UFC 154: Georges St. Pierre unifies title with bloody win

UFC welterweight title: Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit

Georges St. Pierre at only 31 is already one of the legends of the sport. With a sparkling 22-2 record, no unavenged losses, and wins over just about every elite fighter of his generation, few fighters can match the credentials of St. Pierre. But St. Pierre is coming off a serious ACL injury and hasn’t fought in a year and a half. St. Pierre didn’t look that impressive in his last fight against Jake Shields, either. Condit won the interim UFC welterweight title by defeating Nick Diaz in February and is 13-1 in his last 14 fights. It’s a stiff challenge for a fighter coming off a major injury. Stylistically, St. Pierre leans more on his wrestling while Condit leans more on his striking. However, both men have won fights standing and on the ground and have no significant weaknesses. It’s an excellent matchup.

Round 1. St. Pierre is the aggressor at the start, moving towards Condit. Condit throws a few counter strikes while circling away. St. Pierre lands the first solid punch as Condit is circling out. They exchange leg kicks and Condit circles out again. St. Pierre shoots for a takedown less than two minutes in and gets it. Condit looks to maintain guard while St. Pierre tries to pass into side control. Condit gets full guard but St. Pierre drops down some punches. St. Pierre begins to open up more as the round progresses. Condit is able to defend pretty well but isn’t able to threaten at all from his back beyond throwing light punches from the bottom and occasionally moving up his hips. Condit stands up at the close of the round but is cut by an elbow in the process. He’s bleeding above and to the right of his right eye. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 2. Condit opens up early with a series of punches and kicks but nothing lands. Condit does land a nice body punch. St. Pierre mixes in a few high kicks of his own in the exchange. St. Pierre lands a solid straight right punch that is the best early shot of the round. Condit answers with a straight right of his own. Condit lands a body punch but eats a counterpunch as he flies in with a knee. As Condit throws a kick, St. Pierre takes him down with two minutes left in the round. St. Pierre moves into half guard and throws some punches from the top. Condit is bleeding badly at this point but luckily for his sake it is not going into his eyes. Condit looks to set up an armbar but doesn’t come close. St. Pierre works from inside Condit’s guard. Condit stands up at the very end of the round and they trade punches at the close. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 3. Condit drops St. Pierre with a head kick. He follows to the ground with punches looking to end the fight. St. Pierre is just covering up and trying to survive. St. Pierre finally gets up 90 seconds into the round but his feet don’t look all the way sturdy. St. Pierre, however, lands a few punches and slams Condit to the ground. St. Pierre drops down a few elbows as Condit throws punches from the bottom. St. Pierre continues to work over Condit but isn’t able to do substantial damage. Hard round to score because St. Pierre had the control but Condit landed the best blow of the fight thus far. 10-9 Condit.

Round 4. St. Pierre aggressively moves forward with punches in order to close distance for a takedwon. He succeeds in securing it less than a minute into the round. St. Pierre goes back to work with punches. Condit throws punches from the bottom, which may not be a wise strategy relative to tying up St. Pierre for a standup or concentrating on setting up a submission attempt. Condit looks for a triangle choke briefly but isn’t able to set it up. St. Pierre works back into half guard and throws a few punches. Condit reverses and takes top position. St. Pierre then stands up and takes Condit back down. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 5. The fighters exchange kicks and Condit lands a spinning back kick. St. Pierre shoots for a takedown but Condit is able to defend it. St. Pierre lands a heavy right punch and goes back to work. St. Pierre lands a few punches and takes Condit down again with two minutes left in the fight. Condit is going to need a miracle. Instead, St. Pierre continues to work Condit over. Condit looks to stand up but St. Pierre threatens to take the back and then retakes top position. St. Pierre goes back to work with punches as the final seconds of the clock wind down. 10-9 St. Pierre, 49-46 St. Pierre.

Winner: Georges St. Pierre, unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).

St. Pierre after a lengthy layoff and serious injury came back looking as impressive as ever. He mixed his top flight wrestling with solid striking that kept Condit off balance. He also showed heart in surviving serious danger in the third round. St. Pierre is a fighter who throughout his career has consistently thrived when challenged and he did so yet again tonight.

When asked after the fight, St. Pierre is non-commital about a superfight with longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Johny Hendricks vs. Martin Kampmann

This is an important fight, as the winner will likely be in line for the next welterweight title shot. Hendricks was a two time division 1 national wrestling champion and one of the best American wrestlers of the past decade. As an MMA fighter, he is 13-1, coming off consecutive wins over Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. He has knockout power to go with his elite wrestling and toughness. Martin Kampmann arguably should have seven wins in a row in his own right, but lost a debatable split decision to Jake Shields and an abysmal decision to Diego Sanchez. His wins during that period are all over high quality opponents: Jake Ellenberger, Thiago Alves, Rick Story, Paulo Thiago and Jacob Volkmann. Kampmann is an excellent kickboxer and has very good submissions as well. His Achilles’ heel has at times proven to be his chin.

Round 1. Hendricks immediately throws a series of hooks. He knocks Kampmann out with a beautiful 1-2 combination reminiscent of his knockout of Jon Fitch. The left punch right on the button put Kampmann out.

Winner: Johny Hendricks, knockout, round 1.

Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor

Carmont, a Georges St. Pierre training partner and Montreal native, has won 8 fights in a row including 3 in the UFC. Lawlor has a wrestling background and is known for his creative entrances and personality.

Round 1. Lawlor closes the distance at the start of the fight and looks for a takedown. Carmont lands a few knees while defending. They struggle for position against the cage before the referee stops them two minutes into the round. Carmont throws a pair of kicks to the body. Lawlor goes for a takedown and Carmont in the process attempts a kimura. Carmont doesn’t come close and they separate. From distance, Carmont lands another body kick. Lawlor throws an uppercut and backs out of range. Carmont looks like a lot bigger man. Carmont moves in and Lawlor grabs a guillotine choke while pulling guard. Carmont gets out at the end of the round. 10-9 Carmont.

Round 2. Lawlor looks for a takedown, eats a heavy knee, and backs off. Lawlor grabs another bodylock and presses Carmont back against the cage. Carmont backs away. Lawlor moves back in and goes for another takedown. Finally with a minute left, Lawlor gets a takedown. Carmont looks to set up a triangle choke but Lawlor moves into side control and grabs a guillotine choke from the bottom. 10-9 Lawlor.

Round 3. Lawlor again looks for a takedown. Carmont again defends. Carmont throws a few kicks. Lawlor clinches again. He presses Carmont against the cage. Carmont stops the takedown. Carmont looks for a head kick but it’s blocked. Lawlor throws a few punches and eats a leg kick. They clinch and the fight mercifully ends. That was just awful. 10-9 Carmont, 29-28 Carmont.

Winner: Francis Carmont, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Mark Bocek vs. Rafael Dos Anjos

Bocek is an underrated Canadian lightweight with an excellent submission wrestling game while Dos Anjos is a solid and well rounded Brazilian fighter. Both men are kind of lost in the shuffle and will likely remain so after this fight, but they’re high quality competitors.

Round 1. Dos Anjos lands a knee to the body early. As Dos Anjos throws a kick, Bocek grabs it and presses Dos Anjos against the cage in an effort to take the fight to the ground. Bocek changes levels and grabs a single leg. Dos Anjos defends nicely and lands a series of knees. Bocek is forced to break. Dos Anjos looks more comfortable standing and aggressively throws strikes from the outside. Bocek grabs a clinch, throws a knee and again looks to take Dos Anjos down. Dos Anjos stops it and circles out. As Dos Anjos lands a kick, Bocek again goes for a takedown. Once more Dos Anjos blocks it. Bocek accomplished next to nothing that round. 10-9 Dos Anjos.

Round 2. Bocek lands an accidental low blow early and the action is stopped to give Dos Anjos time to recover. Bocek shoots for a takedown but Dos Anjos defends it easily and takes Bocek down. Dos Anjos lands punches against the cage while Bocek looks for a kimura. Dos Anjos gets out and looks for a kimura submission of his own. Dos Anjos transitions into an armbar attempt but gives that up quickly in order to avoid potentially ending up in a bad position. They return to their feet and Bocek again goes for a takedown. It is defended once again without difficulty and Dos Anjos takes top position. He lands some punches while Bocek simply covers up. Bocek gets up but is taken back down. 10-9 Dos Anjos.

Round 3. Bocek dutifully goes for another takedown. Dos Anjos again blocks it. Dos Anjos lands a heavy knee and takes Bocek down. Bocek gets back up and clinches again. Dos Anjos blocks the takedown and throws a few knees. The referee separates them from the clinch with a minute left in the fight. Bocek goes for a tired takedown but doesn’t get it. Dos Anjos throws some wild punches at the close of the fight. 10-9 Dos Anjos, 30-27 Dos Anjos.

Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza

The pay-per-view portion of UFC 154 begins with this featherweight bout. Hominick is a popular Canadian star known for his well rounded game and conditioning, but he has lost his last three contests. Garza at 6’1” is unusually tall for a 145 pound fighter and has also lost two fights in a row.

Round 1. Hominick moves right in and eats a counter hook. The fighters exchange low kicks and Garza follows with a pair of kicks to the body. Hominick lands a solid overhand right. Garza is throwing a lot more and mixing his shots up while Hominick is still trying to measure the taller opponent. Garza lands a hard knee to the body that sends Hominick back a little bit. The action has been fast paced and competitive. Hominick knocks Garza back towards the cage with a punch. Garza looks for a takedown but Hominick rolls through and takes top position. Garza immediately looks for an armbar and has Hominick in trouble but Hominick is able to wiggle out of danger. Hominick drops a few punches and then backs up to his feet. Hominick drops Garza with a punch to the body and follows with punches on the ground. Garza gets back up and staggers Hominick with a big punch to the eye. Hominick is bleeding badly above and below his eye. Garza pours it on at the end. Great round. 10-9 Garza.

Round 2. Hominick lands a nice right punch early. Garza goes for a head kick and shoots for a takedown. Garza looks for Hominick’s back but ends up taking top position. Hominick is dangerous off his back. Hominick looks to swing up his hips but doesn’t have anything. Hominick seeks to establish wrist control while Garza throws down punches. Garza follows with some elbows. Hominick is bleeding near both eyes and has a bump near one as well. Thankfully it’s not as bad as the one against Jose Aldo. Garza continues to beat down Hominick for the remainder of the round. Borderline 10-8 but Garza gets the nod 10-9.

Round 3. Garza throws a head kick at the start of the final stanza. Hominick throws an overhand punch and begins to walk down Garza. Garza then shoots for a takedown and gets it a minute in. Garza goes back to work with punches and Hominick has no answers. Hominick gets up with a minute left but eats a knee to the body and is taken back down. 10-9 Garza, 30-27 Garza.

Winner: Pablo Garza, unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-28).

In preliminary action, Darren Elkins utilized superior wrestling to score a unanimous decision win over Steven Siler. Longtime veteran Ivan Menjivar defeated UFC newcomer Azamat Gashimov with a first round armbar. And Matt Riddle won a unanimous decision over John Maguire.

Rodrigo Damm vs. Antonio Carvalho

The Brazilian native Damm fought for a variety of promotions such as World Victory Road, Bodog and Strikeforce before joining the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter Brazil TV show. He won his first contest off of the show in June. His opponent Carvalho has likewise traveled the world fighting and sports a 1-1 UFC record.

Round 1. After a feeling out process, Damm loads up a straight right hand up the middle. Carvalho throws a few low kicks. When Damm doesn’t do much to defend, Carvalho begins throwing the low kicks with more frequency. Damm answers back with a few leg kicks of his own, but they don’t land with the same power as Carvalho. As the round progresses, the fighters continue to rely mostly on low kicks while occasionally mixing in punches or kicks from different angles. Kind of an uneventful round. 10-9 Carvalho.

Round 2. Damm opens the round by throwing some jabs at Carvalho. Carvalho answers with his familiar kicks to the lead leg of Damm. Carvalho loses his balance throwing a kick and Damm has an opportunity to get the fight to the ground. However, as Damm goes to the ground a scramble ensues and Carvalho makes his way back to the feet. Damm throws a left/right combination of punches to the face and Carvalho once again answers with a low kick. The crowd begins to grow restless and lightly boo the action. Carvalho throws a head kick that is blocked and goes back to the leg kick that lands. Damm lands a few nice punches and Carvalho throws a few kicks low and high to close the round. Carvalho continued to score with leg kicks but Damm’s attack was more varied. 10-9 Damm.

Round 3. Carvalho goes right back to the low kicks. Damm walks down Carvalho but continues to eat leg kicks. There is a brief break in the action when Carvalho loses his mouthpiece. The camera zoomed in on Damm’s lead leg and it is in a disgusting shape, badly bruised and bleeding from all the kicks. Damm moves in with a series of punches, a few of which land well. Carvalho keeps throwing those all so familiar leg kicks. Dull fight, but Carvalho put on a clinic with those kicks. 10-9 Carvalho, 29-28 Carvalho.

Winner: Antonio Carvalho, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Sam Stout vs. John Makdessi

This has the makings of a fun fight, featuring two skilled kickboxers in what should be a competitive affair. It also features internal Canadian rivalry, with the Ontario native Stout against the Quebec native Makdessi.

Round 1. The taller Stout presses the action early, moving forward with straight punches while Makdessi circles and looks for an opening. Makdessi lands a nice counterpunch as Stout misses with a big overhand. Makdessi then knocks Stout’s head back with a crisp jab. Stout lands a nice short uppercut and leg kick. Stout is throwing more but Makdessi is mostly avoiding Stout’s shots and countering effectively. Stout goes for a takedown with a minute and a half left but Makdessi defends it. Makdessi connects with a couple jabs and a spinning back kick. Easy round to score if the judges are paying attention. 10-9 Makdessi.

Round 2. Stout lands a nice punch to the body early. He follows with a leg kick. Stout continues to be the aggressor with Makdessi content to counter. Stout goes for a takedown 90 seconds in but Makdessi does a really nice job of avoiding it. Stout lands a head kick and a straight punch. He’s doing a much better job of finding the right range in this round, in large part because he is exercising greater patience in finding his openings. Makdessi lands a nice jab and Stout answers with one of his own. Stout goes for a takedown again at the close of the round but is stopped once more. Close round. 10-9 Stout.

Round 3. Stout goes for a punch to the body and Makdessi counters nicely with a punch to the head. Makdessi then throws a few unusual side kicks. Makdessi follows with a few jabs. He’s picking Stout apart again like he was doing in the first. Makdessi is peppering Stout with jabs as Stout’s punches mostly miss. Stout just can’t get into range without eating shots in the process. One sided round for Makdessi. 10-9 Makdessi, 29-28 Makdessi.

Winner: John Makdessi, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

Chad Griggs vs. Cyril Diabate

Griggs turned himself into something of a cult figure in Strikeforce with his gritty fighting style and mutton chops facial hair. He’s an MMA overachiever but was dominated in his UFC debut by Travis Browne. Diabate is a muay thai specialist with a great length and reach advantage over just about every opponent.

Round 1. Diabate drops Griggs in a hurry with a counterpunch as Griggs moves in. Diabate goes to the ground and takes side control but Griggs stands back up. Diabate grabs a body lock and slams Griggs back down. Griggs is bleeding badly from the face. Diabate throws down a punch as Griggs frenetically attempts to stand up. Diabate lands a few knees as Griggs gets back up. Griggs gets back up again but Diabate takes Griggs back and locks in a rear naked choke for the tap.

Winner: Cyril Diabate, submission, round 1.

Alessio Sakara vs. Patrick Cote

Sakara and Cote are journeyman middleweights known principally for their striking ability. Sakara has excellent boxing but a questionable chin. Cote has a very durable chin but throughout his career has tended to come out on the losing end of his most important fights.

Round 1. Sakara clinches and lands a nice knee but Cote responds with a series of hooks that daze Sakara. Sakara recovers and delivers some hard elbows that rock and then drop Cote. Sakara throws a series of punches right to the back of the head that knock Cote out and the fight is stopped. That should be a DQ. Punches to the back of the head are usually incidental but Sakara appeared to directly target the back of the head. That is an illegal tactic. It was blatant and there were six hard, illegal strikes.

Winner: Patrick Cote, disqualification, round 1.

Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza

The pay-per-view portion of UFC 154 begins with this featherweight bout. Hominick is a popular Canadian star known for his well rounded game and conditioning, but he has lost his last three contests. Garza at 6’1” is unusually tall for a 145 pound fighter and has also lost two fights in a row.

Round 1. Hominick moves right in and eats a counter hook. The fighters exchange low kicks and Garza follows with a pair of kicks to the body. Hominick lands a solid overhand right. Garza is throwing a lot more and mixing his shots up while Hominick is still trying to measure the taller opponent. Garza lands a hard knee to the body that sends Hominick back a little bit. The action has been fast paced and competitive. Hominick knocks Garza back towards the cage with a punch. Garza looks for a takedown but Hominick rolls through and takes top position. Garza immediately looks for an armbar and has Hominick in trouble but Hominick is able to wiggle out of danger. Hominick drops a few punches and then backs up to his feet. Hominick drops Garza with a punch to the body and follows with punches on the ground. Garza gets back up and staggers Hominick with a big punch to the eye. Hominick is bleeding badly above and below his eye. Garza pours it on at the end. Great round. 10-9 Garza.

Round 2. Hominick lands a nice right punch early. Garza goes for a head kick and shoots for a takedown. Garza looks for Hominick’s back but ends up taking top position. Hominick is dangerous off his back. Hominick looks to swing up his hips but doesn’t have anything. Hominick seeks to establish wrist control while Garza throws down punches. Garza follows with some elbows. Hominick is bleeding near both eyes and has a bump near one as well. Thankfully it’s not as bad as the one against Jose Aldo. Garza continues to beat down Hominick for the remainder of the round. Borderline 10-8 but Garza gets the nod 10-9.

Round 3. Garza throws a head kick at the start of the final stanza. Hominick throws an overhand punch and begins to walk down Garza. Garza then shoots for a takedown and gets it a minute in. Garza goes back to work with punches and Hominick has no answers. Hominick gets up with a minute left but eats a knee to the body and is taken back down. 10-9 Garza, 30-27 Garza.

Winner: Pablo Garza, unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-28).

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