Big Night for all in Montreal (UFC 154 Review)
This night was a big night for everyone in the UFC on Saturday from the top to the bottom and from the main event to the Facebook fights. For the undercard fights it was business as usual which always means important fights as many are fighting for their UFC life. Others are fighting to break in to the UFC and begin what many hope is a long career. A loss or win could make a world of difference in the undercards as up and comers meet falling veterans to earn their right to fight in the UFC. The main card can sometimes be different but at UFC 154 there were a number of very important fights that would see number one contenders emerge and potentially future champions continue to run up their divisions. Nothing was more important than the main event though as it had shockwaves through the entire organization. It was the comeback of one of the biggest fighters in the UFC and even in UFC history. Georges St. Pierre is one of the few guys that the UFC loves to hang their hat on as one of the most marketable people in the UFC. He does things right and bucks the traditional thought of what a fighter is as a clean-cut, well spoken, despite the accent, and great fighters. Having GSP out for 18 months left a big hole in the Welterweight division and in the UFC in general. To fill that hole though would be another fighter that the UFC could begin to build into a superstar. Carlos Condit had won the interim belt in St. Pierre’s absence but had yet to become a major name as he had decided to wait for GSP rather than defend his interim title. For the UFC this fight was the beginning of a next step as they would either go with the old guard in GSP or they would go with the new face of the division. For St. Pierre this fight was a chance to prove that he can still fight after tearing his ACL and to prove to everyone including himself that he is still the best. For Condit this fight was about proving to everyone that he is the champion and take away that interim title on his championship. Both fighters, the fans, and the UFC held their breath when the bell rang as this time a GSP win was far from guaranteed. The fight began with both fighters coming out and feeling each other out. Neither seemed like they wanted to make a big move as both were worried about being countered and ending the fight early. The fight began to pick up speed as both fighters began throwing more while their opponent would dodge the shots with little damage. Then GSP put his gameplan in to action as he did not want to stand with the very good Condit who has knockout power. So St. Pierre took Condit to the ground and began landing some good shots. A big elbow from GSP drew blood as Condit earned a cut over his eye for remaining on his back. The second round saw much of the same but both fighters came out much stronger throwing better strikes and landing more. Then Condit threw a big kick that was caught by St. Pierre and turned into a takedown. GSP continued the same thing from the first round as St. Pierre continued to grind out the fight on the ground. It was the third round that gave GSP fans a scare though as Condit began landing better punches and eventually a big head kick that sent St. Pierre wobbling. Condit jumped on the chance and got the top position on St. Pierre giving him a taste of his own medicine. Condit would not be able to hold it though as St. Pierre would reverse it and finish the fight on top. The next two rounds would be repeats of the first two rounds as St. Pierre would take Condit down and grind the fight out. St. Pierre would take the win and become the undisputed Champion once again as he completed his comeback. Condit would take the loss as his brief stint as champion came to an end. Condit will likely remain in the top of the division and hope for a second chance at the title. St. Pierre will remain the top of the division and will have one of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC as Anderson Silva has already stated an interest to fight at a catch weight in the St. Pierre-Silva superfight to determine the best pound for pound fighter in the world. If St. Pierre accepts the fight it will clearly be the biggest gate and the biggest pay per view the UFC has ever had with every UFC fan wanting to see this fight. If the fight does follow through another big fight on the night will see St. Pierre’s next opponent.
The Co-Main Event of the evening was yet another Welterweight fight on the night that would determine the next contender for the welterweight division. Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann were both on the cusp of a shot before UFC 154 so both fighters were naturally going to have to go head to head. Hendricks had been in the middle of the pack in the welterweight division as he made his home in free fights and the undercard. That was until he landed a massive right against Jon Fitch at UFC 141 in the fight that launched him into contention. Another close win against Josh Koshcheck gave Hendricks the opportunity to see the title shot n the near future. Meanwhile Kampmann had recovered from a two fight losing streak beating some very good fighters. A knockout of Jake Ellenberger in his last fight had put him to a spot that he had been looking for, for a long time. Both fighters came in one win away from a shot at the winner of the main event, Georges St. Pierre. It would not take long for the next opponent to be determined though as Hendricks came out fast and landed his now signature right hand. It was almost a carbon copy of the Jon Fitch fight as Hendricks landed a massive right hand and sent Kampmann to the mat immediately earning the KO victory. Kampmann will go back to the drawing board and hope to finally get that shot at the title. Meanwhile Hendricks will wait to see his fate as he looks to St. Pierre to see if the superfight will happen. If it does Hendricks will likely have to defend his top contender status but if it doesn’t he will take on St. Pierre for the welterweight title.
The bonuses for UFC 154 were a bit larger on this fight thanks to the Montreal crowd as every fighter received $70,000 for their performances. The “Submission of the Night” went to Ivan Menjivar for his armbar win against Azamat Gashimov during the undercard fights. The “Knockout of the Night” went to the only KO of the night as Hendricks took the extra money home for his devastating KO of Martin Kampmann. The “Fight of the Night” went to the main event as Carlos Condit did not go home empty handed winning the bonus alongside St. Pierre. UFC 154 was an important fight for the UFC and it did not disappoint the fans or the UFC as a pay per view actually was greater than the free fights.
Full Results
Main Event:
Georges “Rush” St. Pierre def. Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit
(Unanimous Decision)
Main Card:
Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks def. Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann
(KO; Rd. 1)
Francis “Limitless” Carmont def. Tom “Filthy” Lawlor
(Split Decision)
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Mark Bocek
(Unanimous Decision)
Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza def. Mark “The Machine” Hominick
(Unanimous Decision)
Undercard:
Patrick “The Predator” Cote def. Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara
(Disqualification)
Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate def. Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 1)
John “The Bull” Makdessi def. Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout
(Unanimous Decision)
Antonio “Pato” Carvalho def. Rodrigo Damm
(Split Decision)
Matthew “Deep Waters” Riddle def. John “The One” Maguire
(Unanimous Decision)
Ivan “The Pride of El Salvador” Menjivar def. Azamat Gashimov
(Submission; Armbar, Rd. 1)
Darrin “The Damage” Elkins def. Steven “Super” Siler
(Unanimous Decision)
Upcoming Events:
UFC on Fox 5: Henderson vs. Diaz (Saturday December 8th; 8:00 pm EST)
– Free Live on Fox/Sportsnet
– Seattle, Washington (Key Arena)
– Main Event: Benson “Smooth” Henderson vs. Nate Diaz [Lightweight Title]
– Notable: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson
UFC on FX 6: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson (Friday December 14th; 9:00 pm EST)
– Free Live on FX/Sportsnet
– Gold Coast, Queensland (Gold Coast Convention Centre)
– Main Event: George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson
– Notable: Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares
TUF 14 Finale: Nelson vs. Mitrione (Saturday December 15th; 9:00 pm EST)
– Live Free on FX/Sportsnet
– Las Vegas, Nevada (The Joint- The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)
– Main Event: Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Matt Mitrione
– Other fights to be announced at the conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter 14
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