A fight that has been several years in the making will finally take place this Saturday at UFC 158. That fight is and will be a welterweight championship fight between UFC champion Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz. The event takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.
Nick Diaz may have talked his way into this fight with St-Pierre but there is no doubt that he is one of the division's best. There is certainly an argument against Diaz being in the main event with the champ but with the fight happening tomorrow night there is no reason to discuss that topic.
Let's jump right into breaking down the fight.
Until Diaz lost a close decision to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, he was on an eleven fight win streak. Diaz is a former Strikeforce champion and has been fighting professionally since the age of eighteen.
Diaz is one of the most prolific volume strikers ever in not only the UFC but in all of MMA. His boxing is some of the best in all of MMA as well. Oh, and let us not forget that he is a black belt in Gracie jiu-jitsu. Diaz possesses endless cardio and will push the pace from bell to bell. He presses forward against his opponents peppering them with punches and slaps to the head and as soon as the cover up that is when he starts to land body shots.
Diaz likes to force his opponents to cage and trap them against the cage all the while landing and assortment of combinations. Another thing that is interest to note about his boxing style is that it is almost like he does not just throw combinations of punches but he throws combinations of combinations. Diaz is a nightmare for the CompuStrike guys.
Georges St-Pierre is one of the most dominant champions in the history of the UFC. St-Pierre is a two-time welterweight champion and has successfully defended the title seven times. His current winning streak stands at ten.
GSP is probably the best wrestler in the UFC. He possesses a smothering ground game that focuses on control. St-Pierre's stand up begins with his jab. While typically a fighter will use his stand up to set up the takedown, St-Pierre uses the threat of the takedown to set up his jab. St-Pierre rarely deviates from the same game plan in each fight. The reason is that he does not have two.
People criticize St-Pierre's use of strategy to win fights and call him boring because he wins normally by decision. The reality is that until another fighter forces him to fight different you will continue to see St-Pierre force fighters to fight his fight and not their own.
When it comes to the weakness department, Diaz lacks the wrestling ability to avoid St-Pierre's takedown. At the same time however, Diaz will have an equally large edge in the stand up department should the two spend any length of time exchanging strikes.
While Diaz is the best boxer St-Pierre has ever faced, St-Pierre's wrestling and strength advantage will likely cause Diaz a lot of problems. Diaz will look to press forward but that will only allow St-Pierre an opportunity to go for the takedown. On the ground Diaz is a dangerous jiu-jitsu practitioner but St-Pierre will have the ground control and strength advantage.
There is no doubt this will be an exciting fight no matter where the fight goes. Will Diaz be able to get into the head of St-Pierre and draw him into a striking match? If he does, he will have the advantage.
It is just very hard to see Diaz taking St-Pierre out of his fight plan. St-Pierre is a very disciplined fighter and will not be drawn away from his game plan.
Expect St-Pierre to pull out the decision with Diaz making it interesting anytime the two are standing. However, St-Pierre will control the fight on the ground and against the cage and stroll his way to a decision victory.
UFC 158 airs live on pay per view this Saturday night at 9 p.m. central time.
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