UFC 158: Georges St-Pierre defeats Nick Diaz by unanimous decision

UFC 158 takes place Saturday night from Montreal, headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout pitting champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Nick Diaz. The contest, expected to be one of the biggest pay-per-view attractions of the year, has featured a unique buildup and hype. The mercurial Diaz was controversially selected for the title shot despite losing his last bout and failing a post-fight drug test. St. Pierre and UFC president Dana White justified this decision by saying St. Pierre was angry at Diaz and thought the “disrespectful” Diaz “deserves a beatdown.”

Diaz spent the last week challenging this assertion, accusing St. Pierre and the UFC of manufacturing a personal issue and vilifying Diaz to sell the fight. The popular and well respected St. Pierre has faced a series of antagonistic rivals like Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra and Matt Hughes throughout his career, but finds himself in somewhat of a different position in the verbal offensive and defensive for this fight. The colorful and exciting Diaz, on the other hand, confronts the most important fight of his career. The stakes have never been higher for the Stockton native.

In preliminary action, George Roop won a unanimous decision victory over Reuben Duran in a bantamweight contest. Team Alpha Male prospect T.J. Dillashaw won his third fight in a row, knocking out Issei Tamura with a knee and punches on the ground. And welterweight contender Rick Story rebounded from recent setbacks to score an impressive first round TKO over Quinn Mulhern.

UFC Welterweight Title: Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz

St. Pierre is one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, a longtime dominant welterweight champion with no unavenged losses and wins over just about every top contender. Diaz, the former Strikeforce champion, possesses a dangerous volume punching game and excellent submissions. This is the biggest fight of his career.

Round 1. St. Pierre gets a takedown seconds into the fight. Diaz immediately secures full guard and looks to posture up his hips and threaten. St. Pierre drops down some punches and Diaz looks to take top position himself. Diaz then tries to stand up but is pulled down. St. Pierre looks to mount but can’t get it. St. Pierre drops a hard elbow, the first big shot of the frame. Diaz looks to get up and St. Pierre just holds him down. Diaz finally gets back to his feet but eats a couple knees and is taken back down. St. Pierre takes Diaz’s back but loses it. Diaz gets back up. Diaz looks for a kimura but St. Pierre slams him back down. Another conservative winning round for the champion. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 2. St. Pierre throws a few leg kicks. Diaz looks to establish his boxing but eats a few jabs. St. Pierre then takes Diaz back down. St. Pierre lands some punches from the top and Diaz can’t set anything up on the bottom. Diaz tries to get up and just eats more punches as St. Pierre yanks him down. St. Pierre drops elbows from inside guard. Diaz finally gets up with a minute left in the round. He makes some faces at St. Pierre and they exchange punches relatively evenly. Diaz talks some trash at St. Pierre after the round. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 3. Diaz comes out talking trash and lets St. Pierre throw jabs to his face. St. Pierre goes for a takedown but it is blocked. Moments later, St. Pierre gets it. Diaz works his way back up. He lands a hard punch to the body of St. Pierre. He follows with leg kicks. St. Pierre answers with some crisp jabs. They each throw wild spinning kicks that miss. St. Pierre goes for a takedown with two minutes left in the round. Diaz blocks it. Diaz lands a few nice punches that knock St. Pierre back. He opens up a cut on St. Pierre and St. Pierre takes him down. Diaz swung at St. Pierre after the bell. 10-9 Diaz.

Round 4. St. Pierre throws a few nice jabs. St. Pierre goes for a takedown and Diaz blocks it. St. Pierre goes back to the jab. Diaz blocks another takedown. St. Pierre clinches and they trade knees near the fence. St. Pierre keeps landing the jab and takes Diaz down with two minutes left in the round. Diaz gets up but St. Pierre slams him right back down. Diaz gets up again and looks for a kimura. He doesn’t come close. Diaz looks for a knee bar but doesn’t come close on that either. 10-9 St. Pierre.

Round 5. St. Pierre goes back to the jab and looks for another takedown. Diaz turns St. Pierre around and presses him against the cage. They trade knees to the body and then separate. St. Pierre then goes for the takedown and gets it two minutes into the final stanza. Diaz constantly tries to roll into a better position but St. Pierre will just keep him down and land punches. Diaz finally gets up with 90 seconds left to go. They clinch as the crowd chants vulgarities at Diaz. With 40 seconds left, St. Pierre takes Diaz down. St. Pierre works punches for the rest. They embrace and Diaz raises St. Pierre’s hand. St. Pierre then raises Diaz’s hand. 10-9 St. Pierre, 49-46 St. Pierre.

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

St. Pierre acknowledges after the fight that he’s a fan of Diaz and didn’t take anything Diaz said personally. Diaz said he doesn’t think he has it any more. He basically says he’s going to retire, which he has threatened to do before.

Johny Hendricks vs. Carlos Condit

Hendricks is the rightful top contender to the welterweight title, with five straight wins including three straight over top 10 competition. He’s risking that status against a tough style matchup, the dangerous Condit. Condit lost to Georges St. Pierre in his last fight and possesses a slick standup game with crafty submissions.

Round 1. Hendricks immediately dives in with one of his big overhand punches. He has Condit in big trouble and follows with heavy additional shots near the cage. He slams Condit to the ground but lets Condit get back up. Condit lands a hard superman punch but Hendricks answers back with another of his big overhand punches. Hendricks then takes Condit down 90 seconds into the fight. Condit gets up but Hendricks pulls him back down. Condit looks for an armbar but Hendricks gets out. Condit is active off his back, throwing elbows and looking to trap Hendricks with a submission. Hendricks just stands back up. Hendricks moments later looks for another takedown. He gets Condit down near the cage and Condit is lightly bleeding from the nose. Condit gets up and separates. Condit hits a flying knee and they trade big punches by the cage. Condit looks for a kimura from a standing position and gets Hendricks’ back. Hendricks stands up and Condit looks to sink in a rear naked choke from the standing position but Hendricks shakes him off. Condit briefly drops Hendricks with a punch but Hendricks gets right back up throwing heavy bombs and the round concludes. That was a really exciting round. 10-9 Hendricks.

Round 2. Condit throws a head kick but it doesn’t connect flush. Condit lands a leaping knee as Hendricks moves in and Hendricks wings in his power punches from close range as he has done at a number of points thus far in the fight. Condit to this point has been able to survive those positions. Hendricks gets a takedown again near the cage. Condit gets up but Hendricks takes him back down again. Condit stands up yet again and lands a couple knees on the break. He presses Hendricks against the cage and they again exchange punches from close range. Condit lands another flying knee and Hendricks uses the opportunity to take him back down. Condit once more stands up and throws big punches at Hendricks. Hendricks catches him off balance and gets yet another takedown. Condit again gets up to close the round. 10-9 Hendricks.

Round 3. Hendricks again swings his big power punches and looks for a takedown but Condit doesn’t let him get close enough. 30 seconds later, Hendricks does get the takedown. Condit looks to sweep but gives up on that and instead takes full guard. Condit throws elbows from the bottom and then looks for a kimura. He gives it up but stands up and nails Hendricks with punches against the cage. Condit lands a couple hooks but misses a kick and is taken down. He immediately gets up. Hendricks retains body control and slams Condit back down. Condit keeps working with punches on the ground and Hendricks stands back up. Condit cracks Hendricks with a big hook that forces Hendricks to clinch. Condit pushes forward but gets taken back down by Hendricks. Condit stands up with 40 seconds left and walks down Hendricks with punches. He attacks against the cage and Hendricks again looks for a takedown. Condit looks for a kimura while Hendricks pulls him down. Condit spins out and attacks with more punches and knees to close the fight. That was an absolute all time classic fight. 10-9 Condit, 29-28 Hendricks.

Winner: Johny Hendricks, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt

The top three bouts of UFC 158 are all significant welterweight fights. This is the first, with Jake Ellenberger looking to put himself back into position for a potential title shot. Ellenberger is a great wrestler and powerful puncher and has won seven of his last eight in the UFC. Marquardt is a former UFC middleweight title challenger and Strikeforce middleweight champion but is coming off an extremely unimpressive loss in his last bout.

Round 1. Marquardt is aggressive throwing leg kicks early and backs Ellenberger back with a heavy punch. Marquardt pursues across the Octagon with wild shots but eventually settles down. Ellenberger cuts Marquardt near the eye with a punch. Marquardt lands a pair of solid leg kicks to the thick legs of Ellenberger. Ellenberger backs Marquardt against the cage and drops him with a thunderous right hook. Ellenberger follows with punches on the ground, Marquardt collapses, and the fight is stopped.

Winner: Jake Ellenberger, TKO, round 1.

Daron Cruickshank vs. John Makdessi

Cruickshank, a 27-year-old fighter with a 12-2 record, has seemingly come into his own since his time on the 15th season of the Ultimate Fighter. Makdessi, a Montreal native, has an exciting standup style but a still evolving overall game.

Round 1. The fighters are cautious at first in the feeling out process, leading to some early boos. Cruickshank has a length and reach advantage and looks to exploit it by throwing lead kicks. Makdessi is for the most part inactive. Makdessi catches Cruickshank with an accidental low blow, temporarily suspending the action. After the break, Makdessi begins to open up a little bit more with kicks. Cruickshank goes for a takedown but doesn’t get it. Cruickshank turns his back and strikes from a weird angle, then complains of a punch to the back of the head. That’s a unique strategy. Cruickshank lands a grazing flying knee at the close of the round. Slow round. 10-9 Cruickshank.

Round 2. Cruickshank lands a head kick early. A minute later, he lands a nice uppercut that is one of the better shots of the fight by either competitor. Cruickshank spins right into a Makdessi jab in a bit of a comedic moment. Makdessi lands a nice spinning back kick to the body and blocks a takedown attempt. Makdessi fires a pair of crisp jabs. The fighters exchange ax kick attempts, something you don’t see very often. Cruickshank seemed to throw mostly in response to Makdessi. Makdessi lands a nice punch combination in the final minute of the round. He landed a spinning back fist and they exchange wild punches at the close. Makdessi really began to take over in the second half of that round. 10-9 Makdessi.

Round 3. Cruickshank moves in with a sideways stance but isn’t able to throw off Makdessi. Cruikshank lands a nice straight punch but Makdessi fires back with punches of his own and easily stuffs a takedown. Makdessi stuffs another moments later. Cruickshank was pushing the action for most of the first half of the fight, but now Makdessi is walking him down. Makdessi misses a spinning back fist but lands a follow through jab. Makdessi takes a poke to the eye and the action is temporarily stopped. They exchange big punches as the round comes to a close. Makdessi pulled away comfortably in the second and third rounds. 10-9 Makdessi, 29-28 Makdessi.

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

Jordan Mein vs. Dan Miller

Jordan Mein is a unique prospect making his UFC debut after a successful Strikeforce run. Mein has a 26-8 MMA record but is only 23-years-old. If he can continue to improve at the same rate, big things could be in store for him. The gritty Dan Miller has fought in the UFC since 2008 and specializes in the ground game. His brother Jim is a top lightweight contender and he is a very sympathetic person who has had to deal with serious family health problems the past few years.

Round 1. Miller lands a nice straight punch and scores a takedown. Mein immediately looks to sweep position but Miller is able to maintain the top spot. Miller goes for an armbar and looks like he has it momentarily but Mein keeps rolling and is somehow able to get out of the bad predicament and stand back up. Miller lands a nice right punch. Mein then drops Miller with a huge straight left punch that connects about as solidly as is possible. Mein lets Miller back up. Mein throws a few jabs and then some power punches to the body. Mein continues firing big punches on the ground and the referee stops the bout. Mein is impressive again. That was the first time Miller has ever been stopped.

Winner: Jordan Mein, TKO, round 1.

Darren Elkins vs. Antonio Carvalho

Elkins didn’t enter the UFC with a lot of fanfare, but he has gained buzz with four straight wins over solid fighters at 145 pounds. Carvalho on paper looks like a bit of a softer touch but he has won five of his last six and has extensive international experience.

Round 1. Elkins hits Carvalho with a big punch in an exchange. He follows with more punches and drops Carvalho with a heavy followup. Referee Yves Lavigne stops the fight. Announcer Joe Rogan and the crowd complain but that was a completely justifiable stoppage.

Winner: Darren Elkins, TKO, round 1.

Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker

Cote is a popular Quebec fighter with solid standup but who has tended to fall short in the most important fights of his career. He has won five of his last six. Voelker is a Strikeforce veteran moving over for his UFC debut. He hasn’t fought since 2011.

Round 1. Cote aggressively moves forward with punches and catches Voelker with a shot. Voelker clinches and looks for a takedown. Cote is able to defend it for a while but Voelker gets a takedown with 90 seconds left in the round. Cote goes for an armbar but Voelker is able to successfully defend. Cote goes for an armbar attempt again but Voelker defends again. Close round. Cote did a little better standing and was able to control the ground so he gets the round. 10-9 Cote.

Round 2. Cote rocks Voelker with some big punches at the very beginning of the round but Voelker is able to recover quickly. Cote lands a nice left hook. He is really outlanding Voelker with punches and is mixing in kicks as well. Voelker closes the distance and looks for another takedown. Cote circles out and lands a series of big punches against the cage. He follows with a big uppercut and additional punches from range. Voelker lands some solid punches of his own and backs Cote against the cage, but Cote fires back and the fighters clinch. Voelker lands a pair of heavy knees to the body. Cote then ducks down and looks for a takedown. They separate and Voelker lands a nice uppercut and hook. Cote goes for a takedown at the close of the round. That was a really exciting round. 10-9 Cote.

Round 3. Voelker lands some big punches on Cote to start the round. It appears he momentarily has Cote in trouble but Cote clinches and regains his composure. They grapple for position against the Octagon. They separate and Voelker lands some big hooks to the chin of Cote. He follows with a knee and Cote has to go for a takedown. Voelker is definitely getting the best of it in the third. Voelker gets a takedown and drops down some solid punches. Cote throws up his hips for an armbar but doesn’t come close. Cote looks to stand back up and comes close on a couple occasions but Voelker pulls him back down. Voelker keeps pressing on Cote and landing shots. Cote stands back up finally with a minute left but Voelker takes him back down. He keeps landing punches as the round comes to a close. Dominant round for Voelker. 10-9 Voelker, 29-28 Cote.

Winner: Patrick Cote, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Colin Fletcher vs. Mike Ricci

Fletcher and Ricci were the standout personalities on recent seasons of the Ultimate Fighter but lost in the finals. Fletcher, with his unique outfits and great personality, stood out on the UK vs. Australia version of the show while Ricci was one of the more notable individuals on the Roy Nelson vs. Shane Carwin US season. The loser could be on his way out of the UFC, making this a pivotal fight.

Round 1. Ricci moves in winging power shots early. He lands a head kick but gets caught with a counterpunch moments later. Ricci halfway through the round lands the best shot of the fight, a straight punch to the jaw. Ricci keeps consistently throwing leg kicks to maintain distance. Ricci connects with a solid head kick and Fletcher looks for a takedown as the round closes. Not a particularly eventful start. 10-9 Ricci.

Round 2. Ricci lands a head kick. After a scramble, they tumble to the ground with Ricci taking top position. He moves into side control position but then quickly loses it. Fletcher looks for a heel hook but Ricci avoids any danger and takes Fletcher’s back without any hooks in. Fletcher stands back up and is bleeding from the face. Fletcher lands some low kicks and begins to operate at a more active pace than Ricci. Fletcher lands a nice spinning backfist late in the round. 10-9 Ricci.

Round 3. The fighters clinch and Fletcher looks for a takedown. Ricci has no trouble defending and lands a couple good shots on the break. Fletcher looks for a superman punch but eats a jab. Ricci backs Fletcher against the cage and lands a 1-2 punch combination. Ricci gets a takedown three and a half minutes into the round. Ricci takes Fletcher’s back and gets his hooks in. Ricci looks for a rear naked choke submission in the closing seconds of the round and then switches to an armbar attempt. Fletcher gets out and drops a few elbows from the top to end the bout. 10-9 Ricci, 30-27 Ricci.

Winner: Mike Ricci, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Chris Camozzi vs. Nick Ring

These fighters seem to be moving in different directions. Ring entered the UFC with a good amount of hype and an undefeated record, but his now 13-1 record masks the fact that most felt he lost three of his four last bouts (decision wins over Riki Fukuda and Court McGee were controversial). Camozzi, on the other hand, didn’t enter the UFC with a lot of hype but has built credibility with three straight solid wins.

Round 1. They exchange leg kicks early. Ring lands more. Ring mixes in body punches and goes higher occasionally as well. He’s much more active than Camozzi. Ring keeps landing leg kicks and will move out of the way when Camozzi presses forward. Camozzi does land a couple good punches in a flurry with a minute left in the round. Camozzi lands a couple more a moment later. 10-9 Ring.

Round 2. Camozzi lunges in with a big hook that doesn’t quite connect on the button. Camozzi does land a huge left hook moments later. Ring isn’t gassed but he is definitely slowing down. Camozzi goes for a really slow, really telegraphed spinning backfist. Both men are moving slow. Camozzi lands a nice knee. Camozzi lands a nice low kick followed by a pair of punches high. Camozzi lands a pair of knees late. Much closer round. 10-9 Camozzi.

Round 3. Camozzi lands a pair of punches early. Ring answers back well. Camozzi grabs Ring’s body and presses him against the cage. He looks for a takedown but Ring easily backs out of the way. He lands a couple leg kicks and a hook on Camozzi. Camozzi connects with a knee to the body. Camozzi lands a flying knee at the close. 10-9 Camozzi, 29-28 Camozzi.

Winner: Chris Camozzi, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Follow on Twitter at @toddmartinMMA.

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