Clifford “Big Cat” Starks vs. Ed “Short Fuse” Herman
 
  Kicking off the main card is a Middleweight bout between Clifford Starks and Ed Herman.  Starks is coming off of his three round domination of Dustin Jacoby, he also stands undefeated at 8-0.  Herman’s career has recently bounced back as he is currently riding a two-fight winning streak.  These two fights include a TKO victory over Tim Credeur and a submission victory over Kyle Noke.
 
  Clifford Starks should have a significant size advantage in this fight, considering that Herman is one of the smaller Middleweights. Expect Starks to take this fight right to ground as soon as he sees an opportunity.  His wrestling ability is his biggest strength.  Starks will look to stay in Herman’s guard, avoid submissions and soften Herman up with punches.  Starks holds a three-inch reach advantage over Herman, look for Starks to utilize this to drag Herman to the ground.  Herman’s boxing will give him the advantage on the feet.  He will look to keep this fight standing and pick Starks apart on the feet.  Herman’s jiu jitsu is excellent and should allow him to score points on the bottom if Starks is able to execute a takedown.  Look for Herman to try for sweeps as well if Starks is in Herman’s guard.
 
Renan Barao vs. Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen
 
  Next up is a bantamweight showcase between two of the division’s top contenders, Renan Barao and Scott Jorgensen.  This fight may have some early “Fight of the Night” aspirations.  Jorgensen has gone a perfect 2-0 since the WEC merged with the UFC; his most recent victory was over Jeff Curran via unanimous decision.  Barao is currently riding an unparalleled seventeen-fight winning streak.  At UFC 138 he defeated Brad Pickett by way of a first round submission.
 
  Jorgensen will look to stay quick and cautious on his feet in this fight.  His biggest asset, which he may look to utilize, is his wrestling.  Jorgensen takes the majority of his opponents down with ease, and will look to do no less against Barao.  He may have trouble in Barao’s guard if he doesn’t stay active.  Barao has an extremely dangerous guard, and will not be afraid to attack with submissions from the bottom.  Barao may be one of the most well rounded fighters that the division offers.   He will be comfortable wherever this fight may go.  Barao’s Muay Thai proved successful in his fight with Brad Pickett, who is a predominant striker himself. Look for these two to keep the fight standing and put on a show for the crowd.
 
Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum
 
Getting to the middle of the main card, we have a Heavyweight collision between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum, who is making his return to the UFC.  Werdum is coming off of his last fight in Strikeforce, where he lost a unanimous decision to Alistair Overeem in the quarterfinals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.  Nelson’s most recent fight was at UFC 137, where he knocked out Mirko Cro Cop. 
 
  This fight is interesting because of the extensive grappling backgrounds that Nelson and Werdum hold.  Although Werdum has the slight advantage on the ground, Nelson has an underrated jiu jitsu game.  Look for Werdum to utilize his superior reach to keep Nelson at a distance and avoid his power punches.  Werdum is great from the clinch and may look to utilize this to bait a takedown, where he will be able to look for submissions.  Although Nelson’s grappling is not on the same level as Werdum’s, he should be able to avoid submissions on the ground.  Nelson’s gas tank could work against him in this fight if he cannot score the early knockout.  Expect Nelson to load up on his overhand right to put Werdum away early.
 
CO-MAIN EVENT: Mike Pierce vs. Josh Koscheck
 
  In the co-main event we have a Welterweight showdown between Mike Pierce and Josh Koscheck.  These two have worked up a bit of a feud after Pierce called Koscheck out when Condit pulled out of his original fight with Koscheck.  Mike Pierce’s last fight proved victorious as he won a split decision victory over Paul Bradley.  Josh Koscheck is coming off of his first round knockout over the legendary Matt Hughes.  After being indecisive on whether he wanted to move up to 185 or stay at 170, this is where Koscheck’s journey has brought him.
 
  Considering the fact that these two are structural wrestlers, expect this fight to stay on the feet.  Although it would be interesting if either Pierce or Koscheck shoot for a takedown.  Koscheck has proven that he has knockout power with his victories over Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg.  His boxing has greatly improved as of late, and will look to put together combinations whilst loading up on his uppercuts.  The uppercuts that he possesses have been known to open up his path towards victory.  Pierce is no slouch on the feet; his knockout victory over Kenny Robertson has shown that.  Look for Pierce to stay low, tuck his chin and throw hooks.  Koscheck is technically the better striker, but Pierce has the ability to tag Koscheck and put him away.
 
MAIN EVENT for the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz vs. “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit
 
  The history behind this fight has been a fight within itself.  Carlos Condit has gone from being scheduled to fight Georges St. Pierre for the championship, to fight B.J. Penn, but ended up fighting nobody on the UFC 137 card.  The main event of the card provided B.J. Penn versus Nick Diaz, where Nick Diaz outboxed his way to a unanimous decision victory.  Condit was then set to fight Koscheck on this card, but after GSP suffered yet another injury, he was forced out of his championship fight with Nick Diaz.  The end result is a stylistically impeccable bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship.  Condit’s last fight took place at UFC 132, where he knocked out the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim with a flying knee.
 
  This fight is a clash of styles, however these styles are extremely similar.  Where Nick Diaz’s game is geared toward his boxing, Condit’s is geared toward his kickboxing.  Diaz and Condit are respectively coming out of training camps that breed winners, Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting.  Diaz holds the slight advantage in the jiu jitsu area; he has been known to submit his opponents in the later rounds of his fights.  However Condit is certainly no cakewalk on the ground, he has submitted 13 of his opponents.  The slight edge goes to Condit in the striking area, his ability to mix knees, kicks and punches towers over everyone in the Welterweight division.  Diaz’s boxing and cardio are what he is most known for.  Look for him to try and break Condit’s will be pushing forward and mixing his punches from the body to the head.  His cardio will give him the advantage if this fight breaks into the later rounds.  Condit will try to keep Diaz at bay with front kicks.  Condit’s knees and kicks are his best weapons, expect him to try and beat Diaz with more diverse strikes.  Regardless of the outcome, Condit and Diaz treat every fight as if it is a war.  It promises to be an early candidate for “Fight of the Year”.




Photo Images Courtesy of Zuffa LLC

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