Las Vegas Sun

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. Read more »

UFC 143 walk-in music: Ghosts, transformations and a dash of “Tubthumping”: Sunday, February 5, 2012; By Allison Duck; UFC 143 proved to be about as controversial as they come and the music was equally interesting. With the obligatory, overplayed rap staples and a dash of classic rock, covers of classic rock and even a Portuguese pop hit, the playlist really covered the musical spectrum. Read more »

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. Read more »

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. Read more »

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. Read more »

UFC 143: Where to watch in Las Vegas: Friday, February 3, 2012; By Allison Duck; The UFC helps put the “super” in Super Bowl Weekend with an important fight card the day before the football championship is decided. Given the prolonged injury of Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz will take on Carlos Condit for the interim heavyweight championship. Read more »

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. Read more »

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. Read more »

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.” Read more »

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. Read more »