After nearly a two-year hiatus, Georges St-Pierre proved that he hadn’t lost a step at UFC 154 in his welterweight title bout with Carlos Condit.
There were doubts coming into the fight about St-Pierre’s ability to return to form. He was coming off of a torn ACL that required surgery and months of rehabilitation.
It was a tall task to ask anyone to come back from a major injury and defeat Condit, who was riding a tidal wave of momentum after defeating Nick Diaz for the interim UFC title.
Still, St-Pierre managed to do what he has always done. He dictated the pace of the fight and utilized a masterful blend of strikes and takedowns to keep Condit guessing.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from St-Pierre’s performance was his ability to persevere.
He got caught blindly with a left high kick from Condit in the third round that had him scrambling for his senses. Oddly enough, the knockdown was reminiscent of St-Pierre’s April 2007 loss to Matt Serra.
Instead of a kick, Serra dropped St-Pierre with a punch and followed up with a volley of ground strikes to finish the fight. Condit showcased the same desperation. He was obviously down two rounds, and the window was closing on his title hopes.
St-Pierre dug deep and showed the heart of champion in weathering the storm and taking the fight back to Condit.
People have always criticized St-Pierre for being mentally weak, but at UFC 154, he silenced his critics once again by enduring a tough battle and earning the unanimous decision.
If he chooses to remain at 170 pounds, there are plenty of challenges ahead for St-Pierre.
ACL injuries have ruined the careers of many professional athletes, but as MMA fans already know, St-Pierre isn’t like every professional athlete.
His “riddum” is undeniable.
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