UFC 154 is taking place on Saturday at Bell Centre in Quebec, and it’s being headlined by Canada’s favorite fighter: Georges St-Pierre. GSP will be facing Carlos Condit for the UFC welterweight title. It’s a good card and the main event is a big one, so we’ll share with you the top five reasons why you should watch.
1. Will this lead to a GSP-Anderson Silva superfight?
One of the biggest reasons to watch this fight is to see whether or not we end up with the big superfight we’ve been thinking about for years. Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva were considered to be the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and there was a clamor to see them face each other. UFC boss Dana White said in September that an Anderson Silva-GSP superfight was likely to take place at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Only one thing stands in the way: Carlos Condit.
2. Can Condit be the spoiler again?
“The Natural Born Killer” seems to be a perfect nickname for Condit, because the guy has the potential to kill plans. He did it in February at UFC 143 when he won a decision against Nick Diaz, who had won 11 fights in a row and seemed in line to face Anderson Silva. He has the potential to spoil another heavily-hyped fight if he can pull off another win.
3. How will GSP look in his first fight back?
GSP hasn’t fought since beating Jake Shields by unanimous decision at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011. GSP was considered to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world at the time, along with Anderson Silva. The UFC was going to set him up against Nick Diaz at UFC 137, but he pulled out with a knee injury. It was later revealed that St-Pierre had an ACL injury and would be out 10 months. GSP only resumed full training back at the end of June. Ring rust is generally a major issue for fighters, so one has to wonder whether St-Pierre will be back in top form after a year-and-a-half layoff.
4. Will Condit engage St-Pierre?
Condit was heavily criticized for his approach against Nick Diaz at UFC 143. Diaz was very much the aggressor, while Condit picked and chose his spots. Many fans were upset with Condit’s approach, and they are fed up his trainer Greg Jackson for encouraging the style. Jackson trains both GSP and Condit, so he is not working with either one for this fight in order to stay impartial. Will the lack of instruction from Jackson result in a more aggressive approach from Condit?
5. Will GSP be able to finish?
St-Pierre was thought to be at the top of his game when he submitted Matt Hughes, TKOd Matt Serra, won a decision against Jon Fitch, and beat B.J. Penn by TKO during a four-fight winning streak. Though GSP has won nine fights in a row, his last four bouts have gone the distance and he has been criticized for his inability to finish fights. Top fighters in the world like Anderson Silva and Jon Jones have shown more prowess by winning their recent fights by knockout or submission, while GSP has been less impressive in his wins.
