UFC 143 Results: Condit Wins Decisive Victory, but Still Lacks Respect

Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre isn't the fight MMA fans wanted, but it's the fight they'll get.

The interim welterweight bout between Condit and Nick Diaz wasn't as spectacular as most fans had hoped for, but what defined the night was the announcement of the decision.

Condit and Diaz stood in the middle of the Octagon anxiously anticipating those sweet words of victory at UFC 143 Saturday night, and after engaging in a technical five-round battle, both fighters thought they did enough to warrant a decision win.

Condit thought his fantastic footwork and variety of leg strikes were enough, while Diaz thought the pace he set and the way he walked down Condit the entire fight would see him the victor.

With referee Steve Mazzagatti grabbing each man's hand, a million thoughts must have been racing inside the head of both fighters. I'm sure Diaz was thinking about the heavily-hyped title fight with GSP that would have taken place later this year, and Condit must have been thinking that he finally was about to receive the respect he was due.

Veteran voice of the UFC Bruce Buffer announced the decision, "the judges score this contest 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 for the winner by unanimous decision..." At this point, Diaz revealed no emotion and looked confident, while Condit closed his eyes and began to tense up.

Then, Buffer announced the winner, "the Natural Born Killer!"

Diaz looked at his team and the judges like he was robbed of a clean victory, and Condit held up his arm in triumph. After being overlooked leading up to this fight, finally the quiet assassin, who deservedly beat Diaz, would receive his glory. But the fans didn't oblige.

Condit kept his eyes close as if this moment was all but a fairy tale while a chorus of boos from the Las Vegas crowd greeted him.  Diaz showed his displeasure and hinted that the fight with Condit would be his last because of the way the judges scored the bout, but that's Diaz being Diaz.

Condit put together a brilliant game plan of not allowing Diaz to push him against the cage while setting a UFC record for leg kicks landed in a fight. So how could this crowd boo the decision?

Well, the coveted grudge match between GSP and Diaz will no longer take place this year, and Condit did exactly what he said he would do: play spoiler. Now the buildup between GSP and Diaz will fade away, and that's really too bad. It's a fight that I personally was looking forward to seeing, but who's to say that the Condit and GSP fight won't be just as exciting?

There will be no trash talk leading up to the event, and it'll simply be a true showcase of each fighter's skills, which is no different from any other GSP fight. Then again, maybe that explains the boos.