Cesar Gracie 'shocked' at UFC 143 decision, says 'incompetent judges' don't like Nick Diaz and are ruining MMA

When the dust settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, after UFC 143 this past weekend (Feb. 4, 2012), there was a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Interim Welterweight Champion crowned in Carlos Condit.

The event, however, did not end without having a dark cloud lingering over it. And that cloud, yet again, had to do with the judges' decision. The Octagon side judges awarded Condit a unanimous decision victory over Diaz and had many fans and media confused at the scoring and their call.

After the bout, Diaz, in utter disgust, announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), leaving fans across the globe disappointed at the possibility of not seeing Diaz compete in combat sports ever again.

Two days removed from UFC 143, the MMA community is still buzzing with the controversial decision of the main event and it seems that everyone has their opinion on who truly deserves to be the interim UFC 170-pound champ.

Cesar Gracie, Nick Diaz head trainer, is no exception.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Gracie discusses the decision the judges, who he says do not like Diaz, rendered that left his pupil without UFC gold and without the opportunity to face welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre:

"He clearly won that fight. I've told him, when he lost before, that he has to let it go. But this fight was clear he won. I was shocked, we were all in disbelief, especially with the scores that they read. Every judge had Nick losing that first round. It takes two to make a dog fight and one fighter running away does not make it a dog fight. In my opinion, I don't think the judges like Nick. He talks in the ring and Nick slapped Carlos at one point in the face and told him to quit running. The judges have never liked Nick in Vegas, they don't like his attitude. He nearly had to kill B.J. Penn (at UFC 137) to earn that decision. I think they think he is disrespectful and they are going to find a way to go against him. I don't know what fight they were looking at. I literally thought they had mixed up the fighters names when they read the score. Everybody was confident that Nick won that fight."

Gracie also gave his thoughts on whether or not he believed Carlos Condit fought like a coward due to the game plan he and Jackson's MMA camp used, a camp, he says, he is not very fond of:

"Coward is a big word to use. I think anyone that fights in the UFC for as long as Carlos has fought, he is not a coward. I like Carlos Condit, you get a good vibe from him, but, I do not think he is a coward in any sense of the word. He just listened to his corner's game plan. Run away and throw some leg kicks. I am disappointed in the way he fought for sure, he promised a dog fight and it did not happen. I am impressed by his skills and I was concerned, but the tactic he used, it loses stock in other people's eyes and I was obviously disappointed. If Nick had been knocked out by Carlos, I would feel better right now than what I do. I don't like that camp (Jackson's MMA) and I'm not going to take that back. I like the fighters there, but when you have coachs that tell people to fight like that, I don't like it. I am proud to not corner my guys like that and I never will, we have a code and I'm proud of the way we fight."

On whether or not Diaz will truly hang up his gloves after announcing he would do so after his UFC 143 loss:

"I haven't talked to him about it (retiring). I would hate to see that. He is not just fighting his opponent, he is fighting the judges that do not like him. The whole judging criteria is so flawed, they don't answer to no one they are not reviewed and they will never be fired. They are making decisions that are ruining the sport and are ridiculous and no one is going to get them out of there. You have incompetent judges that do not even know anything about this sport. The criteria makes no sense and it is insane. I can understand Nick's frustration. We can have a rematch, sure, set up a rematch, but if it is with the same judges how are we going to win? I don't know how they had him losing that first round. After the fight, an actual official from Nevada came up to me and told me, you should have Nick box, because in boxing, they will still rob you, but he is still going to walk away with millions and millions of dollars. "

Condit, now awaits the return of Georges St. Pierre, which could mean he would have to ride the pine for another nine months to see action.

Are you Maniacs surprised at the revelation the Gracie has bestowed upon the MMA world that judges seem to have a disdain for Nick Diaz and his "bad boy" attitude inside the Octagon?

Thoughts?