UFC 154 will be a special event for Georges St-Pierre, and earning a victory over Carlos Condit is the last step toward ensuring that this bout is one of the most memorable of his career.
This will be St-Pierre’s first fight in 19 months after tearing his ACL last year, and he will make his triumphant return to the Octagon in front of a hometown crowd in Montreal.
His challenger will be Carlos Conduit, who won the interim middleweight title by defeating Nick Diaz in February.
Here is everything you need to know about this fight.
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Québec
When: Saturday, November 17, 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Watch: Undercards available via UFC’s Facebook starting at 6 p.m. ET, more prelims available on FX starting at 8 p.m. ET, main card available via pay-per-view (details provided by UFC.com)
Live Stream: Main event can be purchased to view online via UFC.com
Fight Card
Main Card
– Welterweight Championship: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
– Welterweight Bout: Marin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendricks
– Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
– Middleweight Bout: Nick Ring vs. Costa Philippou
– Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
Preliminary Card (FX)
– Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote vs. Alessio Sakara
– Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Chad Riggs
– Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. Rafael dos Anjos
– Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
– Featherweight: Antonio Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm
– Welterweight Bout: Matthew Riddle vs. John Maguire
– Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Azamat Gashimov
– Featherweight: Steven Siler vs. Darren Elkins
St-Pierre’s Keys to Victory
St-Pierre is a master of the takedown, and he must prove early in this fight that he is still capable of exploding toward his opponent despite his knee injury.
If he can get Condit on his back early in each round, the fight has a strong chance of going his way.
Condit is a brilliant technical fighter, but his diverse array of strikes won’t matter as long as he is lying on the canvas.
This fight will depend mostly on how well GSP has recovered. If he is as explosive as he was before his knee injury, he will be victorious.
Condit’s Keys to Victory
Condit kept Nick Diaz guessing earlier this year with a dazzling series of kicks and punches, and that will be his road to victory against St-Pierre.
If he can avoid takedowns, stand up and strike with GSP throughout the majority of this fight, he has a chance to emerge with a win.
Condit is four inches taller than the Canadian, and his striking ability is greatly enhanced by his height advantage. By staying upright and at a distance, Condit can do serious damage.
The fight for Condit will be decided by how long he can stay off the mat. His chances at winning will increase with every second that he is able to stay on his feet.
What They’re Saying
GSP’s injury will be the major storyline heading into this fight, and Sports Illustrated’s Loretta Hunt notes that it might be the mental effects, not the physical ones, that keep him from being at his best.
However, the calculated St-Pierre isn’t one to provide his opponents opportunities. He knows better than anyone how crucial a fighter’s mental state can be (his two career losses to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra didn’t come from a lack of physical preparedness), which is why he’s tried not to dwell on the low points of his surgery and rehabilitation, despite the media’s best efforts.
Main-Event Prediction
Great athletes have a history of being able to beat the odds when it comes to returning from injury. NFL fans know this from watching Adrian Peterson this year.
The knee injury will not significantly bother St-Pierre in this match, and he will be able to take Condit to the ground. The Montreal crowd will be delighted with the result in this bout.
Prediction: St-Pierre wins via submission in Round 4.
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