The public’s attention has been directed at the UFC’s welterweight division over the past couple of weeks, especially after the organization officially announced a very intriguing title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and contender…
The public’s attention has been directed at the UFC’s welterweight division over the past couple of weeks, especially after the organization officially announced a very intriguing title fight between champion Georges St-Pierre and contender/Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.
What has made this particular division a hotbed of headlines has been the developments of key match-ups, injuries, replacements, talent depth and the future of some of its most notable and young competitors.
The UFC’s 170-pound stable is fresher than ever, stockpiled with legitimate contenders to challenge the champ, if he manages to get past Diaz.
Obviously, most eyeballs have been firmly locked on the division’s highly touted, pound-for-pound title holder and his surrounding possibilities—a natural obsession from fans that love or hate him for being so dominant.
GSP may be the eye of the welterweight hurricane, the center of gravity, but he is accompanied by a line of eager contenders aiming to continually change the landscape.
Comparatively, the most intriguing divisional possibilities in the UFC are at 170 pounds right now, regardless of the misconception that the division is on the brink of being cleaned out. That sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here are the top five welterweight puzzle pieces, who have made impressive strides within the last year and will be within arm’s reach of a shot at the prized belt soon, keeping the champion busy enough to bury ideas of moving up weight classes.
I called it, you called it, that guy definitely didn’t call it and his buddy is still clamoring for a super-fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre.Well, UFC president Dana White—I must sound like a broken vinyl copy of your favo…
I called it, you called it, that guy definitely didn’t call it and his buddy is still clamoring for a super-fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre.
Well, UFC president Dana White—I must sound like a broken vinyl copy of your favorite 80’s hair band by now; love him or hate him, the bald boss man has struck a fan friendly medium when mixing business with MMA enthusiasts’ pleasures time and time again—has announced Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz for UFC 137.
This is the true super-fight many hardcore fans wanted to see after Diaz defended his Strikeforce welterweight strap against British slugger Paul Daley in a wildly epic struggle back in April.
Of course obstacles like contractual obligations could care less how bad we wanted to see the fight; Nick Diaz had certain professional baggage with Showtime that was interfering with any immediate plans to cross-promote between both Zuffa promotions, UFC and Strikeforce.
Furthermore, in recent interviews, “DW” had hinted at more than just his ruffled relationship with Showtime as a major thorn in the side of pitting fighters from both organizations together in the near future.
So as wild as the passionate fan’s imagination got after news broke that UFC bought Strikeforce, the honeymoon had waned and reality was setting in on how the co-existing landscape would look like for the next couple of years.
Matches like Cain Velasquez vs. Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko vs. anybody in the octagon, Gilbert Melendez vs. Frankie Edgar and GSP vs. Nick Diaz were becoming more of an unattainable pipedream for all of us fight nerds in the world.
At least, so everyone assumed. But now, just like that, Dana White has blessed us once again like the Santa Claus of MMA he is and has heeded the voices of the people, who have helped get him where he is today. I’m not trying to swing from Dana’s sack like an orangutan fanboy, but when he’s done good by the fans, I’ll be the first to trickle down praise.
Now that GSP is officially defending his title against Nick Diaz, champion vs. champion, it begs the questions, the analysis and stylistic input that is dying to be inked onto paper.
Let’s embrace the instant gratification and impatient ticks that modern society has prison-tattooed in our psyche for a moment to take a quick peek at how the two champs fair against each other.
At this point in GSP’s reign as the UFC’s 170-pound kingpin, people were starting to voice their concern for the lack of competitive challenges in the division, that the champ had very few tests left in his own weight division.
As a result, what makes this a sought after fight for fans is the fact that many believe Diaz is the last legitimate contender and threat to the French-Canadian superstar’s crown, regardless if the challenger was competing in a different promotion.
To be honest, no matter how great GSP’s challengers have been in the sport individually, collectively they were dismantled with relative ease come fight night—a playing factor in why the champ has become comfortable playing it safe…because he can.
Come on, nobody really thought GSP’s last three opponents, Dan Hardy through Jake Shields, were really his most dangerous. He’d love to tell you so, in order to stay modest, but nobody familiar with the sport was betting their child’s college fund on any of those challengers.
Nick Diaz is an extremely different type of fighter than Hardy, Koscheck, Shields or even St-Pierre, which makes him a real threat. Going into this championship fight, we can finally rest assured that GSP will be thoroughly challenged, if anything, which hasn’t happened in a long while. Some of us actually believe Diaz has a better chance of dethroning the champ than any previous contender.
If there is one characteristic that can sum up both Nick Diaz the person and Nick Diaz the fighter, it’s his insurmountable will to push forward and impose his dominant array of fighting spirit, toughness and technique.
He lives and breathes what he stands for as an athlete and competitor in mixed martial arts—an intoxicating attribute nurtured at Cesar Gracie’s camp in Stockton and executed by his teammate in the “Scrap Pack.”
Comparing the champs, Diaz’ approach to fighting is the polar opposite of GSP’s. Simply put, he has embraced the “fighting” aspect of MMA over the athleticism. Diaz’ ambivalence to the “game” or pure stubbornness has allowed him the mental dexterity to apply his technique to his brash aggression in matches.
When the bell rings in the octagon, Diaz will not be fazed by standing across from the mystical St-Pierre. He will not hold back in hopes of out pointing the champ either. Diaz is the type of fighter that lives and dies by his style, which has paid off more times than not.
In my humble opinion, Diaz embodies exactly what a fan should want in a true fighter and MMA champion.
It’s too early for me to predict Diaz for the win, but at least we will finally get to see St-Pierre pushed against the wall. We’ll get to witness a champion—who takes risks while still defending his title successfully in the most memorable ways—take it the UFC’s pound-for-pound welterweight.
Finally, a true test has come along for both champions.
A key talking point for most fans leading up to major events is which fighters are skating on thin ice, looking to sling leather and literally give it their complete all to avoid getting demoted off the big stage. Pride used to punish inactivity and st…
A key talking point for most fans leading up to major events is which fighters are skating on thin ice, looking to sling leather and literally give it their complete all to avoid getting demoted off the big stage. Pride used to punish inactivity and stalling with yellow to red cards, UFC trims the fat by bestowing pink slips to guys lugging around losing streaks and poor performances.
This added pressure of job security has the tendency to transform a mid-range competitor—usually the reason he or she finds themselves in that situation to begin with—into a savage beast (anything but a 52-year-old Dan Severn) looking to not only win, but to sear a lasting impression of brilliance in the minds of the UFC brass.
In many cases, it’s this heightened sense of insecurity that creates the barn-burners of the card.
As a diehard fan and wordsmith of the sport, keeping a keen eye out for these overlooked battles is very intriguing. This is why I’m resurrecting my Chopping Block series from the cold grave it has occupied since the last time my keystrokes breathed life into it over a year ago.
Leading up to major events—typically UFC’s, since it remains the only top promotion with an abundance of talent in each division they’re willing to part ways with—The Chopping Block will grace Bleacher Report MMA’s front page, presenting the possibility of which fighter(s) already walking the plank will face the French guillotine with a loss.
Furthermore, I’ll do my damndest to analyze all the varying factors contributing to the impending doom of our fallen gladiators and rate whether or not their respective fight should get the Blazing Barn-burner stamp of approval—my elbow nudge, wink wink, and nod to the fans to make sure they don’t miss that particular fight.
For our comeback edition, let’s turn our attention to UFC 130, a card mangled from its inception with injuries and last minute replacements. The highly anticipated third meeting in a storied trilogy between lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and perennial contender Gray Maynard was completely scrapped from the date once it was announced Edgar suffered a serious back injury. Shortly afterward, Maynard also surfaced with his own knee injury, preventing him from competing against a stand-in.
In addition, Rampage Jackson was originally slated to slug it out with Thiago Silva, but was later tossed out of the equation after the Brazilian tested positive for PEDs. This is just the tip of the injury iceberg; many more fights were altered by way of replacement opponent.
Per the usual, come Saturday night in Las Vegas, all the top-shelf talent on the main card is safe from the chopping block. Rarely do you see a straggler fending for his life in a primo spot since the UFC reserves many of those slots for their bigger fishies—for good reason, they have many snapping piranha with selling power in their ranks to spare these days.
Simply put, we won’t be witnessing a shocking Donald Trump moment from the main card come this Sunday…unless Matt Hamill puts a clinic on “Quinton” and forces him into a reclusive life of junk food binges and the occasional b-rated action movie role as the street mean henchman, who he was apparently born to play.
We have to dig deeper into the prelims to find our man. In the case of UFC 130, he is paired up on the chopping block with his opponent, to make this fight a double whammy—a pink, pink situation. I’m referring to the opening Spike bout between Tim Boetsch and Kendall Grove.
Tim Boetsch experienced a rocky inaugural run in the UFC back in 2008, garnering a .500 record that sent him packing, after his fourth fight in the octagon, to the underworld promotions where he strung together a three fight winning streak. After returning to the UFC after three straight wins, he decisioned Todd Brown and lost due to a “wonderful” kimura submission by Phil Davis.
Neither fight seemed promising enough to ensure a real second chance to instill new life into his newly found, but waning, UFC career.
Kendall Grove on the other hand, has only won four of his last nine matches, spanning the last four years. Despite the soft spot in Dana White’s heart for this Hawaiian-American fighter, and to his credit, Grove has fought stiff competition consistently enough to get the benefit of the doubt.
Competition and likeability aside, dropping his prelim bout to Boetsch would make it difficult for matchmaker Joe Silva to continue pulling Grove’s name out of his wizardly hat.
To say the least, neither of these fighters’ John Handcocks are etched onto roster lineup in ink.
Blazing Barn-Burner Stamp of Approval: Not only will each man’s dire spot on the peaking order fuel wonders in this fight, but they also match up well stylistically and they are close enough talent-wise to make this one a close call.
Neither man possesses a granite chin, but neither really excels in one discipline to put the other in constant danger. With that said, this will be a battle of wills and emerging skills. Who can be the smarter, more in shape and mentally prepared fighter? I have a feeling Boetsch vs. Grove will offer up plenty of variety, a chance to showcase both their closely matched striking and ground games.
Last Saturday, the UFC orchestrated their largest live show ever, filling the Rogers Centre in Toronto with 55,000 adoring fans screaming for fellow Canadian fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Mark Bocek, and Mark Hominick.
It was a historic night suture…
Last Saturday, the UFC orchestrated their largest live show ever, filling the Rogers Centre in Toronto with 55,000 adoring fans screaming for fellow Canadian fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Mark Bocek, and Mark Hominick.
It was a historic night sutured with incredible bouts, memorable finishes and a lackluster main event defense by the sport’s premiere poster boy Canadian St-Pierre.
Once the decision was rendered after GSP’s hand was raised at the end of the fifth round, fans immediately balked at the champion’s fourth consecutive unanimous decision defense, wondering if he has what it takes to be a memorable champion.
After UFC 129 concluded, the big question mark continues to swirl above the welterweight champion’s head: where does he go next, who does he fight? It’s not Anderson Silva or Nick Diaz.
A superfight with middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva, has be desirable for the last year, but after such an uninspiring victory over a one dimensional challenger, most pundits question whether St-Pierre would have the heart and power to deal with the Spider’s ferocious striking.
UFC president Dana White has mentioned in numerous interviews that both Silva and St-Pierre would have to collect victories at UFC 126 and 129—both have been accomplished, one more astounding than the other.
Now that both champions have disposed their respective challengers, does the UFC brass really want to send it’s cautious bread-winner to the “spider wolf” that lingers at 185 lbs?
Regardless if you think GSP’s wrestling could dictate a fight against the Brazilian or not, even in his later 30’s, Anderson possesses strength, size and striking that would cause obstacles for the smaller opponent.
In addition, timing is a factor along with the fact that St-Pierre has been hesitant about moving up to middleweight in some of his recent interviews, Zuffa boss man Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted a post-fight question asking fans if they would rather see GSP vs. Anderson or GSP vs. Nick Diaz.
Apparently, an overwhelming amount of spectators—including myself—voted for the latter.
Does the UFC really have many options at welterweight now? St-Pierre has either fought the current “contenders” already and beat them with little effort or needs to fight a cross-promotional belt holder.
As incredible as it would be to watch the lead up to a GSP vs. Nick Diaz fight, the actual fight, the finish, the post fight presser, this potential bout has its own complications as well. Once news broke of Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce, the media renzy began to speculate who from the UFC should fight who from Strikefoce.
Needless to say, there are numerous co-promotional matches that would have the intrigue to draw big numbers and make fans salivate.
Beyond having current heavyweight destroyer and champion Alistair Overeem and Cain Velasquez fight, many enthusiasts started clamoring for Diaz vs. GSP as their first choice after Jake Shields, due to Diaz’ stubborn forward movement and his ability to “not be scared.”
That’s a humorous generalization of course, but not too many challengers have solved Diaz’ stand up puzzle. Even if the fight gets to the ground, the Cesar Gracie protégée boasts a black belt in the ground art and has proven himself many times on the mat in MMA.
Unfortunately, Nick Diaz will not be GSP’s next challenger either.
Unlike a potential fight with Anderson, Diaz has contractual obligations with Showtime via Strikeforce, which Dana White has made clear the UFC has no plans of disrupting—at the moment anyways.
I’m not lawyer—god knows my wallet wishes I was—but I wouldn’t be surprised if Zuffa has a few loopholes they could exploit if they were really interested in getting fighters like Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez in the octagon sooner.
Let’s assume Strikeforce’s Showtime contracts have another year and the UFC doesn’t have plans to disband them as soon as possible—that means no Nick Diaz.
When discussing the possibility of Diaz or Silva, the time factor also has to be weighed into the equation. Contractually, Diaz wouldn’t be ready for another year or so and Anderson is rumored to be fighting contender Yushin Okami on the Rio card this summer.
Will the UFC really shelve St-Pierre for a year or more to wait out the other two fighters’ predicaments? I highly doubt that will happen. GSP will be fighting at least once more before the year ends. But, against who, it’s hard to say—the top regular top contenders have already been eradicated.
To avoid tedious repeats, let’s delete Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Sean Sherk and Matt Serra. What does the welterweight division have left?
Scraping at the bottom of the welterweight barrel with Jon Fitch vs. BJ Penn 2, scrapped due to double injury, the only contender fight ready to produce a realistic challenger (I use this word loosely) is ex-WEC champion Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim scheduled for UFC 132.
Maybe on paper, an argument could be made for Nate Marquardt vs. Anthony Johnson. Unfortunately, the favorite to win in that contest is very unlikely to face his longtime Greg Jackson training partner.
In summary, the most realistic challenger to Georges St-Pierre’s welterweight title will more than likely go to Carlos Condit.
Fans, get excited for GSP’s sixth consecutive decision defense….
