Georges St-Pierre will be sitting cageside this weekend to observe the interim title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit at UFC 143.
And while he’ll be awaiting for the next challenger at the UFC welterweight title, St-Pierre expects Diaz to emerge victorious in order to set up a long-awaited title bout between two of the sport’s top competitors.
As the champion opened up his thoughts on the upcoming bout, he said it will feel odd to be rooting for Diaz over Condit.
“I feel bad, it is weird that I want him to lose, but I have never wanted to fight anyone as much as I want to fight Diaz,” St-Pierre said. “I don’t truly hate him as a person. I don’t know that he is a bad guy, but I hate what he brings to the sport with the disrespect and the unprofessional things he says and does. It is sort of a professional hatred.”
It is that same professional hatred that has been hiding inside of the champion ever since UFC 137 when he suffered an injury that would force him out of a bout with Diaz. But it was the Stockton, California native’s harsh words directed at St-Pierre that has motivated the champion like never before.
Out of the opponents he has faced throughout his career, St-Pierre said he has never encountered a fighter like Diaz. And he intends to get his retribution.
“I am used to hearing (smack) talk from opponents. Matt Serra did it, Dan Hardy did it, and Josh Koscheck did it, but with Diaz he has taken it to another level. He and his coach (Cesar Gracie) have called me a coward and tried to disrespect my accomplishments,” he said. “All that has done though is make me determined to beat him up.”
St-Pierre has already been preparing for a summer return later this year, and all that’s left is Diaz can live up to his end of the deal and beat Condit, setting up one of the biggest welterweight title fights in UFC history.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com