The Return of GSP
The UFC heads north this Saturday for UFC 154 for the return from knee surgery of one of its biggest draws Georges St. Pierre. The fight card looks like one of the strongest in a while – for the first time in a very long time, injuries have not decimated the intrigue of an event.
Here is a look at all of the fights on the schedule and what should play out in one of the more eagerly anticipated UFC events in quite some time.
UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit
Date: November 17, 2012
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Broadcast: PPV
Main Card
Georges St. Pierre (22-2): -320
Carlos Condit (28-5): +240
If you aren`t looking forward to this fight – you aren`t a fan! GSP makes his return to the Octagon after over a year away to take on the interim Welterweight champ – the young, hungry, tough Carlos Condit. Condit enters this fight off what many would deem a disappointing Interim Title win against Nick Diaz in a fight that he avoided and avoided and did enough to claim victory. He will have to be engaged in this one – GSP is coming and coming hard in front of his home town fans.
Carlos Condit is a nice fighter for sure, but he faces a monumental task here against one of the smartest, most cerebral fighters in the sport`s history. GSP is a fight planner and he executes to perfection nearly every time. When is the last time we saw GSP really challenged in a fight? With some added time off, some extra motivation to prove his doubters wrong, GSP will likely be a man possessed. He is still one of the Top 3 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet even though he hasn`t fought in over a year. He proves why on Saturday night with his first stoppage in a very, very long time.
Pick: Georges St. Pierre -320
Johny Hendricks (13-1): -150
Martin Kampmann (20-5): +120
Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann meet on Saturday night in a Welterweight Title Elimination fight with both riding high off win streaks against some of the best Welterweights out there. The winner of this fight gets at Title shot! Both fighters are notoriously tough to finish. Only Kampmann has been stopped in his MMA career – just once to Nate Marquart 4 years ago. Hendricks will have the power and a slight wrestling advantage, Kampmann will have the striking edge and the fighters seem equal when it comes to their ground games. I like Kampmann`s ability to absorb a ton of punishment, his experience and his overall better rounded fight game to prevail in a minor upset.
Pick: Martin Kampmann +120
Tom Lawlor (8-4, 1 NC): +200
Francis Carmont (19-7): -260
Francis Carmont brings a three fight UFC win streak into UFC 154 against the inconsistent TUF alum Tom Lawlor. Carmont has been very impressive and will be looking to set the stage for his training partner GSP. He will have the reach advantage, the height advantage, the striking and ground edge. Translation – this should be a relatively easy win for the Frenchman.
Pick: Francis Carmont -260
Mark Hominick (21-11): -300
Pablo Garza (11-3): +220
Canadian Mark Hominick will try to end a three fight losing streak on Saturday – a streak that started with a predictable loss to Jose Aldo. His opponent Pablo Garza is also riding a losing streak – two straight leading up to this fight. Both men have good standup and both are comfortable on the ground. Take the better technical striking of the Canadian to edge out a decision win in this one. Hominick’s skills are a half notch above those of Garza and in front of a home crowd, facing a virtual must-win, he won’t likely be denied. [ad-3573245]
Pick: Mark Hominick -300
Cyrille Diabate (18-8): -120
Chad Griggs (11-2): -110
Chad Griggs drops from Heavyweight to Light Heavyweight Saturday to take on the well-traveled veteran Frenchman Cyrille Diabate. This will be a striking battle – neither of the two is very proficient on the ground. Griggs will have an uncharacteristic size advantage in this fight but it won’t be as large as one would expect – Diabate’s reach is among the longest (other than Jon Jones) in the division. Griggs has the power; Diabate has the kickboxing, the Muay Thai and the technical edge. I’ll take the technical striker to prevail – his experience against top not fighters like Alexander Gustafson, Shogun and Michael Bisping doesn’t hurt either.
Pick: Cyrille Diabate -120
Preliminary Card
Patrick Cote (25-8): -260 vs. Alessio Sakara (15-9, 1 NC): +200
Pick: Patrick Cote -260
Nick Ring (13-1): +200 vs. Constantinos Philippou (11-2, 1 NC): -260
Pick: Constantinos Philippou -260
Rafael dos Anjos (17-6): -130 vs. Mark Bocek (11-4): +100
Pick: Rafael dos Anjos -130
Steven Siler (21-9): -105 vs. Darren Elkins (14-2): -125
Pick: Steven Siler -105
Antonio Carvalho (14-5): -260 vs. Rodrigo Damm (10-5): +200
Pick: Antonio Carvalho -260
Matt Riddle (6-1): -170 vs. Besam Yousef (6-1): +140
Pick: Matt Riddle -170
Sam Stout (18-7-1): -220 vs. John Makdessi (9-2): +175
Pick: John Makdessi +175
Ivan Menjivar (24-9): -350 vs. Azamat Gashimov (7-1): +250
Pick: Ivan Menjivar -350
