UFC 137: St-Pierre vs. Condit

[D. S. Veteran]

Following on the heels of the amazing UFC 136, it's UFC 137. Originally intended as GSP vs Diaz co-headlined by BJ Penn vs Carlos Condit for #1 contender spot, opponents were swapped following a brilliant showcase of Nick Diaz's usual mental problems like claiming that he fights to make money because he's always broke but opting to forfeit a 6-figure payout because he didn't want to do press events.

Here's the trailer, it sucks a bunch but it was probably put together on short notice because of the change in opponent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKitR4BYQmA

And here's the card:

Preliminary card (Facebook) - it's like playing "Spot theTUF so-so fighters".

Brad Tavares vs. Dustin Jacoby

Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran - From fighting for the BW title to fighting WEC washouts on Facebook. Jorgensen didn't do anything wrong, UFC just doesn't seem like it wants to bet on the BW fights.

Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall - Vera gets another shot after Thiago Silva ****ed hot. Marshall will probably get cut again if he loses so I hope he beats Vera convincingly and breaks something in the process (nose or orbital again)

Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes

Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone - A fight with LW title picture implications. While the forerunners have already been assigned dance partners, Cerrone will fight Siver for next in line status. Siver is a stocky LW with good kickboxing and is coming in on a 4 fight win streak that saw him beat previous top contender George Sotiropoulos. Cerrone has been undefeated since coming into the UFC side of things and is on a 3 fight (counting only UFC) built upon top prospects Vagner Rocha and the especially impressive beatdown of Charles Oliveira. This will probably be a very disputed fight and I'm looking forward to it.

Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski - Let's see if Tyson can resurrect his career in the FW division after 3 straight losses made him leave the LW division. In front of him is WEC veteran Palaszewski, a seemingly run-of-the-mill FW that holds a win over Anthony Pettis. Should be an interesting fight.

Main card

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop - Top 20 FW Roop welcomes Top 3 FW Hioki to the UFC. Hioki comes in on a 4 fight win streak but we all know how Japanese champions have fared in the competitive environment that is the UFC. Will he sink or swim in the FW division? This fight will be a good litmus test. If he passes it, he will probably fight Poirier or even Hominick for the next shot after Chad Mendes (or even just get the next shot à la Florian). Roop has nothing to lose here: a "good" loss puts him in the spotlight of the FW division by losing to a Top 3 opponent, a win pushes him into the title picture despite a devastating loss to previous contender Hominick.

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione - Mitrione has done good since his time on TUF amassing a 5-0 against some mid-tier HW. Now he faces a step up in difficulty, fighting Kongo who in his last fight KO'ed Mitrione's teammate Pat Barry. Kongo hits like a ton of bricks so Meathead will have to trust his chin and swin hard aswell. Don't think this will last 3 rounds.

Mirko Filipovi? vs. Roy Nelson - Supposedly this is Cro-Cops farewell fight. May well end up also being Nelson's. They both are on a 2 fight slide their last performances (both fought against Mir so he's also to blame) were lackluster to say the least. If Roy doesn't knock it out with a big right or Cro-cop with a big kick, this may very well end up being a 3 round gassfest. But I've seen some pictures of Roy and he looks like he lost a ton of weight. We may be in for a surprise...

BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz - Both these guys need no introduction. Both are potheads. Both have a tendency to run their mouths. Both are very good fighers. Diaz takes a loss in his wallet and ends up vacating his title for a 2nd best fight against a guy who's 1-0-1 as a WW. Diaz has a granite chin and crisp striking but so has Penn. This is a very balanced fight that if all goes right will be FOTN.

Georges St.Pierre © vs. Carlos Condit - Condit will be the answer to my prayers (I hope). If all goes right, GSP will jab him to hell, take him down and grind out another safe UD. You just don't bet against GSP, the guy is starting to get boring but he's consistent and a Top 3 P4P fighter. But if things go "wrong" then Condit comes out agressive and takes the fight to GSP. He's an amazing striker who already beat GSP's protegé Rory MacDonald by KO and also Dan Hardy (not that it means much) by KO, a guy who GSP had a 5 round battle with. I want him to either beat GSP and become the interesting champion we deserve (like Silva or Aldo) or scare GSP into coming out of his confort zone and going all out for a finish.

[D. S. Veteran]

GSP is out with a knee injury.

****!

More updates to come.

[rajputwarrior]

yeah he's out. don't see the point anyways, gsp was gonna own him...

[mikebiacsi]

At least this will give the UFC enough time to make a decent preview video.

[D. S. Veteran]

yeah he's out. don't see the point anyways, gsp was gonna own him...

I hope Condit can push GSP to the point where he starts going at it hard and not just coasting to a decision on the jab or takedown.

Him winning isn't out of the question either but it will be pretty difficult.

[dippednbutter]

Penn vs Diaz really bothers the **** out of me. Two of my favs having to fight each other forcing me to cheer for both. I'm in a tough place.

[D. S. Veteran]

Tonight!

Roy Nelson looked pretty good running up to the show. His new diet is working wonders.

[trag3dy]

I gotta say.. Nick Diaz has got to be the most boring fighter to watch ever. I'll take GSP's lay and pray over Nick Diaz's thousands tickles of fury any day.

And BJ Penn saud that he is going to retire. Surprising.

[Bubbabyte]

Tonight!

Roy Nelson looked pretty good running up to the show. His new diet is working wonders.

I agree.. i thought he looked great, would look even better at LHW with some muscle. He's got an amazing chin, and hits really hard, plus his BJJ is really good. He's a really good all round fighter.

I gotta say.. Nick Diaz has got to be the most boring fighter to watch ever. I'll take GSP's lay and pray over Nick Diaz's thousands tickles of fury any day.

And BJ Penn saud that he is going to retire. Surprising.

I COMPLETELY agree. It's the whole cesar gracie camp.. aside from milendez, i find nate and shields fight the same way. They claim they have this amazing BJJ (which i'm sure they do) yet they have no chance in hell of taking anyone down, and when standing they all look like rockem sockem robots. Sad to see BJ end it that way but i think it was time, if it wasn't diaz, another rematch with gsp would have sent him away.

With that said, all the post fight stuff has me sooo incredibly mind boggled, first with cesars interview saying that diaz will basically kill gsp.. jesus was he watching the same fight i was? Then Nick calling out gsp saying he faked his injury..lol

If anyone hasn't seen it yet.. watch the below link to see Nicks highlights, he is SOOOOOO ****ing delusional, incredibly ignorant, and obviously stupid.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/10/30/ufc-137-post-fight-press-conference-highlights/

His stand up is ok, but he doesn't have power (not that gsp does either) but if he think he's gonna throw those silly body shots that leave his face wide open on gsp, he's most likely gonna end up with an eye like koscheck from the jabs.

Here's an excerpt for you: After Nick was discussing not being able to afford a house on a ufc paycheck

Dana: Let me tell you, i dont know how much houses cost up there in stockton, but bro let me tell you, you have enough money to move, i can guarantee you that.

Diaz: Not while i'm fighting every 2 to 3 months, i might have to take a few fights off try to situate my, you know what i'm saying, my brother moved and it's like.. pffff..it's a long story man, (something.. not if you're gonna laugh) I dont' know how to go buying a house, in the middle of all this training, i didn't go to school for that, ya know"

I **** you not, those are exact quotes. He complained about having to jog around in stockton and he wanted to move to a nice house, but he can't because his job, that requires him fight every 3 months or so doesn't pay enough, so that he can take those months off to find a house, but oh wait, he doesn't know how to buy a house, because he doesn't have the proper training in "house buying".

What... a tool.

[trag3dy]

He doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, that's for sure. And I love how he says his face got banged up because his fight was changed and he wasn't prepared. No, your face got banged up because you got hit in the face. I don't think he's up to the challenge that GSP will bring and that he barely won the fight. And the speech he gave, it seems like he's just crying for attention.

Not enough money in the sport? Please.

Taking punches on purpose? Please. No one gets hit on purpose.

[Bubbabyte]

I know right.. the whole post fight conference was one big laugh at diaz's expense. If you watch the face on dana during some of the rants, you can tell he is getting annoyed.

I'm not MMA trained, never practiced any martial art in my life, but i could still spot a million holes in diaz's game after the fight lastnight. The big one for me was the reckless body shots that exposed his face sooooo much, all i kept thinking is how fast and precise gsp is that everytime he goes for a body shot he's gonna get a stiff jab in the eye. I can tell you one thing for sure though, after what dana said about gsp's comment after the fight.. i'm super excited for this event, a fired up gsp is exactly what we need to see to hopefully rid the whole lay and pray label that's been put on him.

[D. S. Veteran]

Wow, what an event. Comments in bold as usual.

Preliminary card (Facebook)

Clifford Starks vs. Dustin Jacoby - Didn't watch. Starks came in as a late replacement for Brad Tavares and improves to 8-0 in his UFC debut.

Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont - Didn't watch.

Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes - Didn't watch but from the scores it must have been a brutal beatdown. 30?25, 30?26? Christ, I need to watch this fight.

Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall - Vera looked quite in shape but not much of a size difference. Marshall wasn't very smart about his gameplan, not making up his mind if he wanted to take it to the ground or just be agressive with his striking. He had a shot of putting Vera away in the 3rd but couldn't capitalize, letting himself get hugged against the cage. With 1m30s to go, he gets Vera's back but lack the necessary sense of urgency (that you must have when the scores are certainly 20-18) to squeeze with a palm to palm grip even if it's under the chin. He switched it up to an armbar (that breaks Vera's arm) but Vera defends and doesn't tap. He could try to switch for an omoplata but loses his position and it's over. 30-27. Vera gets to fight another day and Marshall will probably be cut.

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski - Tyson comes in 3-1 in his last 4 fights, misses weight and gets KO'ed in the first round. His walking papers should be coming soon. Palaszewski did what was expected of him. He will probably never crack the Top 10 in his weight class but he's a solid fighter that poses a nice challenge for FW up and comers. Oh and Bart says in the post fight interview that he broke both his hands. What? What are trying to be, Brian Bowles?

Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone - Cerrone was an absolute beast, keeping true to his word in the pre-fight interview. Siver looked like an amateur compared to his vicious kickboxing. Albeit winning by submission, the fight was won on the back of his agressive striking. Cerrone, being tall, strong and well rounded, is probably one win away of a shot at the title. He will fight the mediocre Diaz brother, Nate Diaz at UFC 141.

Main Card

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop - The curse of the Japanese fighters continues. Hioki squeaks by with a split decision based on points alone. Yes, he did win the 2nd round but he didn't do ANYTHING. He just laid there on top of Roop, not even throwing strikes, nevermind elbows. Despite Roop going for broke in the 3rd (good sense of urgency there), nothing short of a KO or a sub would help him since the first round would be scored for Hioki since he got successfull takedowns and mantained control. This win becomes even less impressive when we consider that he is the #2 ranked FW in the World (should be #3 behind Mendes). I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but he doesn't improve in his next fight (maybe Hominick or the winner of Poirier vs Garza), he's officialy another dud.

Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran - If you listened only to the commentary, you wouldn't have tought that Curran was winning. Rogan kept on and on about his amazing BJJ and what not, reminding me of Miguel Torres vs Mighty Mouse. Sure, Miguel has beast BJJ but he still lost because HE WAS ON HIS BACK THE WHOLE FIGHT! This fight was pretty much it: Jorgensen threw some nice punches, took Curran down and held him there. Curran even had time to break his hand against Jorgensen's noggin. Way to go dude. Where does Jorgensen go from here? I don't know, he already lost to Dominick Cruz and there aren't many available dance partners. Perhaps Faber if they don't stick him in another rematch? Benavidez is also an option, that is until the FLW division is created.

Mirko Filipovi? vs. Roy Nelson - Nelson still looks fat but that are some subtle differences. His conditioning is also better. Mirko looks old, way old. The fight goes on and Nelson keeps on the offensive, putting Mirko against the fence and unloading some good shots on him. Mirko seemed elsewhere in this fight, hardly throwing kicks. I tought the fight was going to be stopped in the 2nd round but Mirko held on (and Mazzagatti was hesitant since the clock was running out). Had there been a few more minutes and it would have been 2nd round TKO. Mirko needs to retire, he's worn, beaten down and on 3 fight losing streak. Thank you for the memories. Nelson should fight Kongo or Big Nog next.

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione - The most disapointing fight of the night. It promissed firefworks and delivered nothing similar. Kongo, who hits like a ton of bricks and has an incredible physique for a HW, won by UBD (unanimous boring decision). Nothing happened in the 1st round and the 2nd and 3rd were dominated by Kongo outgrapling Meathead against the fence or on the ground. Maybe Mitrione was tentative of engaging with Kongo since he saw what he did to Barry. But for a guy that was being held down by Kongo (who can't really grapple that much) he didn't have many alternatives to winning that fight. And so his victory streak is cut and he returns to the bottom rung of the HW division while Kongo stand solidly in the middle, not being championship material but on a confortable 3-0-1 win streak. Mitrione fights Schaub and Kongo fights Nelson (or rematch with Browne)?

BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz - FOTN as expected. BJ Penn's adventure back at WW fizzled out almost as fast as it begun. A draw to Fitch (with a 10-8 round) and a devastating loss to Diaz has made BJ say that he'll retire. For how long, it remains to be seen. Maybe he'll get a crazy ideai and cut to FW to get smashed by Aldo or move up to MW to get smashed by Silva. Whatever he decidies, his fighting future isn't looking too bright. Diaz, on the other hand, was his usual self: agressive, tauting, devastating and with a granite chin. He was so impressive that Condit got bumped and Diaz will face GSP in February. Sorry Condit, better luck next time (Condit will probably have to rematch Ellenberger for the next title shot). Diaz took a page out of the Chael Sonnen book of good promotion by calling out GSP at the end of the fight (I'm surprised he didn't use Mayhem's catchphrase of Don't be scared homie). When I say he took a page, he did it out of his retarded skull not because it's good showmanship and business but because despite winning, he was still incredibly angry. GSP has promissed to put a beating on him. I surely hope he delivers on that promisse. Diaz doesn't stand a chance (he got taken down by BJ Penn!).

[D. S. Veteran]

I know right.. the whole post fight conference was one big laugh at diaz's expense. If you watch the face on dana during some of the rants, you can tell he is getting annoyed.

I'm not MMA trained, never practiced any martial art in my life, but i could still spot a million holes in diaz's game after the fight lastnight. The big one for me was the reckless body shots that exposed his face sooooo much, all i kept thinking is how fast and precise gsp is that everytime he goes for a body shot he's gonna get a stiff jab in the eye. I can tell you one thing for sure though, after what dana said about gsp's comment after the fight.. i'm super excited for this event, a fired up gsp is exactly what we need to see to hopefully rid the whole lay and pray label that's been put on him.

If you look at Diaz's record and the matchmaking that Strikeforce threw at him, it's pretty clear what his weakness is. Diaz's four losses in the UFC came at the hands of strong wrestlers/grapplers like Sean Sherk. In all his fights in Strikeforce he never faced a competent wrestler, only strikers that stood and banged which he dispatched with ease. BJ Penn's gameplan (or lack of) was his downfall since he was able to take Diaz down but chose to stand and trade. We all know how elite level GSP's wrestling his, he promissed a beating but it probably won't be on the feet. Some ground and pound by elbows (that weren't allowed in Strikeforce) will probably do the trick and I'm pretty sure that Diaz can't stop GSP's shot.

[dippednbutter]

War Diaz, I'll take a fighter over an athlete any day.

[Bubbabyte]

War Diaz, I'll take a fighter over an athlete any day.

I'm not quite sure what to make of that statement..lol

If you look at Diaz's record and the matchmaking that Strikeforce threw at him, it's pretty clear what his weakness is. Diaz's four losses in the UFC came at the hands of strong wrestlers/grapplers like Sean Sherk. In all his fights in Strikeforce he never faced a competent wrestler, only strikers that stood and banged which he dispatched with ease. BJ Penn's gameplan (or lack of) was his downfall since he was able to take Diaz down but chose to stand and trade. We all know how elite level GSP's wrestling his, he promissed a beating but it probably won't be on the feet. Some ground and pound by elbows (that weren't allowed in Strikeforce) will probably do the trick and I'm pretty sure that Diaz can't stop GSP's shot.

Agreed, completely. People don't seem to realize how easy gsp can win this fight, and the added fuel might make for a finish rather than decision. I agree fully with gsp in that condit was a much harder fight for gsp, i think condit is a phenomenal all round fighter and would have made a much more exciting fight.

[D. S. Veteran]

I'm not quite sure what to make of that statement..lol

Agreed, completely. People don't seem to realize how easy gsp can win this fight, and the added fuel might make for a finish rather than decision. I agree fully with gsp in that condit was a much harder fight for gsp, i think condit is a phenomenal all round fighter and would have made a much more exciting fight.

He will be. After GSP puts Diaz away, Condit gets the next shot provided he beats Ellenberger (I think that's who he's fighting). It will certainly be a tough fight, Ellenberger is a Top 10 WW but I think can pull it off. And Ellenberger gets the next title shot after him.

[dippednbutter]

I'm not quite sure what to make of that statement..lol

Agreed, completely. People don't seem to realize how easy gsp can win this fight, and the added fuel might make for a finish rather than decision. I agree fully with gsp in that condit was a much harder fight for gsp, i think condit is a phenomenal all round fighter and would have made a much more exciting fight.

Don't get me wrong, GSP is a phenomenal athlete, I'm not denying he can beat Diaz. If you don't get the concept of what the difference of a fighter vs athlete it probably would be a little hard to explain. Diaz goes hard, all the time, and tries to put his opponent away period no matter how busted up he gets. He brings the fight and is on another level in the mentality range (good and obviously bad at times). GSP is athletically gifted and it assists him in being able to stay away in most cases from harm's range. He hates getting hit though and if him putting away someone might cost him a black eye, he would just ride out the decision as he has been. When I train I prefer not getting hit myself and using footwork/experience to keep out of bad situations. With that, I truly appreciate a guy like Diaz that throws it all out there and does not care. Just sayin'

[D. S. Veteran]

Don't get me wrong, GSP is a phenomenal athlete, I'm not denying he can beat Diaz. If you don't get the concept of what the difference of a fighter vs athlete it probably would be a little hard to explain. Diaz goes hard, all the time, and tries to put his opponent away period no matter how busted up he gets. He brings the fight and is on another level in the mentality range (good and obviously bad at times). GSP is athletically gifted and it assists him in being able to stay away in most cases from harm's range. He hates getting hit though and if him putting away someone might cost him a black eye, he would just ride out the decision as he has been. When I train I prefer not getting hit myself and using footwork/experience to keep out of bad situations. With that, I truly appreciate a guy like Diaz that throws it all out there and does not care. Just sayin'

I understand your point but we crossing into the ideia of a sport vs entertainment. The UFC strives to be a sport not a spectacle, that's why Jon Fitch keeps getting fights and his the #2 WW in the world. Is Nick Diaz entertaining? Sure he is and he's a great fighter as well. But that shouldn't matter at all in the matchmaking. If Fitch beat Diaz for the title shot, do you think it would be right to take the shot away from him because he isn't as entertaining? I think it would compromise the future of the UFC as a legitimate sports organization and shift more into the ways of the WWE and PRIDE (where many fights were fixed). I love to watch guys throw some leather and show heart but I understand and enjoy it as a sport. And as a sport, you have to be the best to become the champion. No matter how boring or safe GSP's style is, if you can beat him you're not worthy of being called the champion. If you focus solely on entertainment you get things like when the crowd booed Aldo when he doing a clinic on Florian because it wasn't flashy or brutal, all while being an incredible display of skill and atlethicism.

[dippednbutter]

I understand your point but we crossing into the ideia of a sport vs entertainment. The UFC strives to be a sport not a spectacle, that's why Jon Fitch keeps getting fights and his the #2 WW in the world. Is Nick Diaz entertaining? Sure he is and he's a great fighter as well. But that shouldn't matter at all in the matchmaking. If Fitch beat Diaz for the title shot, do you think it would be right to take the shot away from him because he isn't as entertaining? I think it would compromise the future of the UFC as a legitimate sports organization and shift more into the ways of the WWE and PRIDE (where many fights were fixed). I love to watch guys throw some leather and show heart but I understand and enjoy it as a sport. And as a sport, you have to be the best to become the champion. No matter how boring or safe GSP's style is, if you can beat him you're not worthy of being called the champion. If you focus solely on entertainment you get things like when the crowd booed Aldo when he doing a clinic on Florian because it wasn't flashy or brutal, all while being an incredible display of skill and atlethicism.

Hmm, I didn't argue on the subject of deserved title shots as I completely agree with you to an extent. I'm assuming you don't believe Nick should get a shot at GSP? And trust me I enjoy the sport but with any sport I don't necessarily as a fan enjoy certain athletes. The UFC is promoting the sport but through careful matchmaking and most importantly, listening to its fan base. Which is why Diaz vs GSP was provided as such. To please us fans. Do I think Nick deserves it, yes, especially after he got a UFC welcoming fight in BJ. Fitch and BJ just fought to a draw so at the moment it puts Nick over Fitch. And yes, I'm also a Fitch hater but that doesn't necessarily mean I won't recognize his accomplishments.

[D. S. Veteran]

Fitch fought BJ to a draw on the back of a 10-8 round. Once Penn ran out of steam, he was totally dominated. It was officially a draw but for me, Fitch won that fight.

I believe Nick Diaz should get his shot at GSP. He's on a 11 fight win streak, has just beaten BJ Penn in dominating fashion and was the Strikeforce WW champion. Not because he draws a ton of heat. I believe that a fan pandering style in the matchmaking has a pernicious effect on the sport as a whole. For instance, consider Chad Mendes. He's unbeaten at FW and is one of the few guys that can pose a threat to Aldo. Florian leapfrogged him into a title shot because he's more well known to casual fans.