On Saturday night, Georges St-Pierre took on Carlos Condit, with the Welterweight Title on the line.
In a fight that featured two of the most celebrated mixed martial arts fighters in the world, it was always going to be a close bout, but in the end, St. Pierre outlasted Condit and retained his title.
But it wasn’t easy.
That’s because Condit, ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world, kept up with GSP through all five rounds, and none of the scorecards had the reigning title-holder winning by more than four points, which is indicative of how close Condit was to unseating the champ.
In fact, at one point, it looked like Condit might be able to come away with a victory, especially after he landed a crushing blow to GSP‘s face, leaving the champion looking battered and bruise following the bout.
The two were neck-and-neck throughout the match, but GSP managed to land a solid right, followed by a takedown in the final round, and that seemed to be the sequence that ultimately put him over the top.
As ESPN’s Franklin McNeil pointed out, the Quebec native wasn’t at his best early on, though that was to be expected after taking a long break from UFC.
“People talk about ring rust,” St. Pierre said. “I definitely know what it is. Carlos Condit definitely gave me my toughest fight.”
St-Pierre dominated much of the fight with his grappling skills. He consistently took Condit to the ground and landed several elbows and punches.
A left elbow opened a nasty cut above Condit‘s right eye in the first round. St-Pierre used an elbow in the second round to widen the same cut.
The third round was Condit‘s best, as he made GSP look vulnerable for the first time in recent memory, but St-Pierre roared back during the fourth and fifth rounds, and that’s what made the difference in the end.
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