UFC 154 Predictions

By Robert Rousseau, About.com Guide

What Georges St. Pierre brings to the table: First, St. Pierre is coming off of a serious ACL injury, and you never quite know how things will work out when one does something like that. That said, he is considered to be one of the best pound for pound MMA fighters in the world for several reasons. First, he may very well be the most explosive athlete in the UFC today, if not ever (he's got my vote). Second, an argument can be made that he possesses the best wrestling skills- takedowns, takedown defense, ground control- as it relates to MMA in the world. We're talking about a guy who actually considered trying out for the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team with no prior wrestling experience at the high school or collegiate level. On top of that, St. Pierre possesses well-above average Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, better than average striking capabilities (he's a Kyokushin black belt with a tremendous boxing style jab), and also comes to fight in tremendous physical condition each and every time he steps into the Octagon.

There really are no weaknesses in relation to other fighters. That said, Matt Serra once proved he's not unbeatable. In other words, if you tag him, he can be taken out.

What Carlos Condit brings to the table: Condit is a complete MMA fighter. We're talking about a guy that brings an even amount of submission (13) and (T)KO victories (13) into this encounter. He's technically sound on his feet, has solid wrestling skills, and is a well above average Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner. He's capable of causing guys to tap from both the top and bottom position. What's more, he's showed a lot of power recently, having (T)KO'd Rory MacDonald, Dan Hardy, and Dong Hyun Kim consecutively. Not to mention, the guy won a controversial decision while mostly on his feet against Nick Diaz. Simply put, anyone who is able to have a level of success on his feet against a guy like him has cardio and possesses toughness.

The weaknesses? Well, he's a solid wrestler; but Condit can be taken down. And that's about it.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit Prediction: First thing's first- I'm going to assume, based on his athleticism and work ethic, that St. Pierre will experience minimal problems coming back from his injury. Could I be wrong? Yep. But all of that plus the hometown crowd should spur him on to his former greatness. So......On their feet, this one is close. I like St. Pierre's athleticism a little bit more. But in a striking battle this one could go either way, as Condit is an excellent striker. However, guess is that if St. Pierre wants to put his UFC 154 opponent on the canvas, he can. And that's significant, as it offers St. Pierre a couple of options. In the end, I expect the Canadian champion to strike a little bit before taking this fight to the canvas. Once there, expect him to pound on Condit for several rounds. It won't be easy, as Condit is dangerous off of his back. Then again, the man they call "Rush" has dealt with BJ Penn off of his back, so he's very capable there.

Georges St. Pierre defeats Carlos Condit by decision.

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• Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit UFC 154 Prediction
• Johny Hendricks vs. Martin Kampmann Prediction
• Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza Prediction

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