's UFC Welterweight Title.

Wait, what's that?

"Fight of The Year," you say?

But, we're only beginning the month of February, aren't we?

Yes, we are, but if you really are not sure why you should care about the Fight of The Year, we've got five reasons why you shouldn't sleep on the Fight of the Year tonight as we get closer to this Interim Welterweight title showdown!

The Moment Carlos Condit Has Been Waiting for

"The Natural Born Killer" is a former WEC Welterweight Champion, the last Welterweight Champion in the history of the WEC, and he's been on a warpath to get to this pinnacle here tonight.

Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, Dong Hyun Kim, Brock Larson...the list goes on and on as to whom Condit has handed defeats.

To put it simply, there is a long list of impressive Welterweight victories, and every single one of them say that Condit will be the man to give Nick Diaz some serious trouble tonight.

But of course, he's not supposed to even make it competitive tonight, right?

The Moment Nick Diaz Has Been Waiting for

Nick Diaz hates fighting to love it, hates media questions that sound stupid, hates when people write off his challengers before he even fights them, hates when people edit videos to make him sound like his voice pitch changed when he was shooting the pre-fight interviews, and hates when some cameras are all up in his face in trying to get a glimpse of his training regimen.

If there was one thing Diaz probably hated more than anything else, it'd probably be the prospect of him earning what he's been able to earn in the form of his victories and this Interim Welterweight title shot, only to have it taken from him by a fighter like Carlos Condit, who wants to potentially play spoiler to what might be the biggest threat to Georges St-Pierre's UFC Welterweight title reign.

Diaz's last loss was the controversial loss to KJ Noons, but Diaz avenged that loss, and followed it up with a spectacular 2011 that included wins over Evangelista Santos, Paul Daley and a scintillating UFC return against BJ Penn.

Now, we're at UFC 143 and Condit awaits Diaz.

Think Diaz is just going to lay down for Condit and give up everything for which he has worked?

Think again.

The Winner Gets a Shot at the UFC Welterweight Title

This goes without saying.

The winner is the Interim UFC Welterweight Champion, and the man who will face Georges St-Pierre for the undisputed Welterweight title, a bout that is likely to happen in November if GSP's knees agree.

The loser goes to the back of the line, so to speak, but their stock may not drop too far because of how good their foe legitimately is.

Any other questions?

The Respect Both Have for Each Other

Really speaking, what have Condit and Diaz said about each other, other than Diaz saying that Condit won't be able to work his game on him, and Condit saying Diaz won't be able to work his game on him?

The only other thing Diaz has said about Condit is that it makes him sick that so many people are talking about St-Pierre vs. Diaz before Diaz has even gotten in the cage with Condit.

Condit similarly has responded to the people that feel his best shot to beat Diaz is a gift decision, and he looks determined to spoil the prematurely-discussed bout come fight time tonight.

Many think Diaz needs to focus and that he looks disengaged at times, but really speaking, both guys sell the fight by showing up on fight night and bringing the fight to their opponents.

Besides, if you saw UFC Primetime, you know that the questions got pretty redundant after a while, even to Condit, who is generally the type of guy one might want to interview.

If that doesn't sell the fight and the importance thereof, then I don't know what will, but at least Diaz didn't flip Condit off.

All Diaz has really done is remind the public that Condit is a fighter who's worth a damn and then some.

The Stylistic Matchup That Translates to the Early "Fight of the Year" Candidate

Nick Diaz represents Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but with his Jiu-Jitsu comes a punishing Boxing game, and a style that contains 25 minutes of action inside of just about every five-minute round he fights.

In what will be his first five-round bout in the UFC, Diaz will look to deliver the defining performance of his career as he combats Carlos Condit, but Condit is by no means an easy task.

Condit pushes the action as well, but his striking is more diverse, as he likes to throw knees and elbows against his opponents, and he shows comfort regardless of where the fight goes.

Both Diaz and Condit have been described as guys who fight for the fans, but the key factor here is cardio.

Diaz's motor is always healthy, and it's been proven that he has more than the minimum requirements needed to last beyond three rounds, but Condit is a former WEC Welterweight Champion (forgot to mention that earlier) and as such, he knows what it's like to dig deep and pull out a little extra something in order to win the fight.

If you still aren't seeing how their styles make this a classic, check out Diaz's classic-yet-infamous bout with Takanori Gomi, or do yourself a favor and find a way to watch the fight tonight.

You will not regret it one bit.

@DaleDeSouzaMMA