UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and may be sidelined for up to ten months. Nick Diaz, who was set to challenge for St. Pierre’s title at UFC 143, will face former WEC champ “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit in an interim title bout.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the change earlier today. St. Pierre previously withdrew from a planned bout with Condit at UFC 137 due to an injury to his left knee. Diaz went on to defeat B.J. Penn in the main event of the card and now faces Condit on February 4, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

St. Pierre (22-2-0) stated today that he intends to return to competition after surgery and rehabilitation for his injured knee, but he now faces a lengthy recovery time and is expected to be sidelined for much of 2012. Most recently, St. Pierre defeated former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion Jake Shields at UFC 129 on April 30th. The victory was St. Pierre’s ninth in a row. Should he be able to return before the end of 2012, nearly 18 months will have elapsed since St. Pierre last competed inside the Octagon.

Diaz (26-7-0, 1 ND) and Condit (27-5-0) will now face off for the interim 170-pound title. The winner may face St. Pierre upon his return, though this has not been confirmed. Diaz has won 11 fights in a row and his impressive victory over Penn led many to believe that he could be the man to take the title from St. Pierre. The striker and jiu-jitsu specialist has secured finishes in 21 of his 26 wins. Condit has lost just once in his past 13 fights and has only gone the distance three times in his career. Condit has never been stopped by strikes, which could be a key factor against Diaz, who has engaged many of his recent opponents in standup wars.

Condit’s original foe at UFC 143, Josh Koscheck (16-5-0), currently awaits a new opponent.

UFC 143: “Diaz vs Condit” takes place on February 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Diaz and Condit will vie for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)