MMA is a dangerous sport. The kicks, punches, chokes, armbars, kneebars, calf slicers and all the rest make it a sport not for the faint-hearted. But all the dangers and difficulties in MMA usually come from opponents, not the cage the two are fighting in.

In Kentucky this weekend, the cage got the win. Skip to the 1:27 point in the video.

Brandon Bishop and Braedon Ward crashed through a faulty cage door in the co-main event at Hardrock MMA 43 on Saturday. The fall appeared to knock both men out, but as the video shows, they both walked away on their own. A hinge in the cage door had been damage earlier in the evening, but the staff though it was fixed. The fight was called a no-contest, and according to the notes for the video, both fighters received their win bonuses.

The playing surface getting involved in the game is not unique to MMA, as it happens in every sport. Michael Irvin and Wendell Davis both suffered career-ending injuries in football thanks to the poorly-done AstroTurf at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Gus Frerotte's neck was injured after he celebrated a touchdown by headbutting a wall at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. Mickey Mantle's legendary career was almost stopped before it started because he tore his ACL when his foot was caught on a drainage ditch at Yankee Stadium during his rookie year.

It's even prevalent at the college levels, as Houston's Patrick Edwards suffered a nasty broken leg when he ran into a cart just past the end zone. At this year's Carrier Classic, Michigan State's Branden Dawson tweaked his ankle on the court's slippery logo. Two football coaches implied that University of Missouri's Faurot Field was to blame when two different players had season-ending knee injuries.

So even in the best circumstances, playing surfaces fail the players they are supposed to support. Luckily, both fighters were able to walk away from the fights.

OK, so maybe UFC 143 didn't knock your socks off. The extremely close contest between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit left me wanting to see three more rounds. However, as always, there were fighters whose stars shined a little brighter.

No. 1 star -- Stephen Thompson: It's no surprise that the man nicknamed "Wonderboy" has a kick like a swinging baseball bat. Thompson started off UFC 143 with a stiffening knockout of Daniel Stittgen. He won a $65,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for the kick, which is a nice infusion of cash for a fighter making his UFC debut.

No. 2 star -- Dustin Poirier: Why yes, that was a triangle armbar that Poirier pulled out to submit Max Holloway, and yes, he did win a $65,000 Submission of the Night bonus. Starting in the WEC, Poirier is on a five-fight win streak, which is even more impressive when you consider he is just 23.

No. 3 star -- Renan Barao: Speaking of young fighters with impressive resumes, Barao picked apart Scott Jorgensen, a fighter with an impressive track record of his own. Barao has 27 straight wins, including five under the Zuffa banner.

Who were your three stars? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

LAS VEGAS -- Watching the main event of UFC 143 from my spot on press row, where the fight can often look quite a bit different than it does on television, I thought Nick Diaz won his interim welterweight title fight against Carlos Condit. I had Diaz winning the first three rounds and Condit taking the last two. The fight was close enough that you can't call it a robbery, but I did feel Diaz was effective enough over the first three rounds to earn the decision.

In the aftermath of the decision, and the heated debate that came with it, though, I've been left to wonder: On what do MMA judges base decisions, these days?

Among the several factors judges are supposed to consider under the Unified Rules is aggression. Diaz was the clear-cut aggressor in the first three rounds.

Octagon control is also supposed to be considered when judging a round. Condit seemed to spend most of the early rounds backpedaling. He even ended the third round literally scooting backwards on his butt to get out of Diaz's way.

And yet, you never seem to hear anything about aggression and Octagon control these days when judging is dissected after the fact.

[Related: Carlos Condit faced with controversy after win over Nick Diaz]

There was a time when turning an MMA fight into a track meet was not considered a virtue. John McCarthy docked Jamie Varner a point in his UFC 62 loss to Hermes Franca for running when he employed similar tactics. Kalib Starnes was just about mocked out of the sport entirely for running sprints in his UFC 83 bout with Nate Quarry.

This is supposed to be a fight, right? With fighting for points increasingly becoming en vogue, maybe it's time to take a closer look at the actual criteria laid out for the judges when scoring a round. Aggression is supposed to be rewarded and weighted more heavily than defense. Backpedaling and sprinting is not supposed to be a point in a fighter's favor. Let's nip this one in the bud before MMA turns into Olympic tae kwondo.

• Much is being made of the fact that Condit outstruck Diaz in the fight. According to CompuStrike, he outlanded Diaz, 146-110. All this tells me is that MMA statistic keeping is still in its infancy and has a long way to go before it's a rock-solid method of measuring a fight. Sure, a 36-strike discrepancy could be an accurate portrayal of a fight. It could also mean the when one fighter has another cornered, he connected solidly on a single straight right, only to have his opponent throw a wild flurry of four of five punches, none of which did damage, then scamper to safety. And yet the latter fighter in that example would have a 5-1 strike advantage. Which leads us to the next stat, "significant" strikes, which Condit also took Who gets to define "significant?" That's a subjective decision and thus has minimal value as an objective fight measure.

[Related: Plenty of outrage over Diaz-Condit decision]

• In hindsight, maybe Herb Dean should have just docked Alex Caceres after his first kill shot to Edwin Figueroa's groin, then docked him another after the second one, rather than issue a warning after the first one and deduct two later. While Dean's two-point deduction was certainly unusual, I can't get too worked up about it. The first one was right up there with the nastiest groin shots I've seen in six years over covering MMA. Dean issued Caceres a "strong warning," and within a matter of seconds after the fight resumed, Caceres went right back to throwing wild kicks, to the point you could tell there was going to be another foul if the fight went on for any length of time. I wouldn't want to see referees start handing out two-point deductions left and right. But Dean, in my opinion, is one of the two best refs in the business along with Josh Rosenthal, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on the call in this instance. Hopefully Caceres, an energetic bantamweight with some upside, will use this experience to become a smarter fighter.

• Just over a year ago, Josh Koscheck looked like a fighter without many viable options. He had just lost his title challenge to Georges St-Pierre in one-sided fashion, and he suffered a cracked orbital bone in the process. It was his second loss to GSP, and the No. 2 guy in the division, Jon Fitch, was his teammate for life at the American Kickboxing Academy. But now Koscheck has a variety of intriguing options. Should he be the next opponent for Diaz (c'mon, you and I both know Nick isn't retiring)? Should he get a hot up-and-comer like Jake Ellenberger or Rory McDonald? Or is that off-limits fight against Fitch maybe on the table now that Koscheck is no longer with AKA? Love him, hate him, or love to hate him, Josh Koscheck remains one of the UFC's most interesting fighters.

[Related: Jon Fitch vs. Josh Koscheck is a possibility]

• Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson apparently never heard of the famed "Octagon jitters" fighters are supposed to experience in their UFC debut. The Simpsonville, S.C., native looked poised and confident from the get-go in his bout with Dan Stittgen, right up until the highlight-reel head kick that won him both the fight and a $65,000 knockout of the night bonus. Sure, one fight is far too soon to label someone a potential contender, but Thompson impressed inside the cage and was humble at the post-fight press conference, so you know he has the right attitude. Way to make a first impression, kid.

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma

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Defense is an underrated aspect of mixed martial arts. That's unless you're a judge.

Carlos Condit picked his spots and had Nick Diaz whiffing with his punches for much of the night at UFC 143. His strategy and executed resonated with the judges, who scored it 4-1, 4-1 and 3-2 in favor of the new UFC interim welterweight champ. But Condit's ring generalship didn't go over well with many fans.

Here's sampling of tweets from fights fans who thought Condit simply ran the entire night.

Condit didn't see it that way.

"I was pretty confident that I had won the fight. I landed a lot of effective strikes. I stuck to my gameplan. I did what I went in there to do. I punched him in the face. Kicked him in the face. You know, landed more effective strikes than he did in the fight," Condit said. "That's what it boiled down to. If I sat there and fought Nick Diaz's fight, it'd probably be him sitting here with this belt instead of me."

UFC president Dana White agreed.

"The fans are mad about the way Carlos Condit fought ... too [expletive bad]. You're mad at the way he fought? He went in there and he fought a great fight," White said. "He stuck to his gameplan. Nick Diaz is the master of getting you to fight his fight. [...] Carlos Condit kept his cool tonight. He fought a perfect fight."

Condit said when did Diaz did catch him, the shots were weak.

"They weren't all that effective. For the most part, if he did hit me with anything, it was kind of past the power zone. They didn't have a lot on them," said Condit.

Condit thought his kicks paid dividends later in the fight.

"Chopping his legs and affecting his mobility from the very start was working," Condit said. "You don't see the effects of that until later on in the fight. But he stopped coming forward on me."

As Diaz began to talk trash, Condit also stayed under control. He recalled one funny line when Diaz responded to one of the 10-plus spinning backfists and elbows that Condit threw his way.

"We're throwing spinning [expletive] now?," Condit said repeating what Diaz said in the cage. Condit wasn't about to play Diaz's mind games.

"I planned for that. I knew that I to be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared to face Nick Diaz," Condit said. "That's something I had in my mindset as well as the talking and the taunts and stuff. I just needed to stay focused and execute my gameplan. No matter what he said or no matter how many punches he took from me, I couldn't let my focus stray."

What's next for Condit is anyone's guess. The fighter and promotion were non-committal on when he gets back in the Octagon. The champ Georges St-Pierre is hoping for a November return from ACL surgery. Nine months is a long time for the top of the 170-pound division to stay dormant.

Dana White has said it for years, the fight game isn't a place for team camaraderie in the long run, The fight game will eventually will split up even the best of friends.

The heat between former teammates Jon Jones and Rashad Evans has been palpable for over a year and now we could see two guys, who appeared to be even closer, fighting in the future.

Josh Koscheck is done with American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Ca. That could mean the roadblocks are gone for a Koscheck match against Jon Fitch.

As teammates they said they'd never fight each other unless it was for a title. That always drove their boss nuts. Now that Koscheck is on his own, would they pass up a chance for a title shot if it meant they had to fight?

Koscheck gave a cryptic answer when conversing with White during the UFC 143 postfight press conference.

"That's what I whispered to him," White told the media. "I said, 'Now I'm doing the Jon Fitch fight.' He said, 'Good luck with that.'"

Koscheck gave no details as to why he split from the camp. He first indicated things were on shaky ground during the week when he said he was fighting for "Team Me" not "Team AKA."

He confirmed things during the postfight.

"I'll be training out of Fresno for now. I'm no longer affiliated with some of the people at the gym that I've been training at. I'm going to do my own thing," said Koscheck.

What happened at AKA? Koscheck wouldn't even mention the gym by name.

Koscheck barely squeaked by Mike Pierce and admitted his motivation to fight was less than stellar. Between the drama of leaving his longtime team and Pierce not being a huge name, the veteran UFC star produced a lackluster performance.

"Josh looked flat tonight. I expected Josh to have the faster hands. He didn't really let his hands go tonight," White said. "He looked flat."

Maybe a Fitch fight, with the winner getting a title shot, is exactly the energy Koscheck needs. For now White said he's not planning on Fitch-Koscheck, but he's open to it.

"No. I'm just [expletive] with him. If the fight made sense ... because there was a time when those two were [at the top of the rankings] ... but if the fight made sense, yeah, I'd try to make it. I wouldn't do it just to do it," said White.

Fitch needs to get back in there as soon as possible. Knocking on the door for a second title shot for the last three years, Fitch's chances got crushed when he was knocked out in just 12 seconds at UFC 141 against Johny Hendricks. In the USA Today/Bloody Elbow 170-pound rankings, he dropped all the way down to No. 7.

LAS VEGAS -- Nick Diaz is brilliant at playing mind games with his opponents, but it didn't work on any level tonight.

Carlos Condit never took the bait before or during the fight, stuck to the gameplan and outsmarted Diaz to get himself a share of the UFC welterweight title.

Condit moved beautifully all night and landed 60-plus kicks. He never stood in front of Diaz for more than a few seconds. It all added up to a unanimous decision victory, 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46, in the main event of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

It was a difficult fight to score. Judge Cecil Peoples scored it 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5), Patricia Morse Jarman had 49-46 (Condit 1, 2, 4, 5) and Junichiro Kamijo 49-46 (Condit 1, 3, 4). Aside the from the fourth round, each round was razor thin.

When the decision was read, Diaz was shocked. His behavior is nearly impossible to predict, but he threw everyone for a loop during his postfight discussion with UFC analyst Joe Rogan. He complained about the decision and then said he's had it with the sport.

"I'm not going to accept the fact that was a loss.That ain't right. I pushed him back all fight. I walked him down. Carlos is a great guy. I'm happy for him and his family, but I think I'm done with this MMA," said Diaz.

Diaz (26-8, 7-5 UFC) appeared to be the aggressor all night, but was it "effective aggression" as the unified rules state in detailing how to score a fight? Condit's constant move stymied Diaz, who was outlanded outlanded 159-117 according to Fight Metric. Compustrike had total strikes 146- 110 in favor of Condit. It also said kicks landed were 104-19 for Condit.

The loss ended an 11-fight, four-year win streak. Diaz is just 28 years old and one of the rising stars of the sport. He's got a bright future with massive earning potential.

"You guys pay me way too much, but I don't think I'm going to get enough to keep going in this. I don't need this [expletive]," Diaz said. "I pushed him backwards the whole time. I landed the harder shots. He ran the whole time. He kicked me in my leg with little baby leg kicks. I don't want to play this game no more. I'm out of this [expletive]."

Condit (28-5, 5-1 UFC) picks up the UFC's interim welterweight belt. After undergoing surgery for a torn ACL, The champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined until late 2012. Before the fight, UFC president Dana White couldn't say for certain if the winner tonight would sit out 8-9 months until GSP is ready.

Coming into tonight's tilt, Condit was sizable underdog at plus-185. A possible Diaz-GSP fight was expected to be one of the biggest UFC fights of 2012. A St-Pierre-Condit fight won't have the same sizzle, but it should be a helluva brawl based on what the new interim champ showed tonight.

The judges made the right call. The first round was tough to call with Condit starting out strong and Diaz closing well. Condit ran a little too much in the second and lost the round. He corrected his mistake from there and was simply brilliant over the final three rounds. Diaz stalked him for 15 more minutes eating kick after kick. In most cases, when Diaz tried to settle and throw punches, Condit was nowhere to be found. He scooted out of the way in when it looked like a classic Diaz 10-12 punch flurry was coming. The early work to Diaz's legs really sapped him late. He looked a step slow in the final round.

The fight didn't end without drama and that's where Diaz backers may have their biggest complaint. With 1:23 left, Diaz got standing back control, immediately dropped to the ground and quickly got his hooks in.

With 1:02 left, Diaz changed his legs to a body lock. He work for the choke, but never got his hands in position. Diaz had his right arm across the face, but Condit did a good job of tucking his chin. With around eight seconds left, Diaz threatened with an armbar attempt, but Condit was too slick and slipped out instantly. Some thought that was enough to take the round. It's hard call after watching Condit make Diaz look desperate and slow for the first three and half minutes of the round.

LAS VEGAS -- Roy Nelson is slowly shedding the blubber around his midsection, but he still has a ways to go. Fabricio Werdum showed that tonight.

The Brazilian, fighting for the first time in the UFC since 2008, actually picked apart Nelson on the feet to cruise to a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all three cards.

"Roy is very tough and can endure a lot of beating, but I found his weak spots," said Werdum.

With a giant belly and a mullet, Nelson is the everyman, and the crowd at Mandalay Bay roared in approval of the Las Vegas native. He came into the fight at just 246 pounds, his lightest weight in years. But even minus the extra 20 pounds he used to fight with, Nelson was still taking big deep breaths midway through the second round. He was a sitting duck.

Werdum is generally regarded as one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists in the division, but no one's ever raved about his striking. He beat the heck out of Nelson on the feet. The 6-foot Nelson played perfectly into the 6-5 Werdum's gameplan of working head control to throw knees. Werdum opened a huge gash on Nelson's forehead.

"This fight was important to me. I trained hard every day for this fight. I had a good strategy going into the fight but the main thing for me was to come out with a victory," said Werdum. FightMetric had Werdum outlanding Nelson 91-26.

Nelson (16-7 , 3-3 UFC) took a beating to the chin and body along the cage over the first five minutes. It just got worse from there. An exhausted Nelson tried to throw the home run overhand right for the next 10 minutes. In doing so, he moved forward and kept ducking his head. Werdum landed more knees and pounded Nelson to the face with his jab.

Reality is that Nelson is a tweener. If he really got in great shape, he'd probably still weigh 220 pounds. That's too small for heavyweight and way too big for the 205-pound division. Werdum is a massive guy, but still quick enough to avoid the plodding Nelson.

"I never really dwell on losses. I think it makes you a better fighter depending on how you look at it. Yeah it sucks, but I'll get back in the gym and get better."

LAS VEGAS -- It wouldn't be a Josh Koshceck fight if the fans weren't trying to boo him out of the building, would it?

Everyone's favorite UFC villain was it again on Saturday night at UFC 143, frustrating the crowd during his fight against Mike Pierce and taunting them on the mic afterwards. Koscheck took a split-decision victory every bit as close as it sounds, winning on two of three judges' score cards, 29-28.

"Hey, you guys boo me all the time," Koscheck said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. "I'm the most hated guy in MMA, guess what, deal with it man! I find a way to win."

Round one was a very close affair; a tight positional battle with lots of grappling. According to Compustrike, Pierce outlanded Koscheck 22-16 in the round.

In round two, Koscheck picked up the pace and opened up a deep cut in Pierce's scalp, above his left eye. Koscheck landed a late takedown fairly easily, but couldn't do much with it.

At the start of round three, the Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd serenaded Koscheck with a "Koscheck sucks" chant, then another close round ensued. Koscheck then further aggravated the crowd with an apparent eye poke late in the round.

Judge Junichiro Kamijo gave Pierce rounds one and two; Jeff D'Amato and Jeff Collins both gave Koscheck rounds two and three.

"Mike Pierce is a tough guy," said Koscheck (19-5) "I knew this going in."

Koscheck has won both of his fights since returning from a broken orbital bone he suffered in his Dec. 2010 loss to Georges St-Pierre.

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma

LAS VEGAS -- Still doubting Renan Barao? No need to anymore.

The young Brazilian cruised by a pretty game fighter in Scott Jorgensen taking a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards, on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Barao entered the fight with a brilliant 27-1 record. That includes winning the last 27 straight. The 25-year-old is now a perfect 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Brad Pickett and now Jorgensen. He was a minus-250 favorite and brought home the victory with ease.

Jorgensen (13-5, 2-1 UFC) is generally regarded as a top seven fighter at 135 pounds. He went the distance in a five-round loss against UFC champion Dominick Cruz. Barao picked him apart on the feet the entire fight. Even more impressive was his takedown defense. In a division, with plenty of former college wrestlers, Barao showed he's not going to have an issue of defending from his back.

Jorgensen, a three-time Pac-10 wrestling champion at Boise State, never came close to threatening Barao for a takedown. He tried three times in the opening round and Barao powered out of the attempt in each case. Twice, he controlled Jorgensen and turned the clinch to his advantage along the cage. For the fight, Jorgensen was 0-for-7 on takedown attempts.

That left Jorgensen with almost no path to a victory. The shorter fighter, with a less developed striking game, Jorgensen couldn't reach Barao with most of his shots. When he did, the power just wasn't there. Barao outlanded Jorgensen 118-58. Barao's jab landed just about every time he threw it over the first two rounds. He pieced together some beautiful three-punch combos.

"Barao's a tough guy, he's a very well-rounded fighter. I had no sense of urgency and I felt too comfortable in there.  It's a tough loss," said Jorgensen.

LAS VEGAS -- If there was ever any doubt that Ed "Short Fuse" Herman was back, he likely erased them with his victory over Clifford Starks at UFC 143 on Saturday night.

Herman missed all of 2010 after a knee injury. But he won both of his bouts in 2011 and looks ready for a step up in competition in the middleweight division after finishing Starks.

Herman (20-8) absorbed several big right hands from Starks in a first round that was mostly a tight positional battle. But in the second round, "Short Fuse" found his opening, scoring a trip and using textbook positioning to get Starks' back and sink in a rear-naked choke. Starks tried to roll out of it, but Herman tightened his grip and Josh Rosenthal called off the fight at 1:42.

"You know, he was landing some good right hands on me," said Herman. "Luckily, I've got a strong chin. I pulled it off."

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma

LAS VEGAS -- Twice, Alex Caceres landed kicks to Edwin Figueroa's groin that looked like he was attempting to nail 60-yard field goals. But they cost him an extra point and the decision in their bantamweight bout on Saturday at UFC 143.

Caceres landed his first kick early in the first round at Mandalay Bay, which sent Figueroa rolling across the mat in agony. Referee Herb Dean issued Caceres a "strong warning" after Figueroa signaled he was able to continue.

The rest of the first round was wild, as Figueroa connected with a head kick and nearly finished the fight, but Caceres rallied and went for several submission attempts late in the round.

Midway through the second, Caceres struck again. This time, Dean took the highly unusual step of docking the fighter two points for the infraction as the fight continued.

Figueroa won round three on all three cards. The scores were 28-27 across the board, two for Figueroa and one for Caceres. If there had been a standard one-point deduction, the bout would have been a majority draw, with two 28-28 cards and a 29-27 for Caceres.

"I felt like it was a hard earned paycheck," said Figueroa. "He was a good fighter. I had to dig deep for this one.  He came out and landed a few shots early.  It was a tough fight but I came out the winner."

The loss was the third in four fights for Caceres, the former "TUF" standout. Figueroa was won two straight.

"Immortal" Brown back on track.

Matt Brown may or may not be "Immortal," as his nickname suggests, but he sure has managed to hang around in the UFC's welterweight division.

Brown has grinded his way through 11 UFC fights since 2008, showing promise, but never quite building enough momentum to break through. But he's hoping to turn the page in 2012 after scoring a knockout victory over Chris Cope at UFC 143 Saturday.

"That's exactly what I need to be doing," said Brown (13-11) "I got away from who I am."

Brown controlled the action in round one against a tentative Cope (5-4), but never got an opening to do serious damage. That changed early in round two, when he feigned a left, followed with a big right hand that connected, then floored Cope with a left hook. He landed a few more shots on the ground before referee Kim Winslow stopped it at 1:19.

The win came as a relief to Brown, who had lost four of his previous five fights. "I've got a right hand to knock out anybody, I hope to see more of that."

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davedoylemma

LAS VEGAS -- Dustin Poirier dealt with Max Holloway's standing onslaught for close to two minutes. That's when he had enough. Time for Plan B.

Poirier took the fight to the ground and taught the 20-year-old a lesson. He mounted him, tried an armbar, switched it to a triangle and then wound up getting the submission finish with a nifty armbar from a topside triangle at 3:23 of the first round at UFC 143.

Give Holloway some credit. He took the fight on less than a month's notice against a guy who's one of the brightest prospects in the division. Poirier's finish is currently the lead candidate for Submission of the Night. That could be good for $65,000.

UPDATE: Poirier got the nod for Sub of the Night and the $65,000.

"I never underestimated Max. I was in his shoes before.  He's a tough fighter and good kickboxer.  He was quicker than I expected though and hit me with a few shots," Poirier said. "I came here to get a win, and I got the finish.  I'm one step closer to being a champion."

Holloway's standup attack was pretty slick.

Working behind both hands, some flying knees and plenty of kicks, he had Poirier on his heels. Poirier went for his first takedown with 3:06 left. He got it easily and lifted the slim Holloway into the air before slamming him to the floor. He moved to mount immediately. Poirier simply overpowered Holloway on the ground pinning his arms down on several occasions.

LAS VEGAS -- There aren't too many karate practitioners succeeding at the highest level of mixed martial arts. Meet Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. He might change that.

A kickboxer with over 50 fights, Thompson made his UFC debut a spectacular one at UFC 143. Thompson sized up Dan Stittgen for a few minutes and when his opponent relaxed a bit, Wonderboy landed a nasty roundhouse kick on Stittgen's chin. He was out cold in a split second at the 4:13 mark of the first round.

That's a helluva bar Thompson just set for Knockout of the Night. The UFC awards KO of the Night, Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses usually good for $65,000. Thompson looks like a shoo-in right now.

UPDATE: Thomson got the award and the $65,000.

It certainly wasn't the fight of the night. Stittgen, also making his promotional debut, never looked comfortable in the Octagon. His strength is supposedly jiu-jitsu, but he never got close enough to Thompson to even attempt a takedown.

"No words can describe how I feel right now. I'm beyond happy to have this win.  It's my first win in the UFC and I can't wait to get back out there and do it again.  I took my time and felt him out," said Thompson.

Thompson's kickboxing pedigree is impressive. He reeled off 57 straight victories before moving over to MMA in 2009, where he's now 6-0.

Natal's takedowns too much for striker Kuiper

Rafael Natal isn't pretty, but his grinding style was effective tonight against young Michael Kuiper.

Natal scored multiple takedowns in each of the first two rounds and worked top control. That was enough to get a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, in fight No. 2 of the night.

It wasn't easy for Natal, who got blasted and rocked by a Kuiper uppercut just a few seconds into the third round. Kuiper, 22, jumped on top, but Natal (14-3-1, 3-1-1 UFC) used his grappling skills to minimize damage. Kuiper got off some effective body shots, but nothing huge to Natal's head.

Natal admitted to UFC analyst Joe Rogan that "everything went black" for a second after Kuiper landed the big right.

With 2:40 left in the fight, Natal got to his feet. Seconds later, he scored a big slam takedown of Kuiper. Down big in the round, Natal grabbed back control by working side control to a mount where he eventually slapped on a head and arm choke. Kuiper was caught in the submission hold for 40 seconds, but never tapped.

This was the first loss for the 22-year-old Dutchman. Kuiper (11-1, 0-1 UFC) did get the nod in the final round from Patricia Morse-Jarman.

Riddle notches win over gritty Martinez

Henry Martinez has some stones, but it just wasn't enough to get him the win tonight on short notice. Matt Riddle eked out a split decision over the Jackson's MMA fighter, 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

"This fight was a war, but it's nice to be back on the winning end again. Henry hit hard and his hands were quick. I was impressed by him and that's why I picked it up in the second and third rounds," said Riddle.

The 5-foot-6 Martinez, who's really a lightweight, put the pressure on for the first few minutes. His big hooks threw Riddle off his game.  The second round was dead even with Martinez landing early in the round. The end of the round had the crowd roaring as the fighters teed off on each other.

Riddle finally got the fight where he wanted when he landed a third-round takedown. That's his comfort zone. Riddle briefly threatened by taking Martinez's back. Martinez avoided any serious trouble and got back to his feet before Riddle landed another takedown. This was Riddle's best moment of the fight. Trapped along the cage, Martinez ate some big shots.

"I had fun out there. It was a great fight and Matt is a tough guy. Even if you go in with the best plan in the world and study your opponent, they can change it up on you. We pushed each other hard but had a great time," said Martinez

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS -- Cashing UFC tickets may not be an task this weekend. The top of the card at UFC 143 features some difficult calls.

The underdog price of plus-175 on Carlos Condit makes him an inviting play, but Nick Diaz is on a 11-fight win streak dating back to 2007. He's pretty much destroyed or broken every opponent along the way.

On paper, Josh Koscheck (minus-265) should be a bigger favorite over Mike Pierce. So why isn't he? Are the sports books and sharp bettors onto something?

Roy Nelson versus Fabricio Werdum features grappler vs. grappler. Does that mean we don't see any dangerous scenarios unfold on the ground? Can someone pull off a submission? Or do we see a plodding stand-up battle? Werdum is a small favorite at minus-155.

Listen here as Frank Trigg, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and myself made picks during our "MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas.

UFC 143 betting odds:
Best plays in bold

Carlos Condit (+175) vs. Nick Diaz (-210) - Welterweight
Scott Jorgensen (+210) vs. Renan Barao (-250) Bantamweight
Josh Koscheck (-250) vs. Mike Pierce (+210) - Welterweight
Roy Nelson (+135) vs. Fabricio Werdum (-155) - Heavyweight
Matthew Riddle (-380) vs. Henry Martinez (+315) - Welterweight
Matt Brown (-340) vs. Chris Cope (+280) - Welterweight
Alex Caceres (Even) vs. Edwin Figueroa (-120) - Bantamweight
Dustin Poirier (-525) vs. Max Holloway (+415) - Featherweight
Ed Herman (-300) vs. Clifford Starks (+250) - Middleweight
Stephen Thompson (-300) vs. Dan Stittgen (+250) - Welterweight
Rafael Natal (-170) vs. Michael Kuiper (+150) - Middleweight

LAS VEGAS -- This week has been all about Nick Diaz and George St-Pierre. There's one problem, they're not fighting at UFC 143. In tonight's main event, Diaz has to beat Carlos Condit to get GSP later this year.

While many on press row may be secretly rooting for the Diaz-GSP megafight, Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal isn't hiding his feelings.

I don't know much about Carlos Condit. Everyone seems to think him a nice guy. Married his longtime girlfriend. Has an infant son. Great mixed martial arts fighter. His father was Chief of Staff to former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. There is nothing wacky about Condit of note.

Which is why I hope he loses tonight.

Ed may seem like a jackass, but he's not. Outside of the Condit family and Diaz haters, it's what most people watching UFC 143 will be rooting for tonight. Along with Chael Sonnen versus Anderson Silva, a Diaz-GSP fight will be one of the most anticipated tilts of the year.

Before you get all huffy over Graney's opinion, read the rest of the story. He may be the only newspaper columnist in the country who actually pens real columns about the sport in the traditional, old-guard media.

He's dubbed St-Pierre "Rain main" because the UFC star said he had demons in his head, just like Diaz. When he tried to explain those demons, he said he's OCD. Not exactly the scariest "demons" out there.

Condit knows the deal. He's the guy in the way of the big show.

"I feel like they're planning that fight before this one has even happened," Condit said (0:49 mark). "That's fine because I have the opportunity to get in there and spoils those plans."

It's just not Condit's nature to lash out or be rude about being overlooked, so he'll have to make everyone pay for disrespecting him through his actions in the Octagon. If that happens, Graney may be hanging his head.

It's nothing personal, but I think most would rather see Rain Man finally fight the crazy guy who talks in tongues.

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Fight Day Live is back today for another star-studded show from UFC 143 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will prepare you for all the fighting action and the expert panel of Matt Brown, John Morgan and Larry Pepe will break down the pay-per-view card and give their opinion on who'll take home the victory between Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.

Also slated for Fight Day Live are two interviews. The first is with "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey, the number one contender for women's 135-pound belt. Rousey is a human soundbite, so you won't want to miss that one. Also on set is crowd favorite Clay "The Carpenter" Guida.

Main event fighter Carlos Condit will also be featured during an exclusive one-on-one interview. Be sure and tune into Fight Day Live at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT.

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS -- UFC 143 has brought us a new Nick Diaz.

That's probably not the case, but the Stockton terror showed some self-control this week at the prefight press conference and again at Friday's weigh-in. No pushing, no shoving. The main event is a go. Both main event fighters checked in at 169 pounds.

Some in the media thought Condit looked a bit drawn and may have had a tough weight cut.

Over the years, Diaz has consistently gotten a little close to his opponent during photo opportunities at pressers and weigh-ins. Frank Shamrock got the finger. He got up close and personal with Evangelista Santos. He got even closer with B.J. Penn. He almost got into it with Paul Daley. Diaz has two postfight dust ups. Once following a KJ Noons victory and the other after his teammate Jake Shields won and was approached in the cage by Jason Miller.

There was a bit of shock in seeing a thinner Roy Nelson. The former 265-pounder, once labeled a bloated truck driver by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, slimmed down to 246.

UFC 143 weigh-in (courtesy MMAjunkie)

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

• Carlos Condit (169) vs. Nick Diaz (169)
• Roy Nelson (246) vs. Fabricio Werdum (246)
• Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Mike Pierce (170)
• Renan Barao (136) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135)
• Ed Herman (185) vs. Clifford Starks (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)

• Max Holloway (144) vs. Dustin Poirier (146)
• Alex Caceres (136) vs. Edwin Figueroa (135)
• Matt Brown (171) vs. Chris Cope (171)
• Jorge Lopez (169) vs. Matt Riddle (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

• Rafael Natal (186) vs. Michael Kuiper (183)
• Dan Stittgen (170) vs. Stephen Thompson (171)

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

LAS VEGAS -- Georges St-Pierre has been in the cage with some of the world's most fearsome fighters over the years, from Matt Hughes to B.J. Penn to a whole host of others.

But the most fearsome strike he's seen was one thrown by someone who sits outside the Octagon.

In a Q & A session for UFC Fight Club fans Friday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, St-Pierre said he's never seen anything like UFC color commentator Joe Rogan's spinning back kick.

Speaking about time spent training at Eddie Bravo's gym, St-Pierre said "Joe Rogan was helping me out with the spinning back kick. Joe Rogan has the best spinning back kick I've ever seen in my life. It's incredible. If he was in a fight, if he hits anyone with the spinning back kick, I don't care who he is, he's going down. I don't care who it is, how big he is, it's amazing."

Mike Goldberg, the Q & A's MC, stepped in at that point and told people to check it out on Youtube, so we did, and it's pretty awesome.  Don't believe us? Watch it yourself.

[ Video: Watch UFC 143 live on Yahoo! ]

Rogan's back kick was just one of many topics covered by St-Pierre -- who incidentally is now the second-longest reigning champion in UFC history, having surpassed Tito Ortiz's light heavyweight title reign -- in a half-hour question and answer session done in front of what seemed to be a majority of Canadian fans:

On his UFC Primetime comment that Nick Diaz is "fake crazy:" "What I believe is, he's a very smart guy. He knows what he's doing. He would not be able to do what he's done in his career if he wasn't smart. I do believe maybe he has some mental issues ... I do not believe he is a bad human being. Truth my eyes, because he has been very disrespectful to me and because maybe we'll fight, he's disrespectful, but to you guys, I'm sure if you saw him and asked him for an autograph he'd give it to you.

What if Carlos Condit beats Diaz on Saturday? "I wouldn't be surprised at all if Carlos Condit wins. I would not be surprised if Carlos spoils the whole thing. If he wins, you know, that means he's the best man, and I want to fight the best man. That means Nick Diaz would be out of a title shot and I want to go against the winner."

On whether Hughes should keep fighting: "Matt Hughes is an amazing fighter. It's just, at one point, I'm just concerned about his motivation, if he still has the fight. I'm concerned about Matt Hughes. Physically, Matt Hughes still has the skills, he can still kick ass. It's just up to him, does it still excite him, does he still have the motivation. I think he still can be one of the top guys."

And of course, there were the usual array of questions about fighting somewhere other then welterweight:

On the oft-discussed superfight with Anderson Silva: "It depends on the outcome on all the fights. Maybe if I beat the winner of Condit-Diaz, there will be another up-and-comer for me to fight, that everyone wants me to fight. Maybe Anderson won't be the champion anymore, maybe I won't be the champion. It depends on the outcome."

From a clearly inebriated fan who asked him if he'd fight at 205: "I do training with bigger guys, but a fight is different than training. If I would go [straight to 205 from 170], it would be the stupidest thing I've ever done. It's like you're asking me who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman."

On going down to 155: "If I go down to 155, Frankie Edgar will kick my butt."

Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter.

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LAS VEGAS -- Athletes are athletes. Every sport has its stars, grunts and primadonnas.

Super Bowl 46 and the NFL have too many to count and so does the UFC.

Scott Bemis from the local CBS television affiliate in Las Vegas decided to mix the two worlds. Check out Roy Nelson and myself on KLAS trying to come up with our star QB, diva receiver, kicker, coach and the intimidating hitter from the UFC.

Everyone loves the NFL. The audience in the U.S. is expected to top 150 million. Plenty of fighters will be glued to a TV set or partying around Super Bowl 46. The promotion asked a bunch of the fighters at UFC 143 for their plays on the game.

Georges St-Pierre, UFC welterweight champion
"I've not a clue about the rules of football but I will be screaming for New York because it's the closest city to Montreal."

Carlos Condit, UFC interim welterweight title challenger
"I'm going to take the New York Giants. Sometimes being an underdog is the greatest motivation. I'm an underdog against Diaz this Saturday and it's going to be the weekend of the dog."

Roy Nelson, UFC heavyweight
"My picks for game day are Bud Light for the bud bowl. As for the other entertainment on that day, I have not picked my favorite commercial yet but it is usually the one with bigger budget, but the Cinderella story can always happen and that's why I love the tournament format. As for the filler, I don't have a pick but it definitely will be a showdownwith the New York Giants and New England, but my bet is on the one with "New" in their name."

Josh Koscheck, UFC welterweight
"I am mad because those are not my two favorite teams. That said, I think it should be a good, hard fought game. I'm not sure who will come out on top."

Brendan Schaub, UFC heavyweight
"My prediction for the game is it's going to be a good game--high scoring from both teams. In order for the Giants to win, they have to get pressure on Tom Brady from the D-line so he can't sit in the pocket and drop bombs to his monster tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, however even with that being said I think New England will be just too much for the Giants and pull off a late 4th quarter game-winning drive adding to the Brady legacy."

Clifford Starks, UFC middleweight
"I have to go with the Patriots, I know that they remember the last time they lost to the Giants and they are looking to take that bitter taste out of their mouth."

Max Holloway, UFC featherweight
"I'm going to have to take the Giants. I think they've got the defense to hold Brady and his offense down. Also because Eli is one lucky dude I swear. I think he could close his eyes and throw the ball and it would land into one of his receivers' hands. The Giants are just something else when they play in the post-season. Their wide receivers have just been on these last couple of games."

Matt Brown, UFC welterweight
"I predict the Patriots will win simply because New England is title town. My fiancé is from Massachusetts, home of the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, and Bruins. All the winning teams are from MA so there is no way the Pats will walk away defeated. It also helps that Patriots QB Tom Brady has the best record of any NFL quarterback in the modern era with at least 100 starts."

Chris Cope, UFC welterweight
"I'm picking the Patriots because their offensive line is stacked and Brady is always clutch during the playoffs! Woooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Patriots!"

Stephen Thompson, UFC welterweight
"Eli Manning's offense is very strong which will allow him to move the ball well especially in the air. Their D line is strong which will allow their D-Backs to do their jobs."

Edwin Figueroa, UFC bantamweight
"Personally, I'm from Texas and when it comes to football I bleed silver and blue - Cowboys all the way win or lose! Onlytrue fans can say that! On that note though, I'm rooting for the Patriots to avenge their 2008 final loss to the Giants. Go Pats!"

Ed Herman, UFC middleweight
"I'm going to have to go with the underdog Giants. I enjoy rooting for the underdog plus their defense has been stellar. Go Giants!"

Scott Jorgensen, UFC bantamweight
"Patriots over the Giants! AFC east all the way! If it ain't the Bills in the bowl, I want to see the division do well to justify the Bills performance."

Super Bowl weekend is huge in Sin City. The UFC's decision to hold a Super Saturday card each year in Vegas is brilliant. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is estimating an additional 286,000 people will come to town. Hotels are at near 90-percent occupancy and the non-gaming revenue generated this weekend is $98 million.

You can watch UFC 143 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Carlos Condit is a man of many interests. He is a father, a fighter, a foodie, and purveyor of the finest men's suits. Seriously.

Condit owns Dressed to Kill, a men's clothier in his hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. The suit Condit wore to Thursday's press conference comes from Dressed to Kill.

See how nice "The Natural Born Killer" looks? And that suit can be yours. You can be dressed just like a top pro fighter and still look good enough to impress Don Draper. If the fight goes Condit's way on Saturday night, he'll want to head to his store and find something that complements a shiny, black and gold belt.