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UFC 158 Start Time: How to Catch All the Action on Saturday’s Fight Card

UFC 158 features several exciting matchups, and there is sure to be plenty of top-class UFC action on Saturday night. Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz are headlining the event, and the two fighters have grown continually less fond of one another …

UFC 158 features several exciting matchups, and there is sure to be plenty of top-class UFC action on Saturday night.

Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz are headlining the event, and the two fighters have grown continually less fond of one another as the fight has drawn closer. Their feud is building up to what should be an incredible bout.

But there are 10 other fights scheduled for the night, and even the most die-hard UFC fans can get their fill.

All scheduling and pay-per-view information is available via UFC.com. Here is when each part of the card will kick off.

Facebook Prelims

Start Time: 6:35 p.m. ET

Watch: UFC Facebook

Matchups:

Rick Story vs. Quinn Mulhern

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Issei Tamura

George Roop vs. Reuben Duran

Best Fight: T.J. Dillashaw vs. Issei Tamura

Dillashaw is a fighter on the rise, and if he can make a statement in this fight, he has a bright future ahead of him.

All of the fighters on this card are far away from a marquee fight, but Dillashaw is closer than the other names above, leaving the 27-year-old Californian with the most to prove.

Tamura has a win and a loss in his two previous UFC fights, and he will be the underdog. This fight will reveal whether Dillashaw is for real.

FX Prelims

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

Watch: FX

Matchups:

Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker

Antonio Carvalho vs. Darren Elkins

Dan Miller vs. Jordan Mein

John Makdessi vs. Daron Cruickshank

Best Fight: Antonio Carvalho vs. Darren Elkins

Elkins is another fighter looking to take the next step in his promising career.

After four consecutive victories via decision, he is starting to create buzz in the featherweight division. But a loss can change all that.

Elkins must take down Carvalho in this match if he hopes to get on bigger and better cards going forward.

Main Card

Start Time: 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-Per-View

Matchups:

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz (welterweight title fight)

Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks

Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt

Nick Ring vs. Chris Camozzi

Mike Ricci vs. Colin Fletcher

Best Fight: Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

There have been main events in which the headliners do not offer fans the best matchup, but this is not one of them.

Both fighters have few weaknesses and impressive UFC records. St. Pierre is the favorite, but Diaz is a worthy challenger.

To take this matchup to the next level, both this fighters really don’t like each other. This should make for an extremely entertaining bout.

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Rousey vs. Carmouche: Main Event Will Not Outshine Machida vs. Henderson Bout

There are reasons to be excited about Ronda Rousey’s bout against Liz Carmouche, but in the end, what takes place in the octagon between these two women will pale in comparison to what happens right before they fight. The main event between Rouse…

The main event between Rousey and Carmouche is a groundbreaking and historic event for the sport. There is no doubting this.

Women’s mixed martial arts has a superstar in Rousey, and Dana White is making the right move by having her defend her bantamweight title in the first ever UFC fight between two women.

But there’s a problem with this bout: Rousey is too good. The 26-year-old is powerful and explosive, and if this fight goes to the ground, it will be over quickly.

Rousey’s armbar has become the most feared weapon among all female fighters, and few fans would be surprised to see the fight end with her signature move in Round 1.

While a first-round knockout or win by submission is often an exciting result, the fact that everyone watching will be expecting it to happen will take away from the accomplishment if Rousey does end the fight early.

In the end, this bout is a massive mismatch, with Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter calling a Rousey win “the biggest lock on this fight card.”

But the fight set to take place right before the main event is an even and exciting matchup.

Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson are both fighters worthy of a main event, and in all likelihood, it will not be long until one of their names appears at the top of a fight card.

As ESPN UK notes, UFC president Dana White has tapped the winner of this bout to take on the victor between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen—who are set to fight in UFC 159 on April 27.

Machida is 34 years old and Henderson is 42. While time is quickly running out for Henderson, Machida is not getting any younger either, and such a clear path to a title fight is an opportunity that may not present itself again for either fighter.

Both men will be extremely motivated, and the stylistic differences between the two will make the bout even more thrilling.

Machida is quick and accurate with his strikes, while Henderson brings frightening knockout power with his punches.

If the bout goes to the ground, Machida’s black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu will test Henderson’s credentials as an Olympic wrestler.

This fight will be a chess match, but of course, it will feature two gigantic men beating on each other. It has all the components to be a fantastic bout.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the main event.

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UFC 154 Start Time: Full Coverage Guide to Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit

UFC 154 will be a special event for Georges St-Pierre, and earning a victory over Carlos Condit is the last step toward ensuring that this bout is one of the most memorable of his career. This will be St-Pierre’s first fight in 19 months af…

UFC 154 will be a special event for Georges St-Pierre, and earning a victory over Carlos Condit is the last step toward ensuring that this bout is one of the most memorable of his career.

This will be St-Pierre’s first fight in 19 months after tearing his ACL last year, and he will make his triumphant return to the Octagon in front of a hometown crowd in Montreal.

His challenger will be Carlos Conduit, who won the interim middleweight title by defeating Nick Diaz in February.

Here is everything you need to know about this fight.

Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Québec

When: Saturday, November 17, 10 p.m. ET (main card)

Watch: Undercards available via UFC’s Facebook starting at 6 p.m. ET, more prelims available on FX starting at 8 p.m. ET, main card available via pay-per-view (details provided by UFC.com)

Live Stream: Main event can be purchased to view online via UFC.com

Fight Card

Main Card

– Welterweight Championship: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit

– Welterweight Bout: Marin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks

– Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor

– Middleweight Bout: Nick Ring vs. Costa Philippou

– Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza

Preliminary Card (FX)

– Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara

– Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Riggs

– Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. Rafael dos Anjos

– Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

– Featherweight: Antonio Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm

– Welterweight Bout: Matthew Riddle vs. John Maguire

– Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov

– Featherweight: Steven Siler vs. Darren Elkins

St-Pierre’s Keys to Victory

St-Pierre is a master of the takedown, and he must prove early in this fight that he is still capable of exploding toward his opponent despite his knee injury.

If he can get Condit on his back early in each round, the fight has a strong chance of going his way.

Condit is a brilliant technical fighter, but his diverse array of strikes won’t matter as long as he is lying on the canvas.

This fight will depend mostly on how well GSP has recovered. If he is as explosive as he was before his knee injury, he will be victorious.

Condit’s Keys to Victory

Condit kept Nick Diaz guessing earlier this year with a dazzling series of kicks and punches, and that will be his road to victory against St-Pierre.

If he can avoid takedowns, stand up and strike with GSP throughout the majority of this fight, he has a chance to emerge with a win.

Condit is four inches taller than the Canadian, and his striking ability is greatly enhanced by his height advantage. By staying upright and at a distance, Condit can do serious damage.

The fight for Condit will be decided by how long he can stay off the mat. His chances at winning will increase with every second that he is able to stay on his feet.

What They’re Saying

GSP’s injury will be the major storyline heading into this fight, and Sports Illustrated’s Loretta Hunt notes that it might be the mental effects, not the physical ones, that keep him from being at his best.

However, the calculated St-Pierre isn’t one to provide his opponents opportunities. He knows better than anyone how crucial a fighter’s mental state can be (his two career losses to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra didn’t come from a lack of physical preparedness), which is why he’s tried not to dwell on the low points of his surgery and rehabilitation, despite the media’s best efforts.

Main-Event Prediction

Great athletes have a history of being able to beat the odds when it comes to returning from injury. NFL fans know this from watching Adrian Peterson this year.

The knee injury will not significantly bother St-Pierre in this match, and he will be able to take Condit to the ground. The Montreal crowd will be delighted with the result in this bout.

Prediction: St-Pierre wins via submission in Round 4.

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UFC 152: Difficult Victory over Vitor Belfort Was Ideal Outcome for Jon Jones

Jon Jones defeated Vitor Belfort to defend the light heavyweight title at UFC 152 in Toronto. However, the champion nearly lost the fight in the first round, and the lessons learned from the close call will benefit him going forward. Jones landed a vic…

Jones landed a vicious kick to Beflort’s ribs in the third round, and this eventually led to a win by submission for the champion at the beginning of the fourth round.

However, Belfort nearly pulled off what would have been the most shocking victory in UFC history when he caught Jones in an armbar in the first round. Jones’ arm bent in a gruesomely unnatural way before he was finally able to escape from Belfort’s grasp.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto quotes Jones discussing the effects of that hold.

I’ve never had my arm popped like that before. I felt it, but I worked too hard to give up. I honestly was waiting for it to break.

It just felt numb. My brain is trained to throw it, so I threw it, but it didn’t feel powerful at all.

This result was ideal for Jones because he earned another impressive victory, but was also humbled by nearly losing to Belfort.

Anderson Silva grew far too cocky before Chael Sonnen dominated for the majority of their 2010 bout. Silva was able to get Sonnen in a triangle armbar and escape with a victory. Jones certainly risked following this trend as he knocked off one former champion after the other.

With this victory, Jones will have an extremely sore arm to remind him how quick the fall from the top can come in this sport. He will certainly reevaluate his strategy and mindset before he steps in the Octagon again.

Jones was immediately aware of the need to improve after the fight, saying, “I’ve got a lot of work to do against southpaws for sure,” via ESPN.co.uk.

There is so much more to learn from defeats than victories, but Jones is in the position of being painfully reminded that he must get better as a fighter and he did not have to suffer a loss.

This result will allow Jones to grow as a fighter while also improving on his already impressive résumé.

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UFC 149 Predictions: Renan Barao Pegado to Continue Win Streak vs. Urijah Faber

Renan Barao Pegado is unbeaten in his last 29 fights, and he will continue his streak against Urijah Faber. The two fighters are evenly matched, but Pegado is brimming with confidence right now, and his quickness will be the decisive factor against Fab…

Renan Barao Pegado is unbeaten in his last 29 fights, and he will continue his streak against Urijah Faber.

The two fighters are evenly matched, but Pegado is brimming with confidence right now, and his quickness will be the decisive factor against Faber.

The 25-year-old Brazilian is 28-1 in his professional fighting career with one fight ending in a no contest, while the 33-year-old Faber is 26-5.

According to Sherdog, Faber is the second-ranked bantamweight fighter while Pegado checks in at No. 3.

The top fighter in the their weight class, Dominick Cruz, is currently out of commission with a knee injury. Cruz defeated Faber by unanimous decision in February 2011, but his only loss came to the “California Kid” in 2007.

A third fight between the fighters was expected to take place, but Cruz’s injury nixed those plans. Now, the winner of this bout will likely get a shot at Cruz when he is healthy.

Unfortunately for Faber, his chance at a grudge match will not arrive immediately, as Pegado will be too fast for him at UFC 149.

As noted by Sherdog’s Reed Kuhn, Pegado is aggressive with his striking attempts, and has unleashed 50 percent more than his bantamweight opponents.

Kuhn also notes that Faber is a more powerful fighter, but prefers to wait for the right moment to strike.

But Pegado is furiously active and these moments will not come often enough for Faber. The Brazilian’s constant jabbing will keep Faber from setting up a knockout blow.

The two fighters are extremely evenly matched in the ground game. Both are experienced in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 14 of Faber’s 26 wins have come by submission, while 13 of Pegado’s 28 wins were won this way.

With the matchup on the mat so close, and Pegado’s quickness limiting Faber’s power, this fight has an excellent chance to be determined by a decision.

If this is the case, the Brazilian’s ability to strike more often and keep Faber from landing many serious shots will earn him yet another win.

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Ronda Rousey Body Issue: Photos Make Fighter MMA’s Biggest Female Star

Ronda Rousey leaves nothing to the imagination in her ESPN the Magazine Body Issue photo shoot, and the publicity she has received solidifies her place as MMA’s most recognizable female athlete. The sexy Strikeforce star was one of the six athlet…

Ronda Rousey leaves nothing to the imagination in her ESPN the Magazine Body Issue photo shoot, and the publicity she has received solidifies her place as MMA’s most recognizable female athlete.

The sexy Strikeforce star was one of the six athletes used for the covers of the magazine’s annual edition.

Rousey is not just a pretty face, and she has serious skills in the cage. The 25-year-old is 3-0 in amateur fights and 5-0 in professional fights. She is the currently Strikeforce bantamweight champion.

She also has the personality to draw headlines. Her trash talking has always attracted attention, and she continues to back it up in the ring.

Her most recent verbal jabs have not been directed at other fighters, but instead at Kim Kardashian. Speaking at the ESPY awards, Rousey said the following, via Fox Sports.com.

You know what? I would beat the crap out of Kim Kardashian, actually. Any girl who is famous and idolized because she made a sex video with some guy.

Why is everyone slipping it under the carpet now? I don’t want some girl whose entire fame is based on a sex video to be selling Sketchers to my 13-year-old little sister.

Rousey was responding to a question about a celebrity should would like to beat up, and showed that she was not afraid to answer a question which was clearly designed to coax a controversial answer.

Rousey’s is quick-witted, sexy and a devastating fighter. All of these are attributes that make her a star, and she has put them to good use.

Her unfiltered comments, scintillating photo shoot for ESPN and the whoopings she’s laid down during her fights have all created headlines. With more barbs, beatings and breathtaking magazine spreads likely in her future, her fame will continue to grow.

The sports biggest star up until now was Gina Carano, but she attracted attention for her movie career, and not as a fighter.

Rousey is attracting plenty of attention and shows no sign of pursuing a career outside of MMA. She is a rising star and she, more than anyone else, will elevate the exposure of her sport.

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