Turd Ferguson
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Main Card (PPV)
- Welterweight Championship: Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
- Welterweight Bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
- Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Griggs
- Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
- Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara
- Middleweight Bout: Nick Ring vs. Costa Phillipou
- Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi
- Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
- Featherweight Bout: Antonio Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm
- Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
- Welterweight Bout: Stephen Thompson vs. Besam Yousef
- Featherweight Bout: Stephen Siler vs. Darren Elkins
All you need to know: Georges St. Pierre is returning to action after a year and a half layoff. This is a must-watch for anyone who considers themselves a UFC fan.
When we last saw St. Pierre in action, he had a lackluster win against Jake Shields at UFC 129. It was a fight where Shields took two of the rounds and he actually out-struck GSP. GSP tore his ACL preparing to fight Condit, and during that time the UFC created an Interim Welterweight Title that Condit won in a fight against Nick Diaz. Despite having the Interim Title, Condit didn't actually defend.
To be honest, with the ACL injury, the potential ring rust, and the caliber of opponent he's fighting, I think GSP is in trouble.
GSP is known for his explosive power double and his speed. He also used to be known for his explosive striking, but let's be honest, when's the last time he truly showcased it?
Another problem is that the last exciting fight he had was probably against Jon Fitch at UFC 87. That was four years ago. He's cruised to victory since then in affairs where he wasn't really fighting to win, but fighting not to lose. I'm a HUGE GSP fan (he's in my top 3 of favorite fighters) but the fact that he hasn't had a signature win in a long time is definitely a problem in the eyes of casual fans. He's promised a KO and an exciting fight against Condit, but let's see what happens once the fight begins.
Carlos Condit represents GSP's toughest challenge since BJ Penn at UFC 94. People shit on Condit for having the perfect gameplan against Nick Diaz at UFC 143. They forget that Condit is a spectacular striker who also has some serious Ground and Pound and is pretty damn good off his back as well. Condit has been on a roll lately, and back when GSP and Condit were supposed to square off at UFC 137, I thought Condit had the ability to pull off the upset.
I think he will pull it off. Not only is Condit a murderer on his feet, he also is one on the ground. He's also extremely resilient, having come back from getting dominated by Rory MacDonald to find that killer instinct and finish him with just 10 seconds remaining in the third round.
People say GSP has a weak chin. He really hasn't been touched since the Serra loss, but still, this is certainly a fight that will likely test his chin.
The big question going into this fight is how will the ACL injury effect GSP? Will there be significant ring rust? Look at NFL running backs who come back from significant ACL injuries. It took Jamaal Charles a few weeks to get going, and Adrian Peterson doesn't have that same explosiveness he once had. Rashard Mendenhall is still having difficulties coming back. I think GSP is going to need to take this to the ground to win, and I'm not sure if he will be able to take Condit down... he won't have that same explosiveness he's known for having.
So, the fight will likely be a standup battle. And again, GSP won't have that same speed and explosiveness he's known for having. He's promising a finish of Condit. What if he gets sloppy? On the feet, I give Condit a significant advantage. And I'm predicting a KO and a major upset of St. Pierre. Forget the GSP/Silva fight.
The co-main event is a #1 Contender battle between Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks. Both fighters are on significant rolls, and it should be a very entertaining fight. The biggest question in this fight - will Kampmann fight smart? If he does, then hypothetically, he should pick up the win. The problem is that he tends to fight his opponent's fights, so he takes bombs. He has a hell of a chin. The problem is, can his chin withstand a bomb from Hendricks? If he can avoid it, then he has a good chance to take this fight. He's a much more refined striker than Hendricks, and with his slick submission game, Hendricks will not want to take this to the ground, he'll likely look to do what he did against Koscheck, wall and stall. I think Kampmann takes this by submission, but that's IF he fights smart.
Francis Carmont is loaded with potential. Lawlor is carving out a niche as the 185 gatekeeper, having been dispatched with ease by Weidman around this time last year. I like Lawlor a lot but Carmont is an absolute monster and I don't think he should have too much trouble dispatching of Lawlor here.
Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Griggs made the main card for some reason. There are plenty of entertaining fights on the prelims that are better fights to put on the main card, like a very entertaining scrap between Patrick Cote and Alessio Sakara, or even Bocek/Dos Anjos.
Finally, Mark Hominick will look to end his three fight skid against Pablo Garza. Garza's pretty decent overall, and a tougher opponent than Hominick's previous opponent, Eddie Yagin. I like Hominick a lot, and I think he'll get one more chance if he loses this fight, but he should not be losing to fighters like Yagin or Garza.