Tag: UFC 143

Georges St-Pierre Expects to Return in November, Wants to Face Nick Diaz

After undergoing successful knee surgery, Georges St-Pierre will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon later this year.The UFC welterweight champion, who is currently rehabilitating an ACL tear he suffered in training, is eager to step back into …

After undergoing successful knee surgery, Georges St-Pierre will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon later this year.

The UFC welterweight champion, who is currently rehabilitating an ACL tear he suffered in training, is eager to step back into the cage and defend the welterweight title as soon as possible. 

St-Pierre made a guest appearance on HD Net’s Inside MMA to discuss the extent of his injury and his recovery status. St-Pierre said he returned to training too soon from a previous injury, which contributed to him tearing his ACL.

“I didn’t listen to myself,” St-Pierre said. “I had a first injury to my left knee. I tried to come back too fast and I was compensating with my other leg. That’s how I hurt myself.”

Despite being out of action, the Saint Isadore, Quebec native will be paying close attention to the upcoming interim welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit at UFC 143. St-Pierre, who was originally scheduled to meet Diaz in the main event, is slated to meet the winner of the bout. 

Although St-Pierre previously favoured Condit over Diaz, the champion is anticipating a future matchup with the former Strikeforce welterweight champion.

“I just hope the best man will win. But if the best man is Nick Diaz, I will appreciate it more, because it will be a better build up for a fight,” he said. 

Diaz’s post-fight comments at UFC 137 infuriated St-Pierre, which forced the champion to demand a bout with the Stockton, Calif. native over Condit.

If Diaz is able to get a victory at UFC 143, St-Pierre will finally get the fight he had hoped for, possibly setting up the highly anticipated title bout for November, when St-Pierre expects to return.

“Hard training will be in July, and fighting again for the timing to get back I would say in November, I can come back in November,” he said. 

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UFC 143: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit Trailer

A dream bout many fans would never expect to happen will now be a reality.UFC welterweights Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will meet in the main event at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend.While current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined …

A dream bout many fans would never expect to happen will now be a reality.

UFC welterweights Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit will meet in the main event at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend.

While current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is sidelined with a knee injury, leaving the state of the division in limbo, Diaz and Condit will compete to determine an interim champion for the time being. It is expected the winner will meet St-Pierre in a title unification bout later this year.

Also on the card is another welterweight matchup involving Josh Koscheck and Mike Pyle, as well as a heavyweight bout between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum, who will make his long-awaited return to the UFC after competing in Strikeforce.

UFC 143 is scheduled for February 4th, live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

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Nick Diaz on His Training Vs. GSP’s: “We Hurt Less and We Fight More” (VIDEO)

Despite the evasive eye contact, the Diaz boys are getting pretty good with media interviews. Nick Diaz spoke to Vic Mysterio of the Hammerfisting podcast, following his brother, Nate’s impressive victory at UFC 141. Mysterio.

Despite the evasive eye contact, the Diaz boys are getting pretty good with media interviews. Nick Diaz spoke to Vic Mysterio of the Hammerfisting podcast, following his brother, Nate’s impressive victory at UFC 141. Mysterio asks Diaz if he thinks Georges St. Pierre was ducking him by pulling out of their February 4th scheduled battle due to knee injury and subsequent surgery. Diaz concedes that GSP is actually injured, but adds that St. Pierre’s method of training causes him to be “injury prone” which is not so much a problem for the Diaz brothers. Diaz explained:

I think he might’ve hurt himself. He shouldn’t have done that. If it hurts, don’t do it. I had to go through a lot of fights like that. You know, there were things I couldn’t do, and I couldn’t come in at 100 percent… But, no, you know, he hurt himself, and you know, the type of exercises he does too, your injury prone. You’re higher likely to hurt yourself doing explosive workout exercises. I have different type of workouts. I’m a different type of athlete, and I think that we get hurt less and we fight more. That’s why I have more fights. I have twice as many fights as most of these guys out here.”

While GSP recovers and rehabs his knee, Diaz will face Carlos Condit at UFC 143 for the Interim Welterweight Champion belt. Does he look scared? Nope. Watch Diaz’s interview below:

*Source: MMA Mania

Cesar Gracie Shuts Down Rumors of Nick Diaz Missing UFC Countdown Taping

Rumors of former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz missing the taping of the countdown show for UFC 143 are false, according to Cesar Gracie’s twitter.@ufc rumors Nick missed countdown show are false. They finished shooting 2 weeks ago. Went …

Rumors of former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz missing the taping of the countdown show for UFC 143 are false, according to Cesar Gracie’s twitter.

rumors Nick missed countdown show are false. They finished shooting 2 weeks ago. Went fine

Rumors of Diaz missing the taping for UFC 143 Countdown came from a twitter post from MMA Encyclopedia author Jonathan Snowden.

Diaz, who trains out of Team Gracie, will be taking on Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight championship during Super Bowl weekend.

After being removed from the main event at UFC 137 against reigning champion Georges St-Pierre due to missing two pre-fight press conferences, the 29-year-old fought and defeated B.J. Penn instead and won a unanimous decision at the same event.

Condit is currently riding a four-fight win streak with knockout victories over Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy and Dong Hyun Kim.

Diaz is on an 11-fight win streak with wins over Penn, Paul Daley, Scott Smith, KJ Noons and Evangelista Santos.

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UFC 143: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Early Breakdown

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.While Carlos…

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.

UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.

While Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz is sure to get plenty of hype as the main event and the interim title on the line, Josh Koscheck‘s bout with Mike Pierce will also play a role in the current landscape of the division.

Koscheck, a name everyone is familiar with, looks to get his second victory on the comeback trail after being thoroughly battered by Georges St. Pierre.

Pierce, a highly underrated opponent, looks to finally get some of the recognition he deserves and make a case of his own that he is a threat in the welterweight division.

With so much on the line and the interesting clash of styles that exists, Koscheck-Pierce is sure to be an interesting fight.

Here’s how they stack up.

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UFC 143: Why Fabricio Werdum Will Have No Problems Against Roy Nelson

At UFC 143, former UFC contender Fabricio Werdum will make his return to the octagon more than three years after his previous fight, a knockout loss to now Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos, to fight “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Roy “Big …

At UFC 143, former UFC contender Fabricio Werdum will make his return to the octagon more than three years after his previous fight, a knockout loss to now Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos, to fight “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Werdum enters the bout looking to avenge a disappointing decision loss at the hands of current number one contender Alistair Overeem back in June, where Werdum spent time begging Overeem to come into his guard, hoping to utilize his world class jiu-jitsu. Before that, he had pulled off the upset of the year in 2010 when he submitted Fedor Emelianenko in 69 seconds.

Nelson is looking to pick up his 2nd straight win after a 3rd round TKO victory over Mirko Cro Cop back at UFC 137 in late October. Before that, Nelson lost two straight decisions to Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir.

Werdum should enter this fight as a solid betting favorite, and for solid reasons.

“Vai Cavalo” has won five of his last seven fights, four of those coming by way of TKO or submission, and for his career, he’s beaten Emelianenko, Gabriel Gonzaga (twice), and Overeem (back in 2006).

Nelson is 3-4 in his last seven fights, his toughest win coming at either the hands of Stefan Struve or Brendan Schaub. You decide who’s a tougher test. Those two might be the toughest wins of his career, as his other victories include Brad Imes and a well-past-his-prime Cro Cop.

Nelson has shown great ability to take a punch, as shown in his fights with Mir and Dos Santos, but Werdum will, like Mir, possess a great balance of power and submissions, and Nelson

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