Shocked would not describe the feeling of any fan of mixed martial arts after UFC 158.
Maybe we were sold some of those infamous wolf tickets that Nick Diaz was talking about at the pre-fight presser, or maybe we convinced ourselves that Diaz had actually done what no previous opponent had ever done before, shake the champion’s normal cool.
Whatever the case, we got what—deep in the back of our minds—we knew we were going to get in the main event at UFC 158: a display of the strength and smothering wrestling skill that Georges St-Pierre has used so well to rack up wins as the UFC welterweight champion.
There was never really a point where Diaz was in this fight, as it was clear that whenever St-Pierre felt the least bit of pressure he could and would take Diaz down and hold him there. The only thing that Diaz could have used to win the fight was a straight-up, out-of-nowhere knockout punch, something that St-Pierre did not have to fear.
Maybe we didn’t get what we wanted, but we got what we expected, and I say that should be enough.
St-Pierre’s job is to hold on to that belt; he’s the king and he needs to defend that crown in any way possible. It’s St-Pierre’s opponent’s job to take that crown, and Diaz, just like many before him, wasn’t up to the task. We’ll see if the next man the UFC lines up against St-Pierre has what it takes.
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