Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks made the nights of respective opponents Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit awfully frustrating at UFC 158 at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
Using wrestling dexterity and ground control, “GSP” and “Big Rigg” each provided basic blueprints for besting elite-level fighters like Diaz and Condit, two men who are seemingly content on solely developing their striking and submission games while essentially ignoring the evolution of their wrestling abilities.
Diaz and Condit have each dropped their last two bouts, and barring a favorable style matchup, the road ahead won’t get smoother for either fighter.
It’s not too late for fighters like Diaz and Condit to reign supreme over a division like St-Pierre and Hendricks. In order to do so, however, both men must reevaluate their approaches toward wrestling.
Here are the five fighters who could become UFC champs with refined wrestling skills.