UFC 154: 'St Pierre vs Condit'

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

It's funny you made the point about FX prelims, I was just thinking that the FX prelims on this card in their entirety look better to me than the first 3 fights on the main card, those 4 fights are ridiculously good. I thought dos Anjos deserved a more high profile spot, but looking at his record, his recent great run was halted a little by a split decision loss to Gleison Tibau that I missed/forgot about.

 

The next few cards all look great on paper. Think about this for fights we have to look forward to in the next 2 months:

 

Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le

GSP vs Carlos Condit

Ben Henderson vs Nate Diaz

Shogun vs. Alexander Gustaffson

BJ Penn vs. Rory McDonald

George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson

Roy Nelson vs Shane Carwin

Gray Maynard vs. Joe Lauzon

Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami

Chris Weidman vs. Tim Boestch

 

and to finish the year off... JDS vs Cain Velasquez II! This year has been a bit rough to be a MMA fan, but provided most of this stays together, we have some major excitement to look forward to.

[mikey]

Hoping for a Kampmann win for some reason. Took a disliking to Hendricks' pub-fighting style a few years back and while he's a lot more crisp and technical now, I can't shake the dislike.

[wandshogun09]

Rest of 2012 looks amazing. Fuck off injury bug, don't even think about it you fat twat.

 

Slight change to the line up. Philippou-Ring has been bumped to the main card and Diabate-Griggs has been moved to the FX prelims.

 

Looking forward to the sam stout fight on the prelims, he's still underrated in my eyes and will probably put on a fight of the night performance yet again.

The very fact that Stout is on the prelims whilst Hominick fights on the PPV segment of the show is ridiculous to be honest.

 

More odd to me is that they have him fighting Makdessi.

 

Don't get me wrong I expect it to be a fun fight to watch but Stout's coming off a win over Spencer Fisher. Makdessi is coming off 2 consecutive losses. I think Joe Silva gets it right more often than not but this is a bit of an odd fight to make matchmaking wise.

 

I know after Stout-Fisher 3 Dana was vocal in his opinion that he thought Fisher won (I actually agree but it wasn't a terrible decision). If this is some sort of punishment for Stout it's a bit cunty. Punishing the fighter for the judges actions. Of course he's still on FX but it seems like the UFC have treated it like he's coming off a loss by matching him with Makdessi low down the card.

 

Hoping for a Kampmann win for some reason. Took a disliking to Hendricks' pub-fighting style a few years back and while he's a lot more crisp and technical now, I can't shake the dislike.

 

I'm rooting for Kampmann as well. For two reasons. I've never really taken to Hendricks for some reason either and also I'm a fan of Kampmann. He's been on the fringes of breaking into the title picture for ages now but always gets set back by either choosing to brawl and getting caught early (vs Daley) or being unlucky with judging (vs Sanchez and Shields).

 

I'm happy to see him putting together an impressive streak. He's an exciting fighter with good technique in the stand up and on the ground and bollocks the size of Roy Nelson's tits to come back from some of the batterings he's had. Love watching him fight.

 

He'll be no match for a GSP and I don't see him having quite enough to ever be the champion but I'd love to see him fight some of the top guys at 170 like a Condit again or Nick Diaz. Kampmann vs Diaz could be a hell of a fight.

[wandshogun09]

Matt Hughes weighs in on GSP

 

On Georges St-Pierre:

 

"Georges and I get along fine. He's a good guy. We've got each other's cell number in case we ever need anything. We've chit-chatted a little bit through text. Great guy. ... My one criticism with Georges is, I wish the guy would finish more people, because I know that he has the ability to. He's the best guy I've ever fought, and I just wish he'd go out there and do that to everybody else, the way he made me feel in his two wins. I'm not being mean, I'm just being very honest. That guy's got so much talent. By gosh, go out there and use it all.

 

"I think he's just very careful. He doesn't want to lose, which of course, nobody does. You know, the more effort you put into finishing the fight, the more you open yourself up to be finished. Matt Serra is a great example."

 

On who the greatest UFC welterweight champion of all-time is:

 

"Well, Georges beat me twice."

 

As much as Hughes can be a cockend, I agree with him on all fronts in this quote.

[The Natural]

Matt Hughes weighs in on GSP

 

On Georges St-Pierre:

 

"Georges and I get along fine. He's a good guy. We've got each other's cell number in case we ever need anything. We've chit-chatted a little bit through text. Great guy. ... My one criticism with Georges is, I wish the guy would finish more people, because I know that he has the ability to. He's the best guy I've ever fought, and I just wish he'd go out there and do that to everybody else, the way he made me feel in his two wins. I'm not being mean, I'm just being very honest. That guy's got so much talent. By gosh, go out there and use it all.

 

"I think he's just very careful. He doesn't want to lose, which of course, nobody does. You know, the more effort you put into finishing the fight, the more you open yourself up to be finished. Matt Serra is a great example."

 

On who the greatest UFC welterweight champion of all-time is:

 

"Well, Georges beat me twice."

 

As much as Hughes can be a cockend, I agree with him on all fronts in this quote.

 

I also agree with him and you.

[Supremo]

I always find it unfair when people criticise Georges for not finishing opponents. Sure. he definitely used to be guilty of it, but in his last few fights he's clearly gone in there attempting to finish guys, describing it as his aim leading into the fight, but each time he's failed more due to bad luck than anything else. He smashed Koscheck's skull into pieces and he tore Dan Hardy's arm to shreds. He also spent a tonne of the Jake Shields fight throwing these massive right hooks. In all instance he looked like a man desperate to finish his opponent, only for them to avoid being finished by the narrowest of margins. If he was just lying on top of guys that'd be one thing, but the intent is clearly there, he's just been unlucky in having opponents made of steel and/or rubber.

 

 

 

 

This is not a man trying to win a decision victory.

[wandshogun09]

he's just been unlucky in having opponents made of steel and/or rubber.

 

Or in his words "Dan 'Ardy...I think he must be made of rubburrr"

 

 

You raise a fair point. Shields took some bombs off Hendo and pulled through to dominate so it's not like he's easy to put away. I'll have to rewatch the Shields and Kos fights again because all I remember is a load of jabs. But he did do this to Kos with said jabs...

 

 

Maybe I've been harsh but whatever the case, he hasn't been as fun to watch in recent years. Smart gameplans but not always the most pleasing from an entertainment standpoint which is why we watch after all. The last fight of his I really enjoyed was the Fitch fight funnily enough.

 

I just think he's not quite the same fighter he was when he was killing guys. Everything after the loss to Serra up until the Alves fight he was like a machine. He's still one of the most skilled fighters in the world now but he doesn't blow me away like he did a few years back.

 

It doesn't help that Anderson Silva is making everyone else's efforts pale in comparison either. GSP's fights being compared to Anderson's and Jones' doesn't do him many favours.

[David]

I just think he's not quite the same fighter he was when he was killing guys. Everything after the loss to Serra up until the Alves fight he was like a machine. He's still one of the most skilled fighters in the world now but he doesn't blow me away like he did a few years back.

He isn't. He fell in love with wrestling I think, coupled with the fact he got sparked by Matt Serra. He's definately a safety-first type of fighter, which he can't be faulted for I guess.

[wandshogun09]

I just think he's not quite the same fighter he was when he was killing guys. Everything after the loss to Serra up until the Alves fight he was like a machine. He's still one of the most skilled fighters in the world now but he doesn't blow me away like he did a few years back.

He isn't. He fell in love with wrestling I think, coupled with the fact he got sparked by Matt Serra. He's definately a safety-first type of fighter, which he can't be faulted for I guess.

 

I agree but I'm talking even later than that. I'm talking about the GSP from the first Koscheck fight at UFC 74 right up until UFC 100 vs Alves. He was awesome at that time. For me the criticism isn't about him not standing and striking as much. It's more just that he used to seem more focused to put guys away than he is now and used a more varied attack than in his last 2 fights.

 

After getting KO'd by Serra he came back better than ever and went on to destroy Hughes, wreck Serra in the rematch, batter Fitch all over the place and make BJ Penn quit on his stool. Not to mention the way he handled Alves who was on fire at the time. He was beating Alves in the stand up and the grappling. So it's not the Serra loss which has made him more safety minded I don't think.

 

Maybe it's just that Shields and Koscheck were 2 guys who could realistically take him down and he just decided to box and not take risks. Or maybe he's just thinking he has a lot more to lose now. Or he was getting bored. I don't know.

 

We'll see but I have felt for a long time that GSP isn't as explosive or athletic as he was pre Alves. The fact that he tried so hard to finish Hardy and couldn't. And also couldn't put a one eyed Koscheck away is what makes me think he might be showing early signs of a slip maybe. GSP of 2008 I'd have no doubt would have put Hardy away within 2 rounds and not let cyclops Kos see the final bell either.

 

One thing's for sure, he won't just finish Condit with ease either. Condit is no whitebelt on the ground and he has great striking and a hell of a chin. So I'm not expecting a finish from GSP in this one. If GSP does stop Condit though I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong.

 

If he was already slightly on the decline and then got hit with this knee injury and layoff...man, this could be perfect timing for Condit.

[wandshogun09]

Matt Riddle has stepped in to fight Besam Yousef now. Hope we get so see that, Riddle always brings it.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

Awesome, I love Riddle. Thought it was a massive shame to see his last fight ruled a NC because they found pot in his system. Even more so after he produced a medical marijuana card. I still think pot shouldn't be treated as if it was a PED, being under the influence during the fight doesn't provide an advantage (in fact it probably slows your reflexes etc). And it's usually in the system from a day or two before, has no bearing on the fight in that case.ANYWAY... Riddle was uber-impressive in his last fight, with that standing arm triangle slam deal. Hopefully he runs through Yousef, who I don't know much about.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah and even though he tested for weed, weed can stay in your system for longer than something like say testosterone which you can cycle off and HGH which isn't even tested for is it? So just because marijuana metabolytes came up on his tests it doesn't mean he was under the influence. It doesn't matter anyway because it is on the banned list so if you test positive then you know the score. But I do find it ridiculous that the commissions treat testing for weed the same as they do testing for testosterone. And hand out similar punishments for both. Look at how they threw the book at Nick Diaz. Now, I'm not defending Diaz here. He was stupid as fuck to a) test positive especially given his history with the commission and b) turned up to the hearing without his weed card and c) made a tit of himself every time he spoke at said hearing. It's his own fault. And it was a second offence. But then when you look at how they dealt with Overeem and Sonnen...both who used testosterone which IS a PED...it's unbelievable. Chael went in there all sheepish and with his gift of gab and blagged his way through to the point they were putty in his money laundering hands. By the end they were sucking up to him so much one of them wound up suggesting he could possibly work for the commission in an advisory role about the substance he fucking tested positive for!! previously. They then granted him permission to use TRT despite the dodginess surrounding his prior use of it. In Overeem's case he went in there all polite after flunking his drugs test (which he tried to avoid), he fed them some shite about his naughty doctor injecting him with a pain killer which..oops just happened to have enough testosterone in to raise his levels to astronomical levels but he had no idea honest. And they believed that. Not only did they believe it, he got off with a 9 months suspension, and one of the commissioners actually saying to him "You're still a champion in our eyes". Not only that he gets an immediate title shot on his return. I'm not even getting into Mayweather...Who was allowed to move his jail sentence around (a jail sentence for battering his Mrs no less) so he could fight and make another God knows how many million to fight Miguel Cotto in May. Add all that up and then;Diaz? Well, they seemed to already have the verdict decided before he went in there. Here he is in front of the firing squad...Yeah Diaz was awkward as fuck trying to argue his case but his people gave a good account of themselves including a doctor who put forth a solid argument but they weren't having it. They'd decided to throw the book at him regardless. 12 month suspension AND about a $30,000 fine. Again, I'm not in any way advocating Diaz being so foolish to fail his test. Again. And I didn't expect them to go light on him but there has to be some consideration given to what the actual crime was. Sonnen and Overeem can juice up and cycle off and get a slap on the wrist. But Diaz and Riddle smoke weed and get wins overturned, big fines and long suspensions. It just doesn't make sense to me. The Riddle case is silly because he has a medical card for it. As he put it...

"I got the license just over a year ago. I recently moved to Nevada in part because in Pennsylvania, they don't have a medical program at all. That's why I actually moved out to Nevada; the MMA training here is good and they have the medical program. It's not one of those California, Nick Diaz cards where you can go into a store, pay 50 bucks and walk out. I had to get fingerprinted, I've done FBI background checks, I had to pay about $600 bucks in fees and stuff to get everything with the state."

And here is said card... Fredrick.Not saying don't punish the stoners at all, but giving them the same or worse punishments as the roiders (and injecting testosterone IS using steroids) seems ridiculous to me. MMA justice.

[Egg Shen]

UFC have pulled a little swerve and replaced the Griggs/Diabate fight on the main card with Phillipou/Ring. Not sure why? I think people who were pulling for the Cote/Sakara fight to be on the main card are gonna be pissed.

[wandshogun09]

GSP highlight set to Mark Henry's entrance music

 

 

Somebody gon' get they wig split!

[jimufctna24]

On who the greatest UFC welterweight champion of all-time is:"Well, Georges beat me twice."As much as Hughes can be a cockend, I agree with him on all fronts in this quote.

GSP is the best WW of all time, no question.There are still a vocal minority who say Hughes, but they are fairly rare. By 2005 no one could touch GSP, and other than Serra no one has really come close since.Call me a cynic but if Condit beats him, I still do not think it legitimises Condit as the best, beating a vulnerable GSP coming of a lay-off does not do that much for me. I am picking GSP anyway and maybe I am being a butthurt Diaz fan, but I believe Condit is the opposite of Penn, he works hard and follows gameplans but does not have that much talent compared to the freaks like Jones, Anderson and GSP (2004-2009)Once someone espcially talented works as hard as Condit does he will be fucked, same thing happened to Tim Sylvia, Forrest Griffin and to a lesser extent Matt Hughes (see BJ Penn) hard work eventually gets overhauled once talent starts working.In short, I am not in the Condt warwagon, and will not be until he shows me something special. I see no potential to be a all-time great or the man to take GSP mantle, like I did in 2006 with GSP taking over from country bumpkin Hughes.