Although Georges St-Pierre will be unable to compete at UFC 137 this weekend, he didn’t shy away from giving his prediction on the main event featuring BJ Penn and Nick Diaz.
St-Pierre, who is sidelined with a knee injury for the remainder of the year, spoke to Fighters.com and believes the former UFC lightweight champion is the superior fighter overall and will overcome the talented Diaz.
“I think BJ Penn will win the fight because I believe he has more skills,” St-Pierre said.
The UFC welterweight champion has fought and defeated the Hawaiian on two separate occasions and said Penn’s mental state is hard to figure out. It is evident that he does not like to work hard or prepare accordingly prior to an upcoming bout, allowing Penn to rely on his skills and natural talent.
St-Pierre assessed both competitors’ skills, and while he believes Diaz is more consistent than Penn, he said when Penn is mentally prepared, he is unstoppable.
“The thing with Penn is sometimes you don’t know what Penn will show up to the fight. If he’s well prepared or injured—I don’t know,” he said.
“Sometimes, I saw him perform very well at the best of his ability (and that’s when) he’s the best guy. But when he doesn’t perform at the best of his ability he can be beat. But, I believe if the right Penn shows up, he’ll win the fight.”
St-Pierre is expected to defend his title against Carlos Condit next year. It is likely that whomever emerges as the winner from this weekend’s main event will be next in line to earn a shot at the champion.
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