Mixed Martial Arts

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Photo: Nick Diaz enter the arena for his interim welterwe

Nick Diaz tests positive for marijuana at UFC 143: Thursday, February 9, 2012; Nevada State Athletic Commission will hand down penalty in future meeting; By Case Keefer; The controversy surrounding last weekend’s UFC 143 main event added a new layer Thursday afternoon. Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana following his unanimous-decision loss to Carlos Condit, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Photo: Dustin Poirier submits Max Holloway during the fir

Young standouts Dustin Poirier, Renan Barao move closer to title shots at UFC 143: Sunday, February 5, 2012; Poirier wins Submission of the Night; Barao stays on his feet against Scott Jorgensen; By Case Keefer; If developing new stars for the two weight classes the UFC added a year ago remains a priority, the promotion may have taken two giant steps forward Saturday night at UFC 143. Two fighters under the age of 25 confirmed their places among the top five in the world in their respective weight classes at the Mandalay Bay Events Center’s annual Super Bowl weekend card.

Photo: Carlos Condit poses for photos after defeating Nic

Debate rages on after Carlos Condit slips past Nick Diaz at UFC 143: Sunday, February 5, 2012; Now interim welterweight champion, Condit has choices to make regarding the rest of his year; By Case Keefer; Carlos Condit walked to the center of the octagon after UFC 143 with no apprehension regarding the judges’ scores he was about to hear. Condit thought he beat up Nick Diaz for 25 minutes in Saturday night’s main event and couldn’t imagine the scorecards reading any other way.

Photo: Carlos Condit hits Nick Diaz with a right during t

UFC 143 blog: Carlos Condit wins close decision over Nick Diaz: Saturday, February 4, 2012; Fabricio Werdum administers a beating of Roy Nelson in co-main event; By Case Keefer; The judges sided with Carlos Condit. In a main event that will be long-debated in the mixed martial arts world, Condit eked out a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) over Nick Diaz at UFC 143. As many as four of the five rounds in the interim welterweight championship bout had no clear victor.

Photo: Nick Diaz flexes after making weight during the we

UFC 143 weigh-in: Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit keep their cool: Friday, February 3, 2012; No one misses weight before annual Super Bowl weekend card at Mandalay Bay; By Case Keefer; For the first time in recent memory, a weigh-in featuring Nick Diaz passed without incident. Diaz and opponent Carlos Condit both came in at 169 pounds at the Mandalay Events Center before Saturday’s interim welterweight championship bout at UFC 143. Diaz and Condit stayed far apart while posing for their stare down photo.

Photo: Bantamweight fighter Renan Barao lands a kick to t

Renan Barao among the UFC's most promising up-and-coming fighters: Friday, February 3, 2012; UFC 143: Bantamweight showdown between Barao and Scott Jorgensen on tap for Saturday; By Case Keefer; Asked last week which fighters he saw as future challengers to his belt, the first name out of UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz’s mouth was Renan Barao. UFC President Dana White has also taken a liking to the 25-year old Brazilian. White has raved about Barao ever since he knocked down Brad Pickett with a flying knee and submitted the veteran with a rear-naked choke in the first round of the UFC 138 co-main event four months ago. Barao has everyone’s attention in mixed martial arts.

Photo: Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce face off during a ne

Tension brewing between Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce: Friday, February 3, 2012; UFC 143: Pierce asked for fight against Koscheck at UFC 143; By Case Keefer; Josh Koscheck had never heard of Mike Pierce. The veteran welterweight said he had to look up Pierce’s name when offered a fight against him on Saturday’s UFC 143 pay-per-view card a couple months ago. “He’s lying,” Pierce said of Koscheck’s claim. “I fought his teammate like two years ago. Either he’s lying or he’s dumb, one of the two.”

Photo: Carlos Condit wraps his hands during open workouts

UFC 143 breakdown, betting odds and picks: Thursday, February 2, 2012; Nick Diaz is the popular play at sports books in interim welterweight title fight; By Case Keefer; The cycle repeats for another week. The betting line for the UFC 143 main event and its movement is eerily reminiscent of what happened before last week’s UFC on FOX card. The interim welterweight championship bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit opened as a pick’em months ago in sports books.

Photo: Nick Diaz spars during open workouts for UFC 143 a

Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit promise a war at UFC 143: Wednesday, February 1, 2012; Interim welterweight championship belt at risk in main event; By Case Keefer; The posters lining the Mandalay Bay hallways to promote the annual UFC Super Bowl weekend card usually feature as many as six fighters to highlight three different bouts. Heading into UFC 143, the only faces gracing the advertisements belong to Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit. Other worthwhile fights will take place Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, but none have close to the anticipation of the main event for the interim welterweight title.

Photo: Chael Sonnen, top, pounds away on Michael Bisping,

Chael Sonnen praises Michael Bisping, trashes Anderson Silva: Sunday, January 29, 2012; UFC on FOX 2: Bisping fuming about controversial unanimous decision loss; By Case Keefer; CHICAGO — Chael Sonnen approached Michael Bisping moments after their middleweight title eliminator bout at UFC on Fox 2 ended and asked him how he thought the judges scored the contest. Bisping believed he had won by securing the first two rounds. Sonnen shockingly didn’t completely disagree and responded by saying, "You might be right." Luckily for Sonnen, the judges saw it the other way. Sonnen defeated Bisping by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) to keep his position as the top contender in the 185-pound division.

Photo: Rashad Evans, left, takes down Phil Davis in a Lig

True prize still awaits Rashad Evans after UFC on Fox 2 victory: Saturday, January 28, 2012; Evans rolls past Phil Davis to set up Atlanta showdown with rival Jon Jones; By Case Keefer; CHICAGO — The man that Rashad Evans spent 25 minutes battering Saturday night at the United Center was not his enemy. Evans’ real enemy peered over the fight from a television perch 25 yards away. The satisfaction Evans felt after a unanimous decision victory, in which he took all five rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, at UFC on FOX 2 had nothing to do with beating previously undefeated Phil Davis.

UFC on FOX 2 blog: Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen keep top-contender status: Saturday, January 28, 2012; Chris Weidman wins a unanimous decision over Demian Maia despite short notice; By Case Keefer; CHICAGO — Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were both already considered the second-ranked fighters in their divisions before Saturday night at the United Center. They used UFC on FOX 2 to further prove they were deserving. Evans and Sonnen won unanimous decisions on national television.

Photo: Michael Bisping, left, talks with Joe Rogan during

UFC on FOX 2 weigh-in: Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping are main attractions: Friday, January 27, 2012; All 20 fighters on the card make weight; By Case Keefer; Chael Sonnen has frequently referred to his UFC on FOX 2 bout with Michael Bisping as the card’s “true main event” over the last two weeks. The scene at Friday’s weigh-in at the Chicago Theatre may have proven that fans feel the same.

Photo: Phil Davis, top, tackles Rodney Wallace during UFC

Phil Davis ready for the primetime at UFC on FOX 2: Thursday, January 26, 2012; Rashad Evans' attempts at getting under Phil Davis' skin have been to no avail; By Case Keefer; CHICAGO — Comparing Phil Davis to Jon Jones has always been inevitable. The light heavyweights are two of the most athletic fighters to ever transition to the octagon from heralded amateur wrestling careers. Neither Jones nor Davis has ever truly lost a fight in mixed martial arts. At this point, most assume Jones, the 24-year old UFC champion, is a tad ahead of Davis, the 27-year old ranked in the 205-pound division’s top five, in every fighting category. Davis may have Jones beaten, however, in a peripheral are — dealing with the pressure of pre-fight animosity.

Photo: Chael Sonnen flexes after weighing in for UFC 117

Michael Bisping fed up with Chael Sonnen's shtick at UFC on FOX 2: Thursday, January 26, 2012; Sonnen declaring himself the UFC middleweight champion, with the belt to prove it; By Case Keefer; CHICAGO — Like a freestyle rapper, Chael Sonnen spent Thursday afternoon entertaining a large group of people by spitting out improvised rhymes. The middleweight fighter had all but one person at the W Hotel for the UFC on FOX 2 press conference laughing hysterically as he belted out odes to his own bravado in front of a fake UFC championship belt. The outlier was his opponent, Michael Bisping, who found the whole scene more sickening than humorous.

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Brock Lesnar retires after first-round TKO defeat against Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem called it his "liver kick". Brock Lesnar just knew it hurt. Overeem sent Lesnar into retirement when he fired his foot into Lesnar's stomach midway through the first round of their heavyweight title eliminator bout. Lesnar crouched in pain after the strike and eventually fell to the mat. Overeem rushed in and threw a few more strikes, but Lesnar had nothing left. The referee pulled Overeem off to officialy give him the next shot at champion Junior dos Santos. In the co-main event, Nate Diaz upset Donald Cerrone after a week full of tempers flaring between the two lightweights.

Main Card Results -
Winner	Loser	Method
Alistair Overeem	Brock Lesnar	TKO
Nate Diaz	Donald Cerrone	Unanimous Decision
Johny Hendricks	Nate Diaz	Knockout
Alexander Gustafsson	Vladimir Matyushenko	TKO
Jimy Hettes	Nam Phan	Unanimous Decision

Date	Event	Headlining Match	Location
February 3	Boxing: ESPN2 Friday Night Fights	Edison Miranda vs. Isaac Chilemba	Las Vegas: Texas Station's Dallas Events Center
February 4	UFC 143	Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit	Las Vegas: Mandalay Bay Events Center
February 15	UFC on FUEL TV 1	Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger	Omaha, Neb.
February 16	SCC 4	Kendall Grove vs. Jay Silva	Las Vegas: Orleans Arena
February 25	UFC 144	Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson	Saitama, Japan

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