After learning that Georges St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from his title bout due to a knee injury, it was confirmed that co-main eventers BJ Penn and Nick Diaz would serve as the main event at UFC 137.
According to Sportsnet.ca, St-Pierre sprained his medial collateral ligament, but there was no severe damage. The UFC welterweight champion is expected to make a full recovery in four weeks. As a result, it is highly likely the UFC will find a replacement for St-Pierre’s opponent, Carlos Condit, who will then wait for the champion to heal.
Since St-Pierre is expected to heal quickly, it makes perfect sense for the two competitors to headline the Superbowl weekend card in February.
First off, given the nature of the injury, St-Pierre should resume training within a month to prepare for Condit. Not to mention, the bout will still be three months away, giving both fighters plenty of time to train and implement a strategy.
Also, it would be a much more financially successful event if St-Pierre were advertised on a traditional card, which receives a ton of media coverage, as opposed to just a regular pay-per-view broadcast. For the French-Canadian, it would only add to his legacy, but it would be serve a greater purpose if he were to win in a dominating fashion.
Lastly, rumors regarding a rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen have also been another potential candidate to headline the event, but it would add a lot more value and coverage to the event if both champions were involved. It would also be fitting if both St-Pierre and Silva were to retain their respective titles en route to setting up the biggest bout in UFC history.
Although St-Pierre closes out this year with only one title defense, there will surely be a lot of anticipation surrounding his title bout against Condit when it finally comes around.
While the event might not hold the same value as it once did with St-Pierre’s presence on the card, the UFC have found a suitable replacement in Penn and Diaz and it still should be one of the most exciting cards of the year.
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