Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks are the four headline names on tonight's UFC 158 card. Here's a brief bit about each of their training camps:
(1) Georges St. Pierre. He's renowned for pushing the boundaries of MMA training - incorporating everything from gymnastics training to state-of-the-art ACL recovery methods - but perhaps GSP's most consistent weapon during his years of dominance has been trainer Firas Zahabi. Check out this article titled Meet the Mastermind Behind GSP. You'll see Zahabi in GSP's corner once again for this bout.
(2) Nick Diaz. He's known for training as a triathlete and he's known for no-shows. In many ways, Nick is known for his instability as much as anything else. That said, Nick has had two rocks of stability in his training over the years: his brother Nate Diaz and coach Cesar Gracie. While Nate helps Nick push his physical boundaries, Cesar helps him feel supported and stay grounded mentally. Check out the recent article titled Nick Diaz should be respected as a martial artist.
(3) Carlos Condit. Whereas many fighters bring in elite kickboxers, wrestlers and BJJ fighters into their camps, Carlos brought in a straight-up traditional boxer - Austin Trout - to help him prepare for the punching prowess of Johny Hendricks. Check out this terrific article from the Bleacher Report that highlights the work Carlos has been putting in with his latest training partner.
(4) Johny Hendricks. It's tough to find much about his training regimen that isn't made for the sponsors, but check out the embedded video when he was preparing for Josh Koscheck. Very few, if any, MMA fighters train using the methods of Cus D'Amato and Mike Tyson. Hendricks works the peek-a-boo style in similar ways and his punching power comes from the way he trains to turn his hips and use momentum.
--Photo: kellbailey/Flickr
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