Author: Alex Ballentine

Georges St. Pierre: Keys to Victory for Defending Welterweight Champion

Georges St-Pierre will look to add yet another well-known name to his illustrious championship resume with an emphatic win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158.After a well-documented build up that started all the way back in 2010 (h/t Bleacher Report’s Jonathan …

Georges St-Pierre will look to add yet another well-known name to his illustrious championship resume with an emphatic win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158.

After a well-documented build up that started all the way back in 2010 (h/t Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden) St-Pierre will finally get his hands on the brawler from Stockton. Whether or not you believe Diaz has done enough to earn the title shot he’s been given, fans should rejoice that this matchup will finally go down.

St-Pierre has been as dominant a champion as there’s been outside of Anderson Silva. His reign has included wins over some of the best welterweights in the history of the UFC and he’s been champion since 2008.

However, his fight with Diaz will be another animal. With each challenger to GSP‘s belt, new issues arise. Here’s what St-Pierre will have to do to ensure he remains the dominant champion of the welterweight division.

 

Utilize Wrestling Early

St-Pierre has made his intentions clear throughout the pre-fight hype that he wants to put a beatdown on Diaz. He’s tired of constantly being called out by the man and seems determined to prove wrong the doubters who have called him boring.

While it’s all well and good that GSP wants to strive for a finish, he needs to build a lead with what he does best. In this case, it’s utilizing his wrestling to slam Diaz into the canvas and start piling up the damage via ground and pound.

Diaz wants to stand and slug it out. He makes no bones about that and wants this to be as close to a boxing match as he can get it.

By taking Diaz down early on, St-Pierre can frustrate him. Getting Diaz out of his element in an emotional fight like this one would be a huge advantage.

 

Stay Focused

GSP would have you believe that he’s been here before. Diaz‘s trash talk won’t get to him when they step into the octagon. Dana White isn’t buying it (h/t ESPN’s Josh Gross). 

Georges is being weird right now. Georges isn’t close to being Georges.There’s no doubt this thing has messed with his head. I just think he’s pissed. He’s a in a different place than he’s ever been because he’s mad.

While a little extra aggression may be good for training purposes, it doesn’t translate well in the actual fight. GSP is one of the most intelligent and strategic fighters of all time. Fighting with emotion can eliminate that aspect of his game.

Considering that one of the few ways Diaz could win this fight is to lure GSP into a fast-paced boxing match, the champion must avoid that at all costs.

St-Pierre needs to pick his spots and stick to his gameplan.

 

Go For the Finish

St-Pierre has been accused of playing it safe in the past.

Who can blame him? When you’re as dominant as he’s been, you’re obviously doing something right.

However, this is one fight where he might be better advised to go for the kill if it presents itself. If Diaz has anything going for him, it’s a massive gas tank. He simply doesn’t get tired and there’s no doubt that he’ll be able to go five rounds if need be.

Diaz is coming off of a much longer layoff than St-Pierre and rust could be an issue early on. If GSP can put Diaz away early, he won’t have to worry about a late-fight surge from the challenger.

Plus it would remind people that GSP is as dominant a champion as the UFC has.

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Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz: Odds and Prediction for UFC 158 Main Event

Two years of buzz and hype are now in the books, fight fans are finally getting treated to a Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre title fight at UFC 158.MMA’s consummate poster man (St-Pierre) will take on the UFC’s consummate villain (Diaz) in a clash of s…

Two years of buzz and hype are now in the books, fight fans are finally getting treated to a Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre title fight at UFC 158.

MMA‘s consummate poster man (St-Pierre) will take on the UFC’s consummate villain (Diaz) in a clash of styles and personalities both inside and outside of the Octagon.

Lost in all of the hype that comes with pre-fight talk is the fact that this is a fascinating matchup in the cage. GSP is the most calculating and tactical fighter in the sport. Diaz loves a good old-fashioned brawl.

Will GSP oblige Diaz in a stand-up war? Can Diaz work to his feet if taken down? Will we see GSP finish a fight? Did Diaz get enough sleep?

Questions abound.

Here’s a look at the night’s main attraction, including the latest odds from Bovada and a prediction.

 

Moneyline Odds: Georges St-Pierre -500, Nick Diaz +350

Unsurprisingly, GSP comes in as a fairly heavy favorite to the betting public. That’s what happens when you haven’t lost since 2007.

Passionate Diaz fans would like to point out that he brings something different to the table. His cardio, unique style and pace are different than anything St-Pierre has ever seen in the cage, but the fact still remains that St-Pierre is one of the most unbeatable athletes in the sport.

 

Prop Bets

The two prop bets that are intriguing are GSP inside of five rounds (+290) and Diaz by submission (7/1), but they aren’t the most likely thing to happen.

St-Pierre could prove that he really is going to give Diaz a beatdown and finish the fight. We haven’t seen him earn anything other than a decision win since earning a corner stoppage over B.J. Penn in 2009 and he hasn’t had a true stoppage victory since winning the title in 2008 against Matt Serra.

St-Pierre has been criticized for not finishing fights in the past and Diaz‘s trash talk may be just the thing that pushes him to finish the fight.

The other prop bet—and one that is admittedly not likely—is Diaz by submission. Much has been made about Diaz‘s striking, but it’s actually much more likely that he catches GSP in a submission if he pulls off the upset.

Of Diaz‘s last five wins that have come by way of stoppage, three of them have come by way of submission. While his boxing is great, his jiu-jitsu gets lost in the shuffle sometimes. There’s a good chance GSP spends the majority of this fight on the ground and in control on top.

If Diaz is going to win, he’ll have to catch St-Pierre on the ground.

 

Prediction

All betting possibilities aside, the smartest money is on GSP doing what GSP does best.

There’s no doubt that Diaz is in St-Pierre’s head to an extent, but the odds that means victory for the UFC’s challenger are slim.

St-Pierre is a calculating fighter that owes his success to his mental prowess as much as his incredible athleticism. Diaz has the kind of style and bizarre antics to make this an interesting fight. But to expect anything more than another display of the champions dominance for five rounds may result in disappointment.

St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision

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UFC 158 Fight Card: Prime Candidates for Knockout of the Night

UFC 158 may lack size, but heavy hitters abound on the card.A middleweight tilt between Chris Camozzi and Nick Ring represents the heaviest weight class on the card, but the competition for the Knockout of the Night bonus should be fierce.As much as we…

UFC 158 may lack size, but heavy hitters abound on the card.

A middleweight tilt between Chris Camozzi and Nick Ring represents the heaviest weight class on the card, but the competition for the Knockout of the Night bonus should be fierce.

As much as we fans love the technical aspects of the sport, we all love a good knockout. Who takes home the extra cash for putting up the best highlight-reel knockout is always one of the best parts of the card.

Here are the prime candidates to make us jump out of our seats come fight night.

 

Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks

Anytime Johny Hendricks is on a card, he’s an automatic favorite to win the Knockout of the Night award.

Despite a heavy wrestling background, Hendricks’ knockout power is what makes him the fastest riser in the welterweight division. He’s won the distinction of Knockout of the Night in three of his last five fights. His thunderous left hand has the ability to end the fight at any time.

His opponent, Carlos Condit, is no slouch in the knockout department either. He has 13 wins by way of knockout on his resume and is a two-time winner of the bonus.

Neither of these guys have been knocked out in their career. Considering the power of both, it’s hard to envision that still being true after UFC 158.

 

Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker

UFC veteran Patrick Cote will make his welterweight debut after spending portions of his career at both light heavyweight and middleweight. He’ll be welcomed by former Strikeforce welterweight Bobby Voelker.

There’s a good chance that the resulting collision will yield a spectacular knockout.

Cote has always been unafraid to stand and exchange. Once upon a time he scored back-to-back Knockout of the Night awards. Now that he’s fighting at the lowest weight of his career, it stands to reason he could see another power surge.

Voelker is a capable knockout artist in his own right. He’s a new face to UFC fans, but 15 of his 24 wins have come by way of knockout.

 

Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt

Surprise, surprise, it’s another matchup between welterweights with plenty of power to knock each other silly.

Ellenberger is another wrestler with phenomenal power in his hands; he’s racked up 17 of his career wins by way of knockout and has a Knockout of the Night performance against Jake Shields.

Marquardt is a grizzled veteran who has traditionally scored more victories by submission, but he has the power to knock out opponents. He has nine knockouts in his career.

Both of these fighters are great grapplers, which could mean that it comes down to who has the better stand up. That means one of these guys is going to sleep.

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Nick Diaz Will Bring out Best in GSP

Regardless of the outcome, the UFC 158 headliner between Nick Diaz and GSP will bring out the best version of Georges St-Pierre we’ve seen in years.The long-time welterweight champion has enjoyed a spot among the top fighters in every pound-for-pound l…

Regardless of the outcome, the UFC 158 headliner between Nick Diaz and GSP will bring out the best version of Georges St-Pierre we’ve seen in years.

The long-time welterweight champion has enjoyed a spot among the top fighters in every pound-for-pound list. He’s the most cerebral fighter in the sport and always has the perfect game plan. His dominance has been so thorough and so systematic that he’s been called boring by the “Just Bleed” sector.

That’s why Nick Diaz is the perfect opponent for St-Pierre.

At this point in GSP‘s career, there aren’t too many styles he hasn’t seen.

Elite wrestler? Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and Matt Hughes can all attest to the fact that you can’t beat St-Pierre with wrestling.

Dynamic strikers? Carlos Condit, Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves have found the difficulty in trying to put St-Pierre away on the feet.

However, he has yet to fight someone like Diaz. A volume striker on the feet with slick jiu-jitsu and cardio to last for days, Diaz is a one-of-a-kind fighter (well, unless you count his brother, Nate).

Stylistically, this is just a great fight. You have the ultimate intelligent fighter in GSP, who is always controlling the pace and utilizing the best (if not safest) path to victory.

On the other hand, you have a true brawler in Diaz. The Stockton, Calif. product wants nothing more than to turn things into a street fight. While his taunting will certainly add an interesting element to the fight, it’s the pressure that he brings to the table that will make things interesting.

GSP is used to taking control in a fight. He generally controls where the action takes place and the pacing of the fight. While he should be able to score takedowns, Diaz has great jiu-jitsu and will make St-Pierre work to gain dominant position.

On the feet, Diaz has a better chance than anyone to make a fight of it. His pace is and aggression is something that GSP hasn’t seen in his career because very few in the sport set the pace that Diaz does. As Fightnomics points out, Diaz is one of the most busy fighters in the sport, producing almost double the amount of significant strikes as St-Pierre.

Then you have the buildup to this fight. It’s been well-publicized that these two don’t really like each other all that much. While St-Pierre is no stranger to having opponents try to get under his skin, Diaz is the master of the art.

As much as St-Pierre wouldn’t want to admit that Diaz is under his skin, Dana White thinks that Diaz‘s trash talking has achieved its goal, telling ESPN’s Josh Gross:

Georges is being weird right now. Georges isn’t close to being Georges.There’s no doubt this thing has messed with his head. I just think he’s pissed. He’s a in a different place than he’s ever been because he’s mad.

If GSP is really angry at Diaz, he’ll need to make sure that it doesn’t affect his style. Getting into a slugfest with Diaz is the worst possible scenario for a fighter as calculated as St-Pierre.

What he needs to do with that anger is to allow it to take him to the next level. After dominating the division for so long, he hasn’t pushed himself to finish a fight in four years.

With an entirely unique opponent and different mindset, the stage is set for GSP to put on one of the greatest performances of his career.

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UFC on Fuel TV 8: Most Likely Candidates for Knockout of the Night

The Japanese fans in attendance at UFC on Fuel TV 8 should be prepared for some good ole fashioned violence. This card is chock full of fights primed for a highlight-reel finish.With knockout artists littered all over the card, the competition to take …

The Japanese fans in attendance at UFC on Fuel TV 8 should be prepared for some good ole fashioned violence. This card is chock full of fights primed for a highlight-reel finish.

With knockout artists littered all over the card, the competition to take home the coveted Knockout of the Night bonus is sure to be fierce.

Here are the fights that are most likely to produce some memorable brutality and line the pockets of the winner with some extra cash.

 

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Dong Hyun Kim

This is reliant on Bahadurzada earning the victory over Kim here.

This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup, and Bahadurzada is 1-for-1 in his UFC career in going for the Knockout of the Night. He earned the honor just 42 seconds into his promotional debut against heralded veteran Paulo Thiago.

Bahardurzada is a devastating striker, and he has a great sense of timing. His knockout of Thiago was a perfect example of his precision striking. Kim is an excellent wrestler who will look to control distance, but a win for Bahadurzada would likely come by knockout.

If he’s able to land a finishing blow, it’ll automatically enter the conversation as the Knockout of the Night.

 

Stefan Struve vs. Mark Hunt

One thing is for sure in this fight—someone’s going down.

Twenty-five-year-old Stefan Struve has 30 fights to his name. One has gone to decision. Mark Hunt has gone to decision three times in 15 career fights, but only one of those fights has taken place in the last eight years.

Each fighter has earned the honor once in his career, and Struve has earned Fight of the Night honors five times in the UFC. This fight is almost guaranteed to entertain fans, and Dana White always appreciates that.

As long as Struve doesn’t win by submission, one of these guys is going to have a strong case for Knockout of the Night.

 

Brian Stann vs. Wanderlei Silva

Throughout his career, Wanderlei Silva has been the kind of fighter who keeps coming forward until he or his opponent is unable to continue.

In his PRIDE days, that more or less meant that he just kept attacking until he mowed his opponent down. Now that he’s a little long in the tooth, it’s a little less than a 50/50 proposition.

Stann has yet to win a Knockout of the Night bonus, but nine of his 12 wins have come by way of knockout, and he’s going against the suspect chin of Silva.

Either way, fans are just about guaranteed to see a knockout finish.

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Silva vs. Stann: UFC on Fuel 8 Main Event Should Be Axe Murderer’s Last Fight

Win or lose on Saturday, Wanderlei Silva should walk away from fighting with his head held high. His legendary status in the sport of MMA was sealed long ago. With nothing left to prove, the Axe Murderer would be best-served calling it quits while…

Win or lose on Saturday, Wanderlei Silva should walk away from fighting with his head held high. 

His legendary status in the sport of MMA was sealed long ago. With nothing left to prove, the Axe Murderer would be best-served calling it quits while he still has the facilities to do so.

Once upon a time, Silva was the most fearsome man in the sport.

His reputation as a destroyer of men was consecrated in his days as PRIDE FC’s most dominant champion. His accomplishments in the once-great promotion are many: He was the first man to win both a championship and a Grand Prix title, holds the most wins (22) in the organization and compiled the longest winning streak (20).

He held on to the company’s 205-pound division title from 2001 until 2007 and compiled 15 knockouts in the process. His legacy as one of PRIDE’s biggest stars can’t be disputed.

However, the longer he holds on to his fading UFC career, the more those accomplishments from his prime fade into the rear view.

Since re-joining the UFC in 2007, Silva hasn’t been the same uber-aggressive mauler who endeared himself to the fans of Japan. His 3-5 record in his eight fights is a far cry from the domination he once enjoyed as a PRIDE legend.

Considering Silva’s brawling style, it’s amazing that he’s continued to fight into his mid-30s. He’s officially fought 48 professional bouts, and he’s never been one to back down from exchanges; many of those bouts have been wars.

Going into Saturday’s main event, Silva will once again look to put on a show against Brian Stann. In Stann he takes on a guy with more than enough power to put the current version of Silva down. The Axe Murderer will need to truly channel his former PRIDE self if he wants to pull off the upset.

Perhaps the best result for Silva would be for him to lose. With the spotlight on former athletes in sports like football and boxing who suffer long-lasting effects of head trauma, Silva is and has been walking a dangerous line.

His place in MMA history is secure; he has nothing left to prove. Fans will miss his highlight-friendly, entertaining style, but it’s time for him to accept his legendary status and walk away from the sport with some dignity.

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