UFC 143’s Diaz vs. Condit main event gets veteran ref Steve Mazzagatti 

today obtained from the Nevada State Athletic Commission the referee and judges’ assignments for UFC 143, which takes place Feb. 4 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Oft-criticized referee Steve Mazzagatti has been assigned to oversee the event’s interim welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.

Judging the headliner is Patricia Morse-Jarman, Junichiro Kamijo and Cecil Peoples.

Despite his status among fans as a favorite whipping boy, Mazzagatti brings a wealth of experience to the event and has overseen countless high-profile fights. Famously, former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar specifically requested he not referee the main at UFC 116, which featured Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin.

According to MMADecisions.com, a website that tracks fight decisions by judge, Morse-Jarman served as a judge at this past Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine” event, and this past year, she oversaw 27 bouts held on 10 major events, including five UFC pay-per-view cards. This past month at UFC 141, she scored a lightweight bout between Anthony Nkjokuani and Danny Castillo two rounds to one in favor of Njokuani, which resulted in a split-decision win for Castillo.

Notably, she scored the UFC 125 headliner between lightweight champ Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard a draw.

Kamijo also worked this past weekend’s Strikeforce event and oversaw 25 bouts held on 11 major events this past year, including six UFC pay-per-view cards. Notably, he scored a lightweight bout between Clay Guida and Anthony Pettis three rounds to none in favor of Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, which resulted in a unanimous-decision win for Guida.

Peoples, whose critics also are numerous, is a referee and judge who oversaw 20 bouts this past year in seven major events, including four UFC pay-per-view cards. He notably scored a light-heavyweight bout between Brandon Vera and Eliot Marshall two rounds to one in favor of Vera, which resulted in a unanimous-decision win for Vera.