Bloody Elbow

Charlie Offenbacher - February 8, 2012 reply

We're going to see this fight

until the UFC gets the results it wants.

fhitshaced - February 8, 2012 reply

No

The UFC will get the desired results come hell or high water this next time. I’d love it of Diaz didn’t accept it.

dedstrk316 - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

No matter what happens this time around, the winner will be facing GSP upon his return. It doesn’t matter if it is just as controversial as the first, they won’t be able to sell a third fight to the fans. In general, I hate rematches, especially in a division full of great fighters. I’d rather see Carlos fight the winner of Ellenberger-Sanchez or Alves-Kampmann or Johnny Hendricks. There are too many interesting match ups to keep making the same fight.

mahalie - February 8, 2012 reply

Unless what GSP was saying is true and not just bluster

We could see him give up his belt to face Diaz. I am sure it was just heat of the moment talk though.

dedstrk316 - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Condit had a great gameplan but...

If you win like that, you have to be ready for some controversy and a potential rematch. If he dominated Diaz, beat him up, submitted him, etc. there would be no problem.

By going in with his very smart, but tentative gameplan, he opened himself up to this counter — a rematch.

The only thing that made this result less definitive was Diaz taking his back in the 4th

Or it was 4 rounds Condit all day… Shit some would argue he won the 5th anyway.

sexysassytravismmafan - February 8, 2012 reply

If Condit wins again is there gonna be another rematch?

StevenGiles - February 8, 2012 reply

I want Diaz to win, but I hope not. A 3rd fight would be very stupid. Needs a decisive finish.

If the second fight is a razor thin decision, but mindblowingly awesome fight, then it might make sense. But if it’s just more of the same? No thanks.

Bloody L - February 8, 2012 reply

best out of til Diaz wins

Ricardo Arguello - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Mobile rec

dedstrk316 - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Bahahahahah so true

Rec well earned.

no because this rematch is happening since the decision is controversial

seriously some people are just fucking stubborn as hell in BE.

even though I believe Diaz won (by taking 1, 2, and 5) but I also see the arguments why people think Condit took 2nd so he took 2, 3, and 4 and i will gladly accept the fact that this was a close fight. but some people are just bitching and saying “oh condit won hands down, diaz is just being a cry baby.” people seriously think Condit won by that far?

at first, I was like “what the fuck, Diaz obviously won” but after I read some people’s opinions on why they think condit won the fight, I tried to see the fight from their point of view and also agreed that their argument is very solid, and im pretty sure many other people did the same think (from both diaz and condit sides) but some people won’t give a shit about what other people think and they just keep being sarcastic. this fight is just like penn vs. edgar I and machida vs. shogun I. well first one was very close so why don’t we just do it again?

So people, let’s just stop bitching and wait for the rematch. I’m pretty sure when Condit took the rematch, he would try not only to beat diaz but to beat the fuck out of diaz so no one would make an argument about the fight again. and vice versa for Nick Diaz.

If it goes to another decision...

That’d be 4 for Carlos in his last 7 fights. Just noticed that… WW is a tough division.

Zachary Kater - February 8, 2012 reply

LOL

Dude, I thought you were already going to throw him under the bus and start complaining a la GSP haters. WW is a freakishly tough division at the top, and the athletes all have the stamina to go the full 5, and the defense not to be easily put out. I personally think that based on the average heights of human beings, you’ll have the most athletes around that weight class, and hence you will find more of the best athletes in the world at that weight class, and because of that, WW needs draws or extension rounds. Optimally, extension rounds based on rounds called as draws would be the best thing.

for the Diaz supporters

please see FightMetric scoring of the fight.

wamarsh - February 8, 2012 reply

Fightmetric isn’t the end-all. Just look at werduam-overeem, for example. But I agree that there shouldn’t be an imm rematch—Condit’s next opp should be with usain bolt.

thuggis - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

kidding aside, even as a diaz fan, i’d rather see some different matchups, say, diaz vs. kampmann, and condit vs. hendricks.

thuggis - February 8, 2012 reply

Condit vs Ellenberge(If he wins v Sanchez) And Hendricks vs Diaz

Id like to see those fights, Ellenberger is on fire at the moment and the rematch would be awesome to see, It would also legitimize his title shot should he win with victories over 3 top WW’s in Shields, Sanchez and Condit.

Hendricks has a tailor made style to beat Diaz so it will be interesting to see if Nick can finally beat a good top control fighter, If he cant then he never would have stood a chance against GSP anyway.

Can't rec this enough.

Nailed it.

Triangled - February 8, 2012 reply

Yes...

Because Nick and Ceaser will cry again until they get one!

Hoochmma - February 8, 2012 reply

Right now it seems like they may not even take the rematch.

Dun Dun Dunnnnnnn

The plot thickens

of course not, they know Diaz would lose again… ;-)

But I thought they were only cryig to get that fight?

Victor Rodriguez - February 8, 2012 reply

yes

they will keep rematching until Diaz wins.
STOCKTON, MUTHERFUKER!!!

In before Diaz haters start crying

Oops, too late.

so all people who scored it for condit...

are diaz haters ? got it!

Not what I said.

Just because someone scored it for Condit doesn’t necessarily mean that person wouldn’t want to see a rematch. But the Diaz haters absolutely are against a rematch.

See?

You Diaz lovers took all the tissues before we even had a chance to squeak out a tear lol

(Gets his popcorn and waits for the shitstorm to start)

So whenever a fight doesn’t play out how the UFC wanted it for their big money match we’re going to do rematch after rematch until the results are.. “right”?

Did you not read DK’s comment?

sheikybaby - February 8, 2012 reply

Sigh

Least deserved UFC rematch, ever.

And I say that as a big fan of both Diaz and Condit.

Is it? Thats actually a good question……….what honestly is the least deserved rematch in UFC history……..? Hughes/GSP III?

@ least hughes won the first fight. and he has done a shitload more over the course of his career to earn an “undeserved” fight.

I don’t mind Hughes\GSP III, because even though GSP stomped him once, Hughes was the most dominant WW in the history of the sport. In my book, that kind of run earns you a rematch when you lose your title.

Yeah I’m probably just looking at it in hindsight, since Hughes/GSP III has always been my go-to gold standard for absolutely comprehensive dominant shit-kickings in every possible facet.

Actually, strange as it sounds, especially in hindsight...

Rampage \ Silva III was probably the least deserved match, at the time the fight was booked.

Still, their first fights were out of the UFC, so maybe that doesn’t count.

Hughes/GSP 3 was booked because Serra got hurt and pulled out of his fight with Hughes

chavez_26 - February 8, 2012 reply

when i read your post i envisioned the simpson comic book guy as the voice

dandeman - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

“Loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.”

I thought

The first fight was a great watch, who wouldn’t want to see them rematch? Esp if its only in 3 months time, maybe time for 1 more defence before GSP is back even.

:-)

taptomyarmbar - February 8, 2012 reply

maybe time for 1 more defence before GSP is back even

This is extremely unlikely, even if there is time.

Drunken cutman - February 8, 2012 reply

I enjoyed that fight, but I just don’t see this as necessary. There are other fights for the interim title I’d rather see and that make more sense.

And it makes no sense for Condit. His strategy for beating Diaz invovles a style many people don’t like, and losing to him negates his previous win.

theslynx - February 8, 2012 reply

There are other fights for the interim title I’d rather see and that make more sense

Which fights do you have in mind?

Drunken cutman - February 8, 2012 reply

So let me predict the card this fight will be on….
DIaz vs Condit
Pierce vs Koscheck
Figueroa vs Caceres
Riddle vs Martinez

It would make sense. If you have a rematch for one close fight, why not the others, especially considering the Diaz Condit fight was actually a UD and the others were split. They’ve gotta rematch all of them then surely?

StevenGiles - February 8, 2012 reply

Haha

Afrotikiman - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Kinda different when there's a title at stake.

But hey, don’t let that little detail disrupt your logic.

Worldisart - February 8, 2012 reply

terrible fight

I don’t get it at all. Condit is able to stay away from diaz off the fence, where all other guys lose to him. He’s able to ignore Diaz’s taunts where other guys get flustered and drop whatever game plan they had. he outstrikes the guy who is known to be this volume puncher and now he has to fight him again?

Let’s see if Diaz learns how to cut off his opponent in the next few weeks or if he’s just going to go in there and taunt him til he gets what he wants.

Ricardo Arguello - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

weak teeps and leg kicks

Does not equate out striking, especially when Diaz outlanded Conduit in hand strikes. Also, a lot of the UFC fighters said that Diaz won. The only people that don’t like this match up are nuthuggers, and raging haters.

juanchoD - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

While Diaz was throwing hand strikes, Condit threw three spinning back fists, two flying knees, more then enough head kicks and enough punches that would have dropped most other fighters. To say Condit threw only leg kicks is ignorant.

And for every UFC fighter that thinks Diaz won there are enough other UFC fighters that had Condit winning.

People who don’t like this match up might be nuthuggers and Diaz-haters but don’t forget the huge amount of people who have no hatred towards either fighter who just think the fight is completely unnecessary.

http://www.ufc.com/discover/sport/rules-and-regulations#14

According to the UFC’s own website

Evaluations shall be made in the order in which the techniques appear in © above, giving the most weight in scoring to effective striking, effective grappling, control of the fighting area and effective aggressiveness and defense.

Garbanzo - February 8, 2012 reply

I’m not sure if this is directed to my post, but with this in mind Condit won the fight quite easily: His striking was more effective then Diaz, he controlled the fight area by dictating where the fight took place (not against the cage) and effective defense would go to him as well. One could argue that effective aggressiveness could go to Diaz but then you would have to wonder in how far his aggressiveness was effective when most of his strikes didn’t really do any damage to Condit. Effective Grappling is a tossup – Condit defended two out of three takedown-attempts. Diaz got back control and a submission attempt but couldn’t do anything with it for 90 seconds while Condit managed to sweep and gain a dominant position in the last seconds.

Condit did not sweep

Diaz tried a hail-marry-armbar, lost it and therefore gave Condit dominant position.

A hail mary armbar?

Didn’t Nick himself say that he didn’t put much effort into the armbar but would have if he’d known he was behind on the scorecards?

That's what it was

No matter what he said (I think he said “Should’ve finished that armlock” in the post-fight interview). You could see him trying to set stuff up until he was informed that there were only seconds left, then went for the armbar.

yes,

and I think it’s credible, but very ironic. Diaz was basically saying here he thought he had the decision and didn’t try as hard as he could have in that situation, which some of the serious fanboys have overlooked IMO.

Sounds completely illogical to me. For that, Nick hat to sit there and say to himself: “Ah, fuck those 65.000$ Sub-of-the-night-bonus I will 100% guaranteed receive for a last-second armbar win, I’ll just coast to my surefire win, because I really don’t feel like putting extra effort in this…I am STILL gonna go for the armbar though and give up the position I could use to ride out the round in dominant position”.

Do you really think that happened? i don’t.

I think he was incredibly frustrated

I think he was feeling things he hasn’t felt in a fight situation in a long long time. Even as I write this, I acknowledge that it is speculation, but what the hell, I am polite about it and this is a blog after all.

But it’s his own words, and yeah, I think if he really thought he was losing he might have kicked it up a little bit more. I actually also think that Diaz in the rematch will take him down and sub him, because I think his game is way better than Condit’s there.

I disagree, obviously. Your theory makes no sense to me.

I agree though his ground game is far superior to Condits. Unfortunately I think Condit will be prepared and his TDD will be too good for Diaz. I see the rematch going like the first one, only Carlos will be more refined and win a bit more conclusively.

I'm sure he was prepared this time

It didn’t stop him from getting drug to the ground and having his back mounted.

Once, after several rather pathetic attempts. So I’d say, if that is Diaz’ strategy: good luck.

Once out of 3 attempts

and took his back.

This fight is making people so crazy/bitter/mad, I don’t get it.

I think I’m gonna stay away from BE for a while.

I'm not bitter

I’m even in the “I scored it for Diaz”-camp. I want Diaz GSP more than Condit GSP. But I can’t see Diaz outwrestling Condit. That one takedown was from Condit getting out of position or something if I remember correctly. It wasn’t Diaz taking Condit down because he planned to, but because the occasion allowed it. May not happen again.

Its not just you

Very few people are being realistic or level-headed.

Either you think one person clearly won or you’re stupid, a nuthugger, blind, delusional etc.

Its all stupid. I’d rather not waste my time anymore.

For the record, he took his back standing and drug him down and mounted his back. Clearly intentional.

I don’t even understand how it could be seen any other way.

But this fight as that ability.

What I meant was: it wasn’t like he cornered him, pushed him against the fence and proceeded to strategically take him down. It was more like “Condit missed a shot, turned too much, allowed Nick to take him down”. At least that’s how I remember the sequence. It wasn’t forced by Diaz but he used an opportunity that arose. Maybe I remember that wrong. I’m really not trying to spin this one way or the other. I just have a hard time believing Nicks wrestling is good enough for a gameplan that relies on a takedown against Condit. That is all.

For one

There’s no such thing as sweeping while back mounted.

Two, being in someone’s guard is not a dominant grappling position. Especially if that someone is Nick Diaz.

Head kicks that barely

Made Nick’s head move back,spinning techniques that never landed. If I remember correctly, Only the fighters in Jackson’s camp said Conduit won, although I may be wrong, so don’t quote me on it.

juanchoD - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

So which of Diaz’ “hand strikes” did anything to Condit? Condit was never dropped or even dazed. Neither fighter was ever close to finishing with strikes.

I think you might be wrong, fighters that thought Condit won include Ben Henderson, Miesha Tate, Joe Lauzon.

You’re wrong in terms of the fighters who thought Condit won. Don’t equate effect with intent: Carlos threw the vast majority of his strikes – including a flush head kick, flying knees, and spinning strikes – with bad intentions; the fact that Diaz shrugged them off says more about his toughness than Condit trying to pitter-patter his way to a points win.

None of the spinning elbows or flying knees landed

They all missed or were blocked.

I didn't say they landed

But they are relevant to thinking about Condit’s intent during the fight – point fighting or throwing with bad intentions.

Yes, but you said Nick shrugged them off which sounded like it was Diaz’ resilience that saved him from being stopped when it was Condit unable to land the mentioned strikes he threw with bad intentions. Not to say the ones he landed didn’t have power as well, but what he managed to land and the majority of what he threw were not the techniques you mention.

Well

He did land a flush high kick and one of the spinning elbows (it went off the top of Diaz’s head). Of course they weren’t the majority of what he threw: you can’t build a gameplan around high-risk strikes, they have to be set up. With that said, the fact that he included them at all is why I have a hard time buying the “point fighting” meme.

The high kick was about as much “point fighting” as a kick like that can be. That’s why Diaz shrugged it off. No way Condit throws a “real” HK and Diaz just takes it. You could even see a world of difference between the majority of “leg jabs” Condit threw and the occasional “real” leg-kick.

And don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying Condit didn’t want to finish if opportunity arose. Those spinning elbows looked like they would’ve been nasty. But his gameplan pretty clearly was a point-fighting-strategy and these techniques were just “if you can throw them safely, why not”. But that is beside the point. I just wanted to state that the techniques in question did not land at all and that is why they had no effect, not because Diaz was so tough. That was all. No agenda, no further point.

Dude

Trying to talk to a fan about logic isn’t worth it. If you see someone write a post in which they intentionally misspell a fighter’s name, you might as well just quit. Your talking youtube comment conversation there, and you aren’t going to convince someone who is so willing to disrespect because they’re not speaking from the mind. Other key terms for youtube commenters are “Nutthugger” and “Butthurt.” If you see those in a ost not used ironically, thinking you’re in a conversation is a mistake- you just interrupted their anger.

Fair point

Just trying to raise the quality of discourse whenever I can.

GSP threw head kicks at Shields, does that mean he was going for the kill? As for landing flush head kicks, that kind of proves the point, doesn’t it? Do you really think that Condit doesn’t have enough power to knock Diaz on his ass from a full-power head kick that landed flush?

As for the flying knees and spinning elbows, if they landed, who knows? But you’re losing the forest for the trees. Condit’s primary goal was clearly to stay out of danger and go for the decision. If one of those strikes landed and knocked Diaz down or out, great, but it’s not like they were his primary goal.

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. GSP was trying to finish Shields with high kicks, and I don’t think Condit has enough power to floor Diaz, period. One of the memes that’s running around in the aftermath of this fight is that Carlos has unquestionable fight-ending power on his feet and chose not to use it, and one flush left hook against Dan Hardy aside, he really doesn’t. His finishes by strikes tend to be barrages of punches, not one-punch KOs.

You’re making my point for me. If those strikes had landed cleanly, we’d be having a much different conversation, but they didn’t. The fact that they missed doesn’t mean Condit was uninterested in finishing the fight, it means those strikes (all incredibly high-risk techniques) missed. If I had to guess, I’d say that Carlos’ initial plan was to batter Diaz with low kicks and then, once his mobility was severely impaired, to pour it on in the later rounds. The fact that Diaz shrugged everything off meant that Condit simply stuck to the original gameplan.

I don't think you're getting the point

Condit’s game plan was not to set up his strikes to end the fight. They were to land low risk shots and get away. The fact that he threw potentially finishing strikes does not mean that was his primary goal (just like it wasn’t GSP’s primary goal in the Shields fight).

As for Condit’s finishing power, you say that he doesn’t have it, then you say we’d be having a different conversation if his strikes landed cleanly. Then you forgot you mentioned that his head kicks were landing flush. So which is it? He has finishing ability or he doesn’t? His strikes landed cleanly or they didn’t?

Whatever the case, at least we can agree that Condit didn’t fight his usual way, right?

Agreed that he didn't fight his usual way

Disagree on everything else. At no point did I say that Condit doesn’t have finishing ability: I said he doesn’t have one-punch KO power. There’s a difference: some guys are finishers in spite of their lack of top-notch power (Condit and Diaz being two of the very best examples). What those guys have is the innate ability to sense when their opponent is hurt and pour it on.

As far as the high kicks are concerned, just about anybody should be finished by one that lands cleanly (Roop-Jung, e.g.), but Diaz just doesn’t go down.

Royce Gracie, vitor, Anderson, mayhem, munoz, lindland, Hendo, Ronda rousey, jens pulver, pat miletich, Josh Neer, Joe lauzon, cung le, ellenberger, Duke Roufus and bas rutten

All have gone on record as saying Diaz won. I guess they are all nuthuggers.

You misinterpreted me

The people that don’t want the fight to happen again, that INSIST that Conduit won dominantly are the nuthuggers and raging haters.

juanchoD - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

You misinterpreted me

The people that don’t want the fight to happen again, that INSIST that Conduit won dominantly are the nuthuggers and raging haters.

juanchoD - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

You misinterpreted me

The people that don’t want the fight to happen again, that INSIST that Conduit won dominantly are the nuthuggers and raging haters.

juanchoD - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

nuthuggers, and raging haters

And rational fans who don’t want to see the same fight twice.

FIRE MALKI

menckenstein - February 8, 2012 reply

i don't get it

you can gift-wrap diaz all the opportunities and second chances you want. sooner or later he is going to step into the cage with GSP, and no matter how much trash gets talked beforehand, he is going to get squashed, most likely in a thoroughly un-entertaining way. if condit can “win boring” over diaz, you really think GSP can’t? this is not fucking paul daley, scott smith or bj penn we are talking about.

after last saturday, who in their right minds wants to see gsp take on diaz?

if condit is going to fight a rematch, it should be against ellenberger.

Thats the interesting thing about all this, its a total clusterfuck loss for the UFC no matter what. If Condit beats Diaz, more then likely its going to be with the same strategy, which will kill once and for all any marketability he has with casual fans (and yes, BE hardcores, another performance like the other night will not be stood for from 70% of the fans who buy PPVs, regardless of if it was a winning strategy or not). If Diaz wins, GSP will be able to do literally anything he wants with that guy. That will be an easier fight then GSP/Hughes III, totally uncompetitive. Its a mess.

Not sure if serious…

Afrotikiman - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Im not sure if your serious about me not being serious………..seriously

no kidding

gsp has:

-the best wrestling in mma, or close to it
-some of the best striking in mma, from a pure “point scoring” perspective
-a longer reach than diaz
-a black belt in jiu jitsu
-a conservative, calculating personality and very little shame about out-pointing his opponents

the Diaz fans have taken the position that Nick will rush in there and FORCE GSP to engage. but if he can force condit to fight him, what chance does he have against GSP?

you are absolutely right. it will be an easier fight than GSP/Hughes III. it will just be way longer and probably won’t end with such a dynamic finish. the only way it ends at all is a cut over the eye.

of course, you never really KNOW for sure till you fight the fight. but there’s no reason to think otherwise.

should be

“if Diaz can’t force Condit to fight him on his terms”

You know whats funny?

Look at GSP’s PPV buys. They are higher then most other fighters. So obviously, aside from all the vitriol, lots and lots and LOTS of people like his fights. This is a quantifiable fact. The meme that GSP fights are boring and won’t sell are just demonstrably WRONG. This is one aspect of the fanbase I don’t get.

hey dude

not saying GSP is boring, i’m a big GSP fan. i’m just saying if you think GSP/Diaz is exciting because Diaz will MAKE it exciting, you’re wrong. odds are GSP/Diaz will be whatever GSP wants it to be and Diaz will have nothing to say about it.

I agree with your point

I was commenting more “in general.” Actually, I think your last sentence states perfectly my thoughts as well.

They're wingspan is almost equal

but Diaz is much taller so he will still have a significant reach advantage.

The taller fighter has the better angles. Punching down is much easier than punching up.

Another huge factor is that Diaz is a southpaw. GSP’s whole striking game is his jab. Jabbing a southpaw effectively is extremely difficult. Jabbing a tall one with great range is nearly impossible to do with any sort of consistency.

those are both good points.

i still don’t see any reason to get too excited over GSP/Diaz in light of what happened in GSP/Condit, but thanks for the good points.

ts a total clusterfuck loss for the UFC no matter what

Not really, seeing as the GSP – Diaz fight would probably sell very well.

Drunken cutman - February 8, 2012 reply

As would Condit GSP

or GSP anyone. Because GSP sells the fuck outta fight cards, despite the popular belief that people find him boring. Dude’s one of the biggest draws in the business, period.

Chris WhiteDynamite Bielanski - February 8, 2012 reply

my thoughts exactly

why not another contender? I dont understand the Diaz push if White himself said he had Condit winning…

this is bullshit

I got 20 bucks that says if Carlos loses the rematch by close decision there won’t be a third fight until after GSP-Diaz…

Chris WhiteDynamite Bielanski - February 8, 2012 reply

Of course not!

The UFC will be like, “Carlos who?” and proceed with GSP vs. Diaz like they originally wanted.

“If we don’t get the result we wanted, try again!” – the UFC

William Wilson - February 8, 2012 reply

Of course not. But that’s because after the second match GSP will likely be back and then it’s title-unification time. What should they do, let their cashcow Georges sit out longer till Diaz & Condit have completed their trilogy? Keep two belts around and make GSP fight somebody who is not Interim-Champ? There’s no other way than to proceed with the real title-fight unless St. Pierre is out longer than expected. If he is and if the second fight is a close win for Diaz, they might do a third after all.

This

But look at the premise. “Cash Cow GSP.” you know why you said that? Because a TON of people love him and love watching him fight. So why do people keep thinking that GSP vs ANYONE won’t sell? I am baffled here. GSP vs Hardy would sell better than most other cards you could put together, right now. I said that as an example of a ridiculous fight to make that would be valueless and have no relevance. But because it’s GSP, it will sell. I say this because people keep trying to say that GSP Condit won’t sell. I don’t think the dropoff in sales will be anything like people think for Condit GSP

Don't ask me

I made the same argument a bit further down :)

Chris WhiteDynamite Bielanski - February 8, 2012 reply

my thinking is...

the build up to GSP vs Condit would sell the fight…it’s too Jackson fighters going head to head with out the stupid Jones Evans drama…

Can mitrione fire him again

Ambrocio - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

The less Malki Kawa is involved in anything

The better.

BVandDietPepsi - February 8, 2012 reply

I missed the first fight

so this is welcome news. Plus, it was either this or Condit sits on the shelf until November right?

soxrule!35 - February 8, 2012 reply

I don't understand this at all.

Diaz lost. End of story. I wrote this in a post but the door swings both ways. If Diaz is really that good then give him a fight and if he wins, then great, put him up against the champ, no biggie. Why does everyone automatically assume that since Condit didn’t finish him that he should have to “prove himself” again? He did once. Make Diaz climb his way back up.

Kind of a no brainer.

Hart Thorson - February 8, 2012 reply

If Alvarez Aoki 2 can happen (and that was a LEGITIMATE loss for Alvarez) then a highly controversial decision is much easier to rematch. It happened with Edgar-Maynard…so if it happens deal with it or buy out Zuffa.

Did someone mention UFC 143?

I don’t remember that. Anyway WAR Diaz!

Bill P. - February 8, 2012 reply

of course the ufc wants to do this fight

look at these poll results from ufc.com:

credit to middleeasy

lol pretty accurate on south korea

in korean mma forums, people are still talking about this fight and 50% support Diaz and the other 50% support Condit

peru was split but has now gone to condit

Gotta love Canada

We get everything right.

Steve1717 - February 8, 2012 reply

Would you like to play a game?

memitim - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

(Typing)………Global…………Thermo……….Nuclear…………War

Nice.

memitim - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

AWESOME, BOTH OF YOU!

krste - February 8, 2012 reply

What they need to be concerned with is if people want to see part 2

I enjoyed the fight personally, but lots of people still seem mad.

HaterSlayer - February 8, 2012 reply

stuff from middleeasy holds no power here...

people out there live in diaz’s pants.

it's from ufc.com

middleeasy took the screenshot. you may visit ufc.com if you wish to verify.

Kinda feel bad for Condit

It was painfully obvious that the UFC brass didn’t want Condit to win, and now they’re trying to get the GSP vs Diaz fight any way they can. Condit may have accepted, but this isn’t fair to him whatsoever.

Dr. Octagon - February 8, 2012 reply

I'm fairly certain that Mr Condit is getting paid as a result of this

so i’m happy for him

Getting paid is always nice, but being labeled a coward by fans and peers isn’t. I feel bad for him because he’s getting absolutely no respect from many people. His gameplan was solid in my book, and I feel like it’s time to move on.

Dr. Octagon - February 8, 2012 reply

"Getting absolutely no respect" is a total exaggeration

the mma fanbase/fighters/industry are split 50/50 over this. it’s a philosophical debate at this point.

100+% raise, high profile feud over the WW title… there’s almost nothing to pity about condit’s situation.

please

the mma fanbase/fighters/industry are split 50/50 over this. it’s a philosophical debate at this point.

100+% raise, high profile feud over the WW title… there’s almost nothing to pity about condit’s situation.

I’m not Trying to be be contrary , but the vast majority of Condit’s peers that aren’t associated with Jacksons have shat all over Condit. Duke Roufus basically flat out called him a coward publicly. I’ve never seen such a big victory get so completely shit on outside of the BE hardcore echo chamber. Wagenheim has an article up on another site about how Condit’s peers have basically crapped on him.

Hutchy - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

What is a "Wagenheim"?

Link!

they do

the UFC keep doing Condit wrong time after time but the thing is starting from the third round Condit looked much better than Diaz and it seemed he figured Diaz out. Now Diaz is not known for versatility and ability to adapt, while Condit has all the weapons to beat Diaz, so if I were Condit I’d be happy to fight Diaz again, coz I’d probably alreayd have enough confidence and understanding how to beat Diaz. If Condit fought Ellenberger now that would be much tougher challenge. And I wouldn’t care about casual fans, coz when you’re the champ you’re the champ, no matter how did you get there.

Derrida - February 8, 2012 reply

Your post is Phallocentric

i associate your username with this fight

UncleMax - February 8, 2012 reply

to be honest, i think that played in a lil too

but the first fight was razor thin close too so i dont mind watching their rematch

Don't feel sorry for him

He is getting a huge rub off all of this.

Bill P. - February 8, 2012 reply

I love both....

I was really torn in picking a winner, but it was 110% clear that Condit stuck to his game plan & didn’t allow Diaz to get “in his head”. So, I am really confused on 1) why r ppl griping ’bouta the decision 2) why is a rematch even an option at this moment????

lmhw24 - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

1) he definitely stuck to his game plan

but that game plan was backing up and landing some counters

and there is a judging criteria in mma called “aggressiveness” which he was clearly lacking in first two rounds.

also in second round, condit landed more shots but most of them were leg kicks and Diaz outlanded in head and body shots.

2) why not? in pre-fight conference, dana said GSP hurried rehab but hes still out for long time, so condit might need a fight and this could be a great fight since the first one was too close

http://www.ufc.com/discover/sport/rules-and-regulations#14

1) According to the UFC’s own website

Evaluations shall be made in the order in which the techniques appear in © above, giving the most weight in scoring to effective striking, effective grappling, control of the fighting area and effective aggressiveness and defense.

2) Ellenberger and Hendrix are both viable options instead of Diaz

Garbanzo - February 8, 2012 reply

Jimi Hendrix?

jack knight starman - February 8, 2012 reply

Whoa, I used up all my concentration spelling elenburger

Garbanzo - February 8, 2012 reply

I'm not sure why everyone's down on Malki Kawa

I know as a manager people don’t exactly care for the guy, but from what I’m getting from this article, the UFC was going to have a rematch between the two one way or another no matter who Carlos’ manager is/was

I think Diaz vs. Condit 2 should be free on Fox

Revolver Ocelot - February 8, 2012 reply

I love when people whine about top 5 fighters fighting each other.

Phildo - February 8, 2012 reply

I enjoyed the first fight

and will probably enjoy this one too.

It will be interesting to see how Diaz adjusts.

There’s gonna be a lot of shit talking from at least one camp leading up to this fight.

merryprankster - February 8, 2012 reply

More Money

I have no idea what kind of money gets thrown @ these guys to take fights that really aren’t in their best interest, but I bet it’s a bunch. I don’t believe for a second that Condit would take a fight like this with no real upside without a significant motivation from Uncle Dana. Maybe he got some PPV points for becoming champ and wants another big Payday before fighting GSP, or maybe Dana threw a million at him to take the fight, but he seems entirely too smart to take a fight that is this risky against the will of his management without something significant in it for him.

MichaelDavidSmith - February 8, 2012 reply

There's also the fact that it's another payday

Fighters get paid when they fight. If Condit is confident he can beat Diaz again, he’ll get paid a big chunk of money for doing that and still get to fight GSP when GSP is ready. He’ll make a whole lot more money by beating Diaz and then fighting GSP than he will by sitting around for nine months and then fighting GSP.

It’s called prize fighting. Saying there is no upside, then talking about money is kind of silly. Money is the upside for most fights, and a significant factor that goes into the decision.

not many top fighters get a chance to make a lot of money fighting a big name guy that they actually know they can beat. This is especially true in this case because this rematch is a lot better than all the other options out there.

Phildo - February 8, 2012 reply

I guess I mean that there’s just a lot of possible downside. Fighting GSP pretty much guarantees 750k PPV buys which I’m sure will translate into a much better payday than whatever fight Condit would get if he loses this rematch. It seems really odd that he took the fight that fast against his manager’s advice without secondary motivation. Maybe he did, but it seems unlikely that he doesn’t have Dana’s checkbook motivating him. I didn’t think the decision was that controversial, and even saying it is, this wasn’t a fight like Edgar/Maynard II where I was lusting for 5 more rounds hours after the fight.

You missed my point.

Dana’s checkbook is NOT secondary motivation. It is the primary motivation for every fighter. GSP guarantees 750k ppv buys in 9 months. A big fight with diaz guarantees him a lot of money in the interim, and a win makes the GSP fight even bigger.

Phildo - February 8, 2012 reply

I understand that it’s the primary motivation, I just think that there was probably more “motivation” thrown in with taking this fight in addition to his contracted motivation.

I'm willing to bet

That Carlos agreed to the rematch in return for a PPV cut. If he didn’t, then Malki should be fired immediately.

You mean the Malki that was probably bypassed by the UFC?

If the speculation in the article is correct, Condit is an idiot. If the UFC calls him directly, his only words should be: “Talk to my manager”. Because that’s why he has a manager.

Plus: Negotiations aren’t over, they will agree on the money-side on friday.

If Condit negotiated in any way without his manager

he deserves what he gets. Seriously, if you manager is really a personal assistant, you’re missing the point and paying too much.

This last event, of Condit apparently accepting a fight directly with the UFC without his manager, is totally fucking stupid and self defeating. In every way this reflects badly on Condit, and here is why:

There is a reason to have a manager.
1: If you keep a manager, and pay him manager money, then if he is bad it is your fault. You are the boss and traditionally in other areas managers get 10-15%, which is a lot of money at champ level ppv. If you keep a manager who sucks, you are making a mistake. Fire him and hire a personal assisstant or a bookkeeper. Save money.

2: If your manager is good OR BAD, and you endgame him, you are taking money out of your own pocket. Good or bad, you just undermine his negotiating position and that means you get less $$. It’s a whole different conversation if your manager gets to not even have the rematch on the table when he starts dealing. If he comes to the table and it’s a done deal except for the details, publicly accepted via internet, AND they know that the fighter doesn’t respect you EITHER- enough to let you do your job that is- what do you have to work with? Jack Shit. Look, Condit still will get a decent deal, because I think Dana White isn’t gonna lowball a guy who has been a total classy team player, but he is being totally fucking NAIVE about how he handled this.

If your Manager is GOOD, and you do this, then you are just a dupe.

This is how he should have done it. He gets a call from Dana. He says, Dana, I will put you on with my guy, thank you for the offer and the call, I respect you, but this is a business and I let my business people handle that. This is all in a calm, clear, polite tone. Then you call your guy and scream and yell, laugh or cry, get excited or pissed off, and you let him know what outcome you want, and then YOU LET HIM GO GET IT. THATS WHY YOU PAY THEM.

Couldn't agree more

Agreeing to the fight without involving your manager puts a huge dent in your leverage in terms of the contract negotiations. On the other hand, Malki’s not exactly a rocket scientist, so maybe he wouldn’t be losing much if anything.

Well, yeah

my point is that he needs to fire this guy ASAP, or else pay him half of what he probably is. I don’t recall seeing a breakdown of manager percentages for UFC fighters, but I am pretty sure it’s high enough that having a guy you don’t think is good is a big business mistake in itself and for a guy in Condit’s position, that’s serious money left on the table.

That's pretty much the state of fighter management in general

A lot of these guys, but especially Malki, aren’t qualified to be managing the careers of high-level athletes.

I gotta think

that for around maybe 5-10 fighters there is enough money at play to have real agents come and play. Seems weird.

Yeah

GSP is the only guy repped by a real agency, IIRC. Other than that it’s the Mike Kogans, Ed Soares, and Malki Kawas of the world. You have to think Anderson, Aldo, Bones, Junior, and maybe even Frankie are all lucrative enough to interest real agencies.

Sweet Scientist - February 8, 2012 reply

Isn't Anderson at least in relation with Ronaldo's agency?

Maybe, it sounds right

But I’m not sure. I know Ed Soares is his manager, but I have a hard time imagining that he pulled off the huge sponsorships that Anderson’s gotten over the last year or so.

I'm sure I heard Gracie say during his MMAfighting interview that

“both he and Condit’s manager want the rematch”

But then it was Cesar Gracie talking..

UncleMax - February 9, 2012 reply

And Carlos will win again

We saw it with Edar Penn. We saw it with Machida Shogun (even though Rua technically lost the first one). We saw it with Edgar Maynard. Its really tough to get to the top of the heap in the UFC. But certain guys have what it takes to be a UFC champ. They’ll always win. If its Diaz, then sure, he’ll win. But I don’t think so. I this fight is gonna look like the previous three immediate rematch championships we saw in recent years. Note, also, in instances where there were rematches for a title (or rubber matches) and the outcome differed, most of those guys took fights in between (mir/ lesnar; couture/ liddell; pulver/ penn – even though their rematch wasn’t for a title, and I’m sure there’s more). I think there’s something about barely beating a guy – but indeed, beating a guy – and than having it constantly questioned by media and fans, that really motivates a certain kind a fighter. The fight will be very similar to the first, no doubt.

miked612 - February 8, 2012 reply

I agree

But I think it’s more in the nature of the immediate rematch. It favors the fighter that has found the right gameplan to beat the other, because of the short turnaround. It’s easier for Condit to do the same thing, only better than it is for Diaz to “solve” Condit and implement a new strategy.

Will Nick Diaz actually have some footwork this time?

MattParker117 - February 8, 2012 reply

that’s like asking, will carlos taunt and throw birdies in nick’s face this time ?

I don’t mind the rematch. I still think Condit won that fight but it was really close, so no reason to be all adament that it shouldn’t happen. Both of these guys need a fight before GSP comes back, the UFC needs another PPV headliner at some point in the year (something they REALLY need) and it will be a good fight again. Not exactly sure why some of you are so pissed off about this.

blawa - February 8, 2012 reply

I hope Condit gets paid well for this

Because if he loses, he probably won’t get a rematch.

pud333 - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

he was paid 55 and 55 at 143

nick was paid 200 + PPV points

for the rematch, he must be getting paid at least as much as nick. so a 100%+ pay increase is pretty damn good IMO

SentientAndroid - February 8, 2012 reply

Gotdamnit

Fuck him up for reals this time Condit! I guess kicking a guy in the face multiple times and receiving less damage from your opponent than you give him means shit in a fight.

I don't see how this is a bad thing for Condit

if he loses, it sets up an obvious trilogy (either before or after GSP) and it doesn’t knock him that far down on the standings. If he wins (much like when Frankie clearly won the Penn rematch) it solidifies his position as top dog until GSP gets back.

Awarding an interim title to avoid stagnation in the division, just to have the interim title holder put himself on the shelf seems a little silly (why wouldn’t it just have been a #1 contender match?). And of the options for Carlos at WW, I would bet that he likes his chances against Diaz best, since a lot of the other guys up there are the kind of wrestlers who give Condit trouble.

Immediately after the fight I thought: “well I don’t want to see that again,” but after getting a little distance on it, I think it’s the best fight for all involved. If Condit can implement the same game plan again — and even improve upon it — that will be great for him, and if Diaz can adjust and gameplan himself, that will be an interesting thing to see as well.

Dave Strummer - February 8, 2012 reply

The only potential downside

Is financial. If Condit agreeing to take the rematch didn’t result in him getting a new contract with a PPV cut, then he could end up only making 60k if he loses to Diaz the second time around; a fight with GSP would almost certainly have included points on the PPV for Condit given the fact that he’s now the interim champ. If his manager didn’t ask for one in return for taking the rematch, he should be fired immediately.

Oh yeah

this is all assuming that Uncle Dana sweetened the pot to get the fight he wanted.

Dave Strummer - February 8, 2012 reply

Agreed

This doesn’t get mentioned much, and it’s slightly off-topic, but the massive disparity in fighter pay between the very top guys and the rest of the pack gives Dana a massive carrot with which to entice fighters into doing what he wants. This situation is a perfect example.

regardless,

If he had a good manager and he didn’t undermine that manager, he would get more money. You’re not going to ever, ever convince me that Dana White is gonna just put his best offer on the table and thats gonna be—- look.

If I was the manager, and I had the Promotion begging for a rematch, and I didn’t think it was the best thing for my fighter, I would make them pay through the fucking nose. I would get him way better than terms they were offering. Come on. Negotiating 101 here Joe. Carlos lost money by doing it this way, and that’s a fact. And with this sport, that’s a really bad thing, because careers can end instantly. You need to always squeeze the most out of every deal because it can very easily be your last, not to mention the long term health costs you will be dealing with.

The two things play into each other

Bad managing and a disparity in fighter pay reinforce each other in terms of Dana White’s bargaining power.

I don’t think he should just set on his belt, but it would be nice to see him fight another contender. I will buy the next Diaz fight, but it just doesn’t excite me that much to see a rematch of what I witnessed Saturday night.

Most of the fights for Condit are rematches,

although personally I would rather see him fight Hendricks or Koscheck in the meantime. Fighting a guy like Diaz again does very little to prepare him for a fighter like GSP. Fighting a strong wrestler would be a good tune up for him.

ElliotMatheny - February 8, 2012 reply

Diaz vs GSP for the title

and then winner vs Condit.

Since we’re trying to screw Condit, why not do it that way?

djfivenine - February 8, 2012 reply

i really could care less what this means for diaz or condit

I’m am sick of the ufc doing these instant rematches when they don’t get the result they want. There are too many fresh fights for Condit other than Diaz

troyd - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

I just don't get why anyone wants to see this fight...

Does anyone actually think its going to play out any differently? Is Diaz going to master cutting people off and faster non plodding footwork in 3 mo? I just see it being pretty much the same fight… I don’t know why Condit would do anything differently it worked just fine last time out.

NickaG - February 8, 2012 reply

I doubt Condit uses exactly the same gameplan

Considering all the flack he took. I actually think he’ll go for the finish and will be favored to do so, due to the mental edge he now holds over Diaz.

greg jackson is no short of gameplans...

he will brew something new and fresh to annoy diaz and cesar this time. fresh material and new reasons for them to whine and bitch about after losing for the 2nd time.

I don’t think he’ll whine and bitch if Condit finishes him.

Of course he will. That camp always finds a reason to bitch about something…

Empty Thoughts - February 8, 2012 reply

This is FUCKING BULL SHIT!!!!!

How many damn times are they gonna screw Condit out of his Title Shot!!

After the fight against BJ Diaz calls out GSP (When Condit has the shot to fight him) GSP then really wants to fight Diaz and Dana is like well Sorry Carlos better luck next time. Then Condit fights Diaz winner is Interm Champ and will fight GSP when he returns. Carlos wins, Diaz starts bitching and throwing a temper tantrum, retires from the sport, and UFC once again can’t make the Diaz GSP fight they want. So what do they do? Carlos fight Diaz again so we have a third chance to make this Diaz GSP fight. Because we clearly don’t give a FUCK up about you.

RJshock 305 - February 8, 2012 reply

Pretty much, this.

dgonz - February 8, 2012 reply

outspoken people get heard...

timid people like condit get walked all over, that’s the gist of it. had he been more vehement about his feelings with his performance, and defended it with more enthusiasm, it may have worked in his favor.

Yah looks like condit didn’t execute his game plan for getting a title shot for GSP very well. He should have been more aggressive in coming forward with his feelings, rather then avoid confrontation headon with UFC managment.

terzergoss - February 8, 2012 reply

Nobody is forcing him to sign the bout agreement. He’s the champ, not Nick, so he pretty much holds the cards regarding that fight. I think Condit won in a non-controversial fashion, but he is taking the fight because HE chooses to.

you are not familiar...

with uncle dana are you ? he calls the shots, not condit!

This.

the man with the money calls the shots. always.

Kid Kimura - February 8, 2012 reply

If Condit says no, everyone, including Dana White, will say that Condit declined the Diaz rematch and is essentially ducking him. If Dana didn’t want this rematch, he would’ve come out and clearly said that Condit had other guys to beat before Diaz got his rematch. Dana clearly wants this rematch to happen, and has put pressure on Condit to make it happen.

That's funny cause

at the press conference Dana clearly says he thinks Condit one that fight.

RJshock 305 - February 8, 2012 reply

dana is a promoter....

he puts on a front way too much to be taken seriously, most of the times he says stuff, and does the opposite. he also thought bisping beat chael. :)

I know. But Dana is easily influenced by the media and fans, and there’s a lot of Diaz fanboys out there…

strangely no Shnak fanboys though

Strange, indeed.

Shnak - February 9, 2012 reply

Well done.

But as a Condit supporter and a person who believes he did enough to win the first fight, I am loving this rematch. More than anything, it’s the anti-Condit slander that has enraged me most. He is literally one of the most violent fighters in the sport of MMA and he happens to be (by all accounts) an amazing person as well. The guy achieves a peak in the sport with the absolute pinnacle in sight, only to deal with an avalanche of shit from the vultures circling above. I’d rather Condit regain universal respect and the admiration he deserves than see some silly belt hung around his waist. I personally believe he’s going to go in there and somehow get the best of Diaz — who is one of the most cerebral and dangerous fighters alive — again. I only hope he’ll be given the credit he deserves when he does. If he loses so be it. Some of these guys are fighting for the riches, but at bottom, Condit is a guy that would do it for free.

Charlie Custer - February 8, 2012 reply

but he won the title...that was a title shot

interim or not, its a belt.

anyone else getting.....

jackie chan failed to connect error for all SB nation sites ? all morning.

Sweet Scientist - February 8, 2012 reply

I did. Thought it was funny as hell.

the4thsign - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Its been pretty bad for me this whole time

I think ever since they integrated MMA Fighting..

BrandtShaft! - February 8, 2012 reply

Yup.

Too much speculation, Brent

He won’t even sign without Malki by his side tomorrow, so he hasn’t been roped into anything.. Something out of nothing.

Charles Awad - February 8, 2012 reply

Being at his side

Is way way different from “after seeking his wise counsel.”

And I’m not sure what you expect from a blog if not some speculation

Stiff Jab - February 8, 2012 reply

Everyone wants to see Diaz win badly....

the fans, the media, and the ufc bosses, thats the only thing that stands out to me from this whole fiasco.

People complain all the time about Diaz Fans

but the Diaz haters are FAR worse. How can anyone say this rematch is not deserved? Has your hate for Nick clouded your judgement that much?

As DK said above, IT WAS A CLOSE FIGHT! Between possibly the two best WW fighters outside of GSP. I see no reason this fight shouldn’t happen when you consider how split the MMA community AND the fighters were about this decision.

Chad Raynard - February 8, 2012 reply

Sure, it was close

But if every close fight had an immediate rematch, we’d get nothing but rematches.

MMAth Wiz - February 8, 2012 reply

I personally would be fine

If every really close title fight got an immediate rematch.

Exactly

this wasn’t just ANY fight. It was a title fight

Chad Raynard - February 8, 2012 reply

This is stupid. I hope Diaz wins a close decision so that they need to do a rubbermatch right away and screw up the UFC’s plans to unify the belt with GSP’s when he’s ready to fight in December.

Look, I wanted to see Diaz win that fight so that we’d get the GSP/Diaz fight…. but if Diaz needs two fights to beat Condit, he doesn’t stand a chance against GSP. GSP is the master of following a game plan. And it’s pretty easy to beat Diaz with the proper game plan… just don’t back straight into the cage when Diaz is pressuring you, and you’ll be just fine.

I wonder

I Diaz won the decision, would the UFC even be looking to book a rematch?

Backing up or running or not, Condit used a gameplan that kept him from getting beat up while doing some damage of his own.

the4thsign - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

Rematch because no other contenders

To me, the rematch is necessary for a combination of 2 reasons: 1) the fight was very close and 2) there aren’t any other fighters deserving at this point.

You could make a claim that Hendricks has earned it but he’s not a big enough name and honestly, he’ll get steamrolled by either Diaz or Condit. If (and it’s a very big one) Ellenberger gets by Diego, I think he could make a claim to being a viable candidate but he’s the only one at this point.

Firebush - February 8, 2012 reply

Exactly

When Jake Beats Diego coming up, have Jake fight Condit, and feed Diego to Diaz. Your got Condit active and bar brawl with Diaz and Diego

RJshock 305 - February 8, 2012 reply

Ok I think that’s fair – especially bc Diego vs Ellenberger is coming up soon.

I would have waited until after that fight before booking this rematch. If Diego won, do the rematch. If Ellenberger won, do Ellenberger vs Condit. Besides Ellenberger, there’s really no one else for Condit to fight.

Firebush - February 8, 2012 reply

With a win over Sanchez, Ellenberger deserves a shot more than Diaz. Beating Sanchez and Shields in succession is better than what Diaz has done recently.

Diego can’t get a title shot at this point. He needs a big win before he earns the title shot.

Firebush - February 8, 2012 reply

Beating Ellenberger would be that big win. Guy’s top 5 at the moment.

Sure, I agree with that… but I’m talking about Ellenberger getting a rematch with Condit, not Sanchez getting that shot.

Would Condit steamroll Hendricks? Not so sure. At least we would find out, and give a brand new style matchup. Both Condit and Diaz need a different fight to test them in new ways.

Hardcharger - February 8, 2012 via mobile reply

this better not be a PPV!

src=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/37/No_understand.jpg/300px-No_understand.jpg”/>

what the hell ...

i meant this

rematch for what? for diaz crybabies fanboys. Why the ufc wanna do gsp vs diaz that bad?

Rampage01 - February 8, 2012 reply

If you can’t tell, Dana White is one of the biggest Diaz crybaby fanboys, obviously.

The One Who Wears The Crown - February 8, 2012 reply

$$$

Meh, GSP/Diaz doesn’t do any better than GSP/Condit, IMO. No casual fan knows or cares about Diaz.

He talks shit like its second nature and incites anger/interest as a result

Condit is respectful, Which sadly doesnt sell to your average “JUST BLEED!” casual fan.

And yet, Diaz sold less than 300k in his fight against BJ Penn in a fairly high profile fight, and while the numbers haven’t come out already as far as I know, I’d be surprised if UFC 143 did any more than 400k buys, despite being a superbowl card. Diaz just isn’t the draw many people make him out to be… he just isn’t. Nobody relates to him, I certainly don’t. I like to watch most of his fights, especially when he’s fighting good WW competition (as opposed to blown up LW’s), but he’s not a very big draw, and with how things are going, I give it another 2-3 fights in the UFC before he leaves again…

Shnak - February 9, 2012 reply

nick diaz is going to have a nervous breakdown doing the media rounds this time.

Ariel is going to troll him so hard

Beware of water bottles, Helwani.

menckenstein - February 8, 2012 reply

im serious....

diaz is more volatile than ever, if they dont go easy on him this time around, someone is going to get hurt. also i bet he skips atleast 1 or 2 media events leading up to this.

Malki works for

Carlos Condit. Not for us, not for the UFC. His only responsibility is to his client and what’s in his clients best interest. I agree he does come off a little abbrassive but that’s part of his job to take a hard line in negotioations and in the PR game. The whole PR thing is a game that is played between managment and the UFC in an effort to get every dollar possible.

CRWHITLOCK - February 8, 2012 reply

A rematch is the best

thing for everyone involved including Carlos Condit. Not only will they have the upper hand in negotioations with the UFC meaning a huge payday, it will also give him the opportunity to prove himself to the fans which is something he will need to do in order to become a superstar in the UFC. Walking away with this controversy and the idea that he is not a “true” fighter would be a mistake and it sounds like his team realizes that. This rematch is a win win for everyone involved. The fans, the UFC, GSP, Diaz, and Condit. I’m really impressed with the UFC’s ability to snap their fingers and make these things happen. We are really lucky.

CRWHITLOCK - February 8, 2012 reply

If this fight didn't happen

We’d have to wait till November for a Condit/GSP fight?

AnyGiven - February 8, 2012 reply

Hopefully this will be Diaz's new gameplan in the rematch

terzergoss - February 8, 2012 reply

ha!

only if diaz knew how to kick.

Diaz throws head kicks

Like a hipster wears lame 80’s T-shirts.

Ironically.

The One Who Wears The Crown - February 8, 2012 reply

only if Condit actually turned his back towards Diaz and ran.

terzergoss - February 8, 2012 reply

pics! it does exist

All i see is Diaz missing 5 attempts at punching Condit

How dare Condit not drop his hands and stick his chin out….. lol

yep, hopefully he does figure out how to cut off the octago

with his FOOT

Body Triangle - February 8, 2012 reply

The notion that Dana facilitated this rematch because he wants Diaz to win is BS

Dana White said he scored the fight for Condit. If it was his plan to sell a rematch soon, why would he do that? Plus: He can not force Condit, only persuade him with money et. al. If White tries to muscle him, Carlos can always agree and then unfortunately get hurt.

And why would he be really THAT worried? He just put Condit on a Primetime-Show and had him headline a PPV. Condit’s highlight-reel is nothing to shrug at. And in the end, it’s GSP who will sell the card in question. Diaz is no Brock Lesnar, he was “just” a Strikeforce-“Star”.

disagree.

diaz has 3 times the fanbase of condit, having him on PPV means $$$ for dana. when he said he scored it for carlos, it was evident on his face that he didn’t really believe in what he said. the uproar following the fight only gave him more confidence to book this fight and put all the blame on diaz fans, and remove suspicion of his greed.

seeing from his angle, its a no brainer, this is main event material, they build an entire PPV around it, until GSP recovers, that’s one extra PPV revenue out of a close fight, not a bad deal. considering condit is only a interim champ, im pretty sure dana has some sway in the matter.

That's a bit misguided.

DW seems to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to discussing his thoughts on the outcomes of fights. If he says he thought Condit won, I’m inclined to believe him.

Shake Zula - February 8, 2012 reply

Of course the rematch gets made for the money

But it’s because it’s better money than Condit vs Hendricks or possibly Ellenberger and the circumstances luckily allow for a rematch. Not because Dana White wants to give Diaz a win. If he wanted GSP vs Diaz so bad, why did he pull him form the GSP fight over a few missed press conferences?

It’s GSP that sells. Condit or Diaz don’t matter much in this.

NickRingp4pGOAT - February 8, 2012 reply

Poor Carlos...

I really hope he wins this in a decisive way so he can…
1) Ruin Danas special day
2) See an even bigger Nick freakout
3) Shut people up

I still really want to see GSP vs. Diaz so hopefully that will still happen in the future no matter the outcome.

GSP

apparently said on UFC Tonight that he’d relinquish the belt for a fight with Diaz

Why not?

He’d get to beat the shit out of Diaz and have that belt back in a heartbeat anyway lol

gazing into the crystal ball again, eh? Many seers said Fitch would dominate Hendricks, so predictions are fallible. But he did smack BJ around quite a bit, I’d see why you want revenge.

tigerlee - February 9, 2012 reply

Bahaha nice try but im over it

BJ is a bloated LW at the end of his career, No shame in losing to Diaz.

Besides he did something Diaz will likely never do and that is hold the belt, in 2 divisions no less. His legacy is cemented and the HOF beckons. Im sure he’ll sleep just fine at night

And honestly you dont need a crystal ball to know GSP would UD the shit out of Diaz, His historic inability to beat any wrestler or top control fighter has the writing on the wall. What chance does he possibly stand against the best MMA wrestler the world has ever seen?

Chin Check - February 10, 2012 reply

Both fighters are warriors.

I’m a fan of both and can’t be the only one. BEEN on the Condit wagon, BEEN on the Diaz wagon. I respect and love watching Diaz and his "let’s find out who beats who in a real fight, fuck your point fighting " mentality. I respect the strategy Condit implemented against Diaz because that seemed like the only viable way to win against him. Considering how Diaz fights, that was probably a tougher plan to stick with than most people think.

Good luck to both.

Shake Zula - February 8, 2012 reply

Man,

your comment was waaaaaay, waaaay to sane for this type of thread buddy. Recced anyways, cuz I feel the same. Hooray for overtime!

Bless you

For your sanity, sir.

apparently condit hasn't been f**ked over enough the past 4 months..

if diaz wins, they won’t give condit a rematch
stockton crybaby gets his way again

Gouken - February 8, 2012 reply

and apparently it won't hapen

due to a problem on Diaz’s side

Maybe he’s filed his retirement papers already?

I won’t cry if true.

Empty Thoughts - February 8, 2012 reply

its more posturing i bet.

cesar wants more clauses added ? bring gil over ? cut from the PPV revenue ? of all the managers, cesar sure knows how to play ball with dana and co, the shit he pulled with that boxing gig was genius.

more details plz?

mollcutpurse - February 8, 2012 reply

Is he missing again?

Cesar should really leave that baby gate up when he’s not watching him.

menckenstein - February 8, 2012 reply

mollcutpurse - February 8, 2012 reply

What’d you hear/read? Got a link?

If Diaz beats Condit in the rematch, would Diaz even deserve to fight GSP for the title? When’s the last time someone got a title shot on a 1 win streak?

huh ?

according to diaz, he never lost any fight that went to the judges, the judges hate him like damian maia hates BJJ.

Is it just me.........

I hated when coaches and managers talk as if they are in the Octagon and that they are receiving and giving punches. Hate when they say “when they hit us”, “need to do what is best for our team”, “we will not accept the fight”, etc. It should only be about the fighter. I’m hoping Condit did talk his Malki Manager into accepting this rematch because at the end of the day, no one is talking or will remember about Maki or Jackson’s strategy(MMA sucks). We or at least I will remember how Condit cheated us fans. As Chael says, you are a FRAUD if you don’t attempt to at least deliver what you say your going to do. You can’t say it will be dog fight if you keep running around. Be honest and say you will have a Jackson’s MMA strategy. But that is in the past and I respect you Condit and will remain a huge fan of yours by accepting a rematch with Diaz.

UFCP4P - February 8, 2012 reply

^lol condit brought up the rematch not diaz..so diaz has to accept

dont be scared homie

Gouken - February 8, 2012 reply

This was a close fight IMO

The Shogun/Machida 1 decision really pissed me off because I thought Shogun took 4 rounds decisively in that fight (and his leg kicks were actually effective), plus Shogun was being more aggressive. The rematch was definitely warranted in that case.

I had a problem with the game plan Condit employed in the Diaz fight. Fucking Greg Jackson is going to kill the sport with his shitty game plans designed to win an MMA fight by actually not fighting. Knowing what the judges look at I figured it would be close but that Condit would most likely get the nod. Had Diaz been given the nod I wouldn’t have been mad and I wasn’t mad the other way around either.

My only issue is the way in which Condit approached the fight. I know that he’s within his rights to do it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I think it was a dishonest performance, for lack of a better word. It’s a betrayal to what the Japanese call the “budo spirit”. And yeah, up to this point Condit had been finishing lots of people and that’s one of the reasons I was a fan of his.

I just don’t like that the unified rules along with the fact that the UFC is very cut-happy both incentivize this kind of safe “fighting” whereas with PRIDE you had fighters going all out all the time to impress the Japanese fans with their fighting spirit. So what, there’s an entertainment factor to MMA. Same with every other fucking sport out there, like when the NBA was evolving in the 80s and 90s for example

Bottom line is that I’m glad if a rematch happens even if I wasn’t clamoring for one. Now that Diaz knows that Condit really won’t go balls to the wall to finish him, he can adapt (hopefully). Also, I don’t see Condit having anything for GSP but stylistically I think Diaz will give him problems or at least bring the fight out of him.

and as I typed this

It looks like Diaz is holding out for Anderson Silva money. It’s not because he’s scared, homies.

Hes scared

Of the piss cup homie.

Chin Check - February 10, 2012 reply

Condit was forced to ask for a rematch

They stated publicly they didn’t want a rematch at first. So why would Diaz request one if Condit’s Managers and Coaches didn’t want to.

UFCP4P - February 8, 2012 reply

that's before they got offered a huge pay bump

money talks.

because diaz wouldn't/couldn't stop crying about it

Gouken - February 8, 2012 reply

AFAIK, Diaz stopped “crying” about it, aka making any kind of public statement whatsoever regarding it; right when he exited The Octagon.

Cesar didn’t stop crying about it… and what Cesar says is a direct reflection of Diaz.

oh really..

because that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Yes it is. Water-gate, judges being incompetent, bla bla bla.. that’s all Cesar’s been saying since the fight.

Shnak - February 9, 2012 reply

Breaking News

“BREAKING NEWS Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz II will NOT happen,” Brian wrote. “An issue arose from Nick’s camp last night. Nick will NOT be able to compete. I will not go into nature of why [Nick] Diaz can’t compete in a rematch against Condit.”

He added that Condit is still on his way to Las Vegas this week sign on for the unification bout with Georges St-Pierre.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_12451.shtml

Well...

Let’s talk Edgar v Henderson then! That fight needs mass attention.

Shake Zula - February 8, 2012 reply

Oh hell yes.

Henderson has really made a believer out of me.

and frankie hasn't ?

edgar is one guy i would never root against, regardless of my fanboyism towards other fighters, that said, this fight is very tough to pick just based off of their skill levels.

New Cesar Gracie tweet:

@danawhite Nick would rematch in a heartbeat. No extra money needed. He is a true fighter and fights for his team and you fans.

LINK

Then it’s settled. No crying Diaz, no Condit rebuffs, no Gracie/Kawa strong arming…all the senseless comments of armchair managers & promoters are null & void.