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UFC 158: Will We See a Dark Side in Georges St-Pierre?

Most MMA fights are about two people utilizing their techniques, their discipline and other talents to see who comes out on top. They indulge themselves in interviews on their opponent whether it will be a fight between two respected fighters or if the…

Then they will talk about how they will win their fight whether it be by a spectacular knock out or a beautiful submission. The hype is partly what makes the fight exciting.

Once the fight starts, it is all business. All the talking is now replaced with action. With No. 1 UFC Welterweight Contender, Nick Diaz, the hype and talking doesn’t stop, but neither does the action.

Nick Diaz has been calling out UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre for some time now. Before Georges was placed on the shelf due to a serious knee injury last year, the fight between GSP and Diaz was suppose to happen.

Instead we ended up with Condit vs Diaz for the Interim Welterweight Championship, which was a great match, but it didn’t quite have the electricity of a GSP vs Diaz fight.

Even while GSP was on the injured list, Diaz was still talking trash to him. GSP took Condit to a five round beating in his last fight and Diaz still continued the trash talking.

That is how Nick Diaz is. He is a trash talking fighter that can back it up with a sick ground game to go along with an unorthodox, yet effective, stand up game.

Just like his little brother, Nate, Nick has that unique stand up game in which he doesn’t throw all of his power into one punch. Instead he will unload with a barrage of what UFC commentator Joe Rogan calls “50% punches”.

Combine those punches with the fact that Diaz is a cardio freak and you have someone that will not stop until your face is messed up.

If you don’t want to get beat up by Diaz standing up, do you take a gamble and take the fight to the ground with a Jiu Jitsu wizard? It is almost a lose/lose situation.

The result equals a mangled face and bruised ribs for the opponent. For Diaz, it is a win. Just ask UFC legend BJ Penn. I have never seen Penn get beaten up the way Diaz beat him up at UFC 137. It was hard for me to watch because Penn is one of the fighters I looked up to when I competed.

And the trash talking to GSP still continued for Diaz.

Diaz finally got what he wanted when St-Pierre expressed himself about the Stockton Native during an interview. The Canadian born fighter stated on how he is offended on how Diaz is and that he deserves a beating and that you will see a Dark Side of the Welterweight Champion.

Dark Side? Does that mean we will see an angry GSP?

The last time a fighter got under the skin of the Welterweight Champ it was in December of 2010 at UFC 124 when he fought Josh Koscheck. Georges busted him up for five rounds with some wicked jabs that resulted in a fractured orbital bone in Koscheck‘s face.

Georges was mad, but he has never been this mad.

Last year, I wrote an article about Diaz and GSP. The article was about Diaz and could he be the one that brings out the finisher in GSP?

I still hope that happens. I want the GSP that made my idol, Matt Hughes, verbally tapout. I want the GSP that broke the nose of Sean Sherk.

I want the GSP that finishes fights in spectacular fashion.

Well those are my thoughts. Now it is time to hear yours. Did Nick Diaz make the biggest mistake of his life by awakening the Dark Side of St-Pierre? Will we see the GSP that finishes fights? Or is this all part of Diaz‘s plan to use Georges’s anger to throw him off his game?

This Saturday in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, we will find out.

Until then, this is Balistik signing out.

PEACE OUT

“MMA ALL THE WAY”

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GSP Defeats Condit: What Does This Mean for Dana White and the UFC?

On November 17th, at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon to defend his title against Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in UF…

GSP made a triumphant return against Condit, but it was not without a struggle. The match could quite possibly go down as Fight of the Year. Condit attacked GSP the only way a “Natural Born Killer” would, keeping the fight at a distance with his jabs and kicks.

Condit was even able to rock GSP in the third round with a wicked high kick to the head that sent the Canadian reeling on his back. The crowd was stunned as they saw Condit pounce on their fallen champion like a jungle cat.

The moment showed eerie similarities to the GSP vs. Serra 1 match back in 2007 at UFC 69, in which Serra was able to rock St-Pierre and stay on him until the ref stopped the fight.

This time, GSP was able to weather the storm and snatch Condit into his guard before he could do any more damage. You could hear the crowd release a sigh of relief and continue to cheer for their fellow Canadian.

Once GSP got back to his feet, you could see the welt on his forehead from where Condit‘s shin landed. GSP was able to use his superior wrestling skills to take down Condit repeatedly and execute his ground-and-pound to the Interim Champion through the rest of the fight, garnering a victory and securing his spot as one of the greatest Welterweight Champions in UFC History.

GSP was able to silence the critics who were doubting him before the fight. You could still see the explosiveness in his step. You could still see the hunger in his eyes. You could not even tell that St-Pierre was on a 19-month layoff with a torn ACL. Recovery complete. The champ is back.

Now that the champ is back—and quite possibly even better—what is next? UFC president Dana White now has options that hopefully include the word “superfight” in them. According to UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, we are in the golden era of mixed martial arts. The UFC has fighters who are taking the sport to a new level—guys like St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.

Fighters of that caliber are rare, and to have them fighting in the same era is truly something to cherish. Now the question looms: Are they going to eventually face each other? If so, who would it be?

For years, everybody has been talking about a superfight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. Both men have been dominating their divisions for years.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that Dana White publicly announced that a fight between Silva and St-Pierre could be a reality. Enter UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones. Jones has been cleaning out his division as well, and now Silva has shown some interest in fighting the young juggernaut of the light heavyweight division.

After his sensational first-round knockout of Martin Kampmann in UFC 154, you can now throw in UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks to the mix. This guy is just steamrolling over anyone that gets in his way. Knocking out Kampmann was amazing, but knocking out my buddy, Jon Fitch, is simply a wake-up call to the entire welterweight division.

Now that I have said my part, it is time to hear yours. Who should be in the next superfight? Would it be Silva vs. Jones? Or GSP vs. Silva? If Silva does fight Jones, would you be open to seeing a fight between St-Pierre and Hendricks?

Either way, the real winner in all of this is going to be the fans. Any of these matchups would be amazing to watch.

Until then, this is Balistik signing out.

Peace out.

“MMA ALL THE WAY!”

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UFC 145 Results: Welterweight Rory MacDonald the Newest Juggernaut?

Hello MMA fans and fighters; it has been too long since I last wrote. It is so good to be back to writing about the sport I love. Today’s topic of discussion is about UFC Welterweight Rory “Ares” MacDonald.Last night at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga., Philips…

Last night at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga., Philips Arena witnessed MacDonald displaying a very impressive performance. He completely dominated former Cage Rage Welterweight Champion Che Mills.

The media could have given Mills more credit than he what he got before the fight. Mills is no joke. He entered the Octagon with a five-fight winning streak a feat that is hard to come by, especially in the welterweight division.

MacDonald’s mentor, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, even noted that MacDonald is a future welterweight champion and the next GSP. For that to be said by the champ is a huge honor.

But which GSP was St-Pierre referring to?

Don’t get me wrong, Georges St-Pierre is one of my favorite fighters both inside and outside the Octagon. It is just that St-Pierre hasn’t finished off an opponent since 2008, when he beat B.J. Penn at UFC 94. Where did that GSP go?

After the Mills fight, what I saw in MacDonald was not the GSP of now, but the GSP that finishes fights. MacDonald’s fight last night reminded me of the GSP that dismantled Frank Trigg back in 2005 at UFC 54, in which St-Pierre made Trigg look like an amateur rather than a pro.

I do believe that MacDonald shows potential of being even more impressive than his mentor.

With 11 of his 12 victories coming by either submission or knockout, MacDonald clearly demonstrates that he is a finisher. He already has tied St-Pierre in fights finished (12) and really shows no weaknesses in his game.

MacDonald’s striking is superb and very accurate. The way he cuts angles is even more impressive, making it hard for his opponent to predict. His ground-and-pound is slick and powerful. His submission game is solid and his stand-up is superb.

Another impressive fact is that MacDonald is only 24 years old, which means he will only get better. The sky’s the limit for this kid and his future looks very promising.

That being said, are we looking at the future of what is to come for the welterweight division? Who should be next for MacDonald? Could it be Jake Ellenberger, or maybe Jon Fitch? Or take out another Diaz in Nick Diaz? Let me know what you think.

Until then, this is Balistik signing out.

Peace Out.

“MMA ALL THE WAY!”

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Nick Diaz: Is He Someone Who Can Bring out the Finisher in GSP?

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre is without question, one of the most dominant fighters to ever step into the UFC Octagon.His training for a fight shows how effective he uses all his talents. His game plan is something that he sticks…

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre is without question, one of the most dominant fighters to ever step into the UFC Octagon.

His training for a fight shows how effective he uses all his talents. His game plan is something that he sticks to religiously, no matter what.

That same game plan, however, has been good and it has been notching wins to his already impressive career, but when you watch his fights, you see someone who will bust you up, but not finish you off.

And that is what I miss about the Canadian born fighter. Where did GSP’s killer instinct go?

Ever since winning the UFC Welterweight Title from Matt Serra due to referee stoppage back in UFC 83, GSP has gone to the decision in five of his last six title defenses. Granted all of them were unanimous, but sometimes you just crave for more.

UFC President Dana White would rather have a fight be finished than leaving it up to the judges. And we all know how sometimes we don’t agree with their decisions.

Maybe GSP needs someone that will push him to the distance.

Josh Koscheck pissed GSP off and had his face mangled in the process. But wouldn’t it be awesome to see GSP finish off Koscheck? Submission, TKO, KO, it doesn’t matter. Lots of people hate Koscheck at a cellular level and was craving for him to be taken out.

GSP had his chance, not once, but twice and it still went to the judges.

Where is the GSP that obliterated Matt Serra for the title? Where is the GSP that destroyed UFC Hall Of Famer Matt Hughes not once, but twice? Where is the GSP that broke Sean Sherk’s nose?

That GSP was a beast to be feared.

Although a fight between GSP and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva looms around. There is always a possibility that the fight will be between two legendary fighters that could cancel each other because they are that good.

Anderson himself has also had his share of fights go the distance and to be honest, a Silva fight going the distance is not something you want to see.

As of now, the rumors circulating around the MMA universe is revolving around a potential fight between GSP and Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. Now that fight could be the fight that pushes St. Pierre.

Nick Diaz is a one hell of a fighter and most of all, the MMA “Bad Boy” is a finisher.

If it wasn’t for an unfortunate poke in the eye, GSP’s fight against Jake Shields could have been better. But when you were watching the fight, it did look like that GSP was playing it safe to eek out a judges decision.

Georges kept the fight standing up, which exploited the fact that Shields’ stand up game absolutely sucked.

That being said, GSP knew that Shield’s ground game is his strong point so he kept it on his feet. He can’t do that with Diaz. If you don’t think Diaz’s stand-up is sick, just watch his fight against Paul Daley. Daley is a talented striker and Diaz disposed of him in the first round. Trust me when I say this, Nick Diaz’s stand-up is the real deal.

The one thing I love about Diaz is that he loathes leaving any of his fights to the judges. The kid from Stockton, California can bring alot of problems to GSP. His unorthodox stand-up style along with his sick ground game makes it very difficult to match up with.

Although a fight between GSP and Anderson Silva would be great, a fight between GSP and Nick Diaz might be better.

Well those are my thoughts. Now it is time to hear yours. Is Nick Diaz the type of fighter who will bring out the finisher in GSP? Or has GSP become a fighter that lost that “finishing feeling”?

Or do we have to rely on Anderson Silva to bring out the finisher in him? Until then this is Balistik signing out.

Peace Out

MMA ALL THE WAY!

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