I can’t help but say this is an emotional post for me to write. Why? Because it will be my last for FightCove.com.

With over 2000 articles published and an uncountable amount of words written, the site has served its purpose and, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

In July 2011, Fight Cove co-founder Jon Gerow and myself came up with an idea to create a mixed martial arts website. We came up with a vague outline and approached fellow co-founder Erik Jackson to see if he was interested in helping out. The three of us spent hours brainstorming how we could make the site great, writing down all of our ideas on a wooden board, which we signed to make things official.

In just a few short months of work and with the help out our good friend and website designer Owen Hope, Fight Cove was transformed from a basic Word Press site into something unique we could call our own.

As each day and month passed by, Fight Cove grew a little bit more. More visitors would come to the site, Twitter followers would increase and, to be honest, the site surpassed my personal expectations in every way possible.

In a little over one-year with Fight Cove; I wrote over 1500 articles, conducted numerous interviews, attended two major UFC events as media, made tons of new friends and opened doors for myself that I didn’t even know existed.

This is all because of Fight Cove.

However, taking all the credit for Fight Cove’s success would be unfair and undeserved.

While you may not often see their names next to “written by” on Fight Cove’s articles — Jon and Erik (co-founders) and Patrick Weafer (editor) were equally instrumental in the success of the website as myself.

For me, the goal of Fight Cove was never to make money or compete with other major MMA/sports sites; it was to have a platform to present my work as often and freely as I desired. From that, I hoped my work would garner enough attention that I could move to a bigger platform where I could benefit financially as well as present my work to a larger audience.

The result I was hoping for is exactly how it panned out as I was hired to MMAmania.com earlier this month, a website that is part of the SB Nation network.

At the end of the day, as much as Fight Cove will always have a place in my heart, my dream is to be a sports journalist, not operate a website. There’s only so much I can focus on at once and by moving on from Fight Cove I have more opportunity to work on my writing opposed to concerning myself with the day-to-day responsibilities of this site.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who has supported my work here on any scale. Every read and bit of positive or negative feedback means a lot to me and I take those words to heart.

I hope you will continue to follow my work to MMAmania.com and where ever else this great journey of covering mixed martial arts takes me in the future.

Thanks against to everyone — my family, friends and especially Jon, Erik and Patrick for being so supportive and helpful with this move. Also, I must thank MMA Mania Editor-in-Chief Thomas Myers for giving me the opportunity to further my career.

Yours truly,

Mike Bohn
Founder and Lead Writer – FightCove.com

The Beginning Of Fight Cove

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(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The card dubbed “the greatest fight card ever on network television” certainly did not disappoint as we the fans were treated to some outstanding fights.

The precedent of the night was started on the preliminary card, as all three bonuses, SOTN, FOTN, and KOTN all went to fighters on the undercard.

Catch my UFC on FOX 5: Henderson vs. Diaz preliminary card thoughts and analysis below.

• Two of those bonuses went to Scott Jorgensen, who picked up both the FOTN and SOTN bonuses. Jorgensen tapped out John Albert with a palm to palm rear naked choke with less that one second left in the first round. Albert and Jorgensen engaged in a pretty entertaining ground battle throughout the round leading up to the finish. Albert was very crafty off of his back, staying active and threatening with submission attempts, and was even able to sweep Jorgensen and reverse position. However, Jorgensen was able to use his wrestling and power to hold position and locked up a RNC at the end of the first during a scramble. Jorgensen’s finish was the only submission of the night, and the Baldfather saw fit to award Albert and Jorgensen FOTN honors as well, although that one could be debatable.
• Dennis Siver and a very dominate victory over Nam Phan is his second appearance at 145lb. Siver controlled the fight for the entire three rounds, utilizing a far more diverse striking attack as well as superior wrestling and top control. We all know Nam is game, but Siver outclassed him, keeping him on the defensive through all three rounds. Siver was thick and powerful when he was fighting at 155lb and that holds even more true at featherweight.
• Oh man Abel Trujillo. The nickname “Killa” is frighteningly accurate. Marcus LeVesseur is an outstanding wrestling who went undefeated in his college career. He made every attempt to get this fight to the ground, showing no intention of standing with Trujillo and we soon found out why that was. Trujillo was able to stuff Marcus’s take downs and started landing so vicious elbows and punches to the body of LeVesseur, and most of it was done while LeVesseur was pressing Tujillo up against the fence! It was clearly visible the toll that those shots were taking on Marcus and in the second round he wilted. Midway through the second round Marcus sunk to the ground an just covered up from his base. Trujillo started driving knees to the body of Marcus who offered no response and the ref stepped in to stop the beat, those knees were nasty. Trujillo is victorious in a very violent fashion in his UFC debut. “Killa” is right.
• I say oh man again for Mr. Daron Cruickshank. He literally kick the bajesus out of Henry Martinez. So many kicks! According to Goldie, Daron is a lifelong martial artist, with fighting in his family on either side. Goldie mentioned that his father is a “black belt in basically everything.” It certainly showed in his performance. Martinez is durable for sure, but I don’t care who you are, no human can withstand that many kicks. So many kicks to the body! Daron continually threw a front kick to the midsection that landed with great accuracy. He controlled the range with his kicks in the stand up and should great take down defense when Martinez tried to close in. Daron hurt Martinez in the first with one of those front kicks and followed up with multiple round house kicks to the midsection. Henry was able to make to the end of the round, but in the second he walked into a high kick that put him down for good. Daron knew it to because after it landed he walked off with his hands up. Take out the body and the head will follow indeed. Daron Cruickshank makes a statement.
• Ramsey Nijem and Raphael Assunção took home UD wins over Joe Proctor and Mike Easton respectively. Nijem and Proctor went at it for three rounds at a pretty good tilt. Proctor had the superior striking, but Ramsey was still able to land and control the fight with his aggression and grappling ability. There were obvious holes in his stand up game, as pointed out multiple times by Joe Rogan, but Nijem was still able to control position for the majority of the fight and was able to inflict damage. Proctor kept going to his guillotine, maybe a little to much so, but that’s a hard one to finish if you don’t have it really locked up. Assuncao handed “Mini Hulk” his first UFC loss, it a bit of a three round snoozer.
• Finally we saw Yves Edwards take on Jeremy Stephens. This fight was supposed to take place back in October, but Stephens ended up being arrested in Indiana for outstanding charges that may have been dropped, but don’t quote me on that because I’m not entirely sure. Stephens was his typical aggressive self, throwing power shots with his hands and coming forward with knees. Edwards showed he’s still really dangerous at 36 years of age though, because at 1:55 of the 1st round he caught Stephens on the chin with a beautiful counter right hook as Stephens rushed in. Stephens crumbled and Yves finished it on the ground, putting out the dazed Stephens with elbows. Yves is now the first to have knocked out Stephens. Yves took home KOTN honors, and the KO was awesome, but the argument can be made for Cruickshank’s walk off head kick KO. All in all awesome night of fights.

The post UFC on FOX 5: Henderson vs. Diaz Preliminary Card Thoughts And Analysis appeared first on FightCove.com.

This Saturday night fight fans are in for a treat with probably the greatest fight card on network TV of the year. All for free! The premier fight for the night will be Benson “Smooth” Henderson making his second defense of the lightweight title against Nate “Don’t Be Scared Homie” Diaz.

This is such an intriguing match up.

Both men have multiple tools to end the fight and have really rounded out their games leading up to this fight in their careers. “Bendo” took the belt from Frankie Edgar almost a year ago, and defended it in the rematch back in August. Nate Diaz has looked unstoppable in his return to the lightweight division, dismantling he’s last three opponents with his fantastic volume punching and expert ground game.

So let’s go in depth and break this two dudes down to see how this fight could turn out.

It seems that the general consensus in the MMA community is that if Henderson really wants to through Diaz off his game, he needs to kick. Specifically, kick the legs. Nate is all about pressure. He clearly has the superior boxing, and likes to use that to stay in front of his opponents and overwhelm them with volume punches. However, because of this he stays flatfooted. That works very well for continual pressure, but it does open you up to sustain more damage from leg kicks, and Benson kicks really hard. A major part of Diaz’s success in the octagon is his ability to control range. He uses his length and speed to continuously connect on his opponents, keeping them on the defensive. If they try to get inside, Diaz clinches and knees, if they try to move away he stalks and cuts off the angle. It also does not take many exchanges for Nate to find his desired range.

A good example of this was his fight with Marcus Davis.

Marcus has professional boxing experience and very good hands. He was able to connect in the first few exchanges, but soon found him self on the wrong end of Nate’s range as Nate started getting off 4-5 counter punches every time Marcus came in with one or two. Nate was able to connect first, even if they were not the most damaging shots, forcing Marcus to move to avoid damage and keeping himself of the defensive.

Moving on to grappling. Benson clearly has the wrestling advantage and his the more explosive powerful fighter. We’ve seen Nate get thrown around and controlled by bigger opponents before in Rory McDonald and “Stun Gun” Kim. I would expect Henderson to use he’s superior strength and positioning to control the fight if it goes to the ground. That said, Nate Diaz has a definitive Ju-Jitsu advantage. He is so slick and offensive off of his back and will actively hunt for triangles and guillotines. He does have a habit of giving up his back in the standing clinch, looking for kimuras and judo throws. That said, Henderson’s submission defense has been described as “like to see a mother f**ker try.” He stays so calm under pressure, and is really adept at making minute adjustments to keep himself alive while being threatened with subs. One need not look any further than his first fight with Donald Cerrone for a great example of that.

Both men have no questions surrounding their conditioning. Nate is an elite level endurance athlete, and Benson is a cardio freak who has seen multiple five round fights go the distance. Both have the ability to recover very quickly if rocked. I do think that Nate has the better chin, which is partly due to his boxing technique and head movement. Nate is very good at getting out of the way of his opponents shots, and/or rolling with blows to diffuse impact. If we see a TKO stoppage, it may be at the hands of Nate Diaz. If the fight goes to the judges, Henderson is more likely to win a decision.

There are so many intricacies to the styles of both fighters. What ever happens, this is going to be an awesome fight. We my even get to see the Stockton thumbs up on national TV.

The post UFC on FOX 5 Main Event Breakdown: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz appeared first on FightCove.com.

The event marks the organization’s seventh television event on FX, and it looks to be the best card yet.

The middleweight contenders bout headlines the card as former UFC champion Vitor Belfort takes on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 3′ winner Michael Bisping.

Along with the Belfort vs. Bisping headliner, a middleweight contest between Daniel Sarafian and CB Dollaway serves as the co-main event while a heavyweight match up of Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell takes place on the main card.

Check below for a high quality version of the latest UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping event poster.

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The Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) closes out the year on FOX on Dec. 8 with UFC on FOX 5: Henderson vs. Diaz from KeyArena in Seattle, Washing., USA.

The main event of the evening will see Benson Henderson attempt to make his second lightweight title defense against ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season 5 winner Nate Diaz.

Along with the Henderson vs. Diaz headliner, the undercard features a light heavyweight contest of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson as well as a welterweight bout pitting former two-division UFC champ BJ Penn against rising star Rory MacDonald.

Watch the UFC on FOX 5: Henderson vs. Diaz event trailer below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The UFC was back in Montreal this weekend for the triumphant return of the welterweight king, Georges St-Pierre.

There were a ton of fights on the card, all of which were entertaining. But before GSP and Condit threw down, before Johny Hendricks knocked Martin Kampmann into the land of wind and ghosts, we we’re treated to seven fights on the preliminary cards.

Catch my UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit preliminary card thoughts and analysis below.

• Darren Elkins is a grinder. The good kind of grinder to. He stays really active and smothers dudes. Siler had no answer for Elkins’s smothering top game. While Siler tried to stay active off of his back, Elkins kept superb posture and reigned down punches. That style of fighting really drains guys, and people who embrace it, like Elkins who is a cardio freak, really find success in it. Elkins is now 4-0 at featherweight and making a real big statement in the 145-pound division. That fact the he was able to weather and control Diego Brando in his last fight and now Siler is pretty significant. Let’s see if he can keep it going.
• Ivan Menjivar look so slick in is armbar victory of Azamat Gashimov. He really messed up Gashimov’s arm. Gashimov’s face was really telling of that. Menjivar took home the “Submission of the Night” bonus for his efforts.
• To round out the Facebook prelims we saw a more cautious Matt Riddle earn a decision win over John Maguire. Maguire didn’t look bad by any means, but Matt is so big for the welterweight division and I think that was his major advantage. He was really able to impose his will over Maguire.
• On to the FX card! Antonio Carvalho was able to best Rodrigo Damm, but only just. I wish Carvalho would have let his hands go more because he is the better striker and very good with his technique. I get that he needs to respect Damm’s power, but have confidence in your technique! A little too cautiously played in my opinion. He was able to welt up Damm’s leg with kicks, which most definitely did the most damage in the fight. Carvalho has won his last two.
• And how about “The Bull?” John Makdessi looked outstanding in his win over Sam Stout. Stout kept pressuring him, but Makdessi’s head movement was superb and his counter jab kept snapping Stout’s head back. He was able to avoid damage while inflicting his own, the definition of good counter striking. He also had Joe Rogan crooning over his jab.
• It only took one punch for Cyrille Diabaté to level Chad Griggs. Griggs charged forward with his typical brawling style, but you just cant leave Cyrille at range. “The Snake” planted one right on Grigg’s nose to wobble him, followed him to the ground and locked up an rear-naked choke, really impressive showing for Diabate who’s freaking 39! Griggs is now 0-2 in the UFC, both losses by submission in the first round. I imagine we’ll see him one more time at light heavyweight.
• That brings us to Patrick Cote and Alessio Sakara. Oh man. We knew this was going to be fireworks, and it was, but not in the way I was hoping. Cote wobbled Alessio was hooks to the temple, but Alessio weathered the storm, pressed Cote against the face and landed some elbows of his own to Cote’s temple. Cote was hurt and dropped for a takedown, and that’s when Sakara went Donkey Kong on the back of Cote’s head. I’m sure he was caught up in the moment and really wanted the finish, but those we’re definitely illegal shots. Dan Mirgliatta stepped in when Cote face-planted and it was ruled a DQ win for Cote, which I think is the proper call. I know you’re not a mean guy Alessio, but this isn’t your first time in the Octagon. I imagine we will see this fight again though, after Cote has some time off to let his brain recover from being rattle around.
• Really exciting fights from Canada once again.

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UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit is in the books and once again the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) delivered a solid night of mixed martial arts action.

Pablo Garza, Rafael Dos Anjos, Francis Carmont, Johny Hendricks and Georges St. Pierre were the big winners last Saturday night in Monteeal as each picked up victories over their respective opponents on the main card.

After every fight card, fans wonder who the winners will be matched up with next. With another night of UFC action in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to look forward and put ourselves in Joe Silva’s shoes to play UFC matchmaker.

Winner: Pablo Garza
Who He Should Fight Next: Alex Caceres
Why They Should Fight: Following his dominant win over Mark Hominick at UFC 154, Pablo Garza says he wants to drop to 135-pounds. The choice seems odd considering ‘The Scarcrow’ just defeated a former featherweight title challenger, but if Garza can make the weight in a healthy manner, maybe it is the right decision for his career.

If Garza does in fact drop to bantamweight, facing another streaky fighter in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ veteran Alex Caceres is a suitable match up.

Both fighters are tall and lengthy, so it would be interesting to see how they fair against an opponent with similar physical attributes. Stick this fight on the main card of a show on FUEL TV in 2013.

Winner: Rafael Dos Anjos
Who He Should Fight Next: Winner of Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller at UFC 155
Why They Should Fight: Rafael Dos Anjos and the Joe Lauzon/Jim Miller winner sit in roughly the same middle-of-the-pack spot in the UFC lightweight division. Each man has won and lost some big fights in the UFC and with both having competed within 45 days of each other, the timing would line up to have them fight.

Dos Anjos showed in his win against Mark Bocek at UFC 154 that his overall game has vastly improved and facing either Lauzon or Miller would be a very exciting fight to watch.

In Lauzon, Dos Anjos would face another fighter whose primarily strength lays on the ground and it would be interesting to see if the two fighters opt to stay on the feet and trade punches or if they would prefer to take the fight to the mat and prove who the superior grappler is. Miller would pose a similar threat. Either way, Lauzon/Miller vs. Dos Anjos would be a great fight and has the potential to be ‘Fight of the Night’ no matter which fight card it ends up on.

Winner: Francis Carmont
Who He Should Fight Next: Ed Herman
Why They Should Fight: Despite the fact nearly everyone thought Francis Carmont lost to Tom Lawlor, he was awarded the decision win and will continue to climb the rankings.

Ed Herman had his loss to Jake Shields at UFC 150 overturned to a no contest, which means he is unbeaten in his last four fights. Shields was able to impose his overwhelming grappling game on ‘Short Fuse’ and it would be interesting to see if Carmont could imitate that blueprint.

A win for either man would put them on a five-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC which certainly bodes well for the future. The loser goes back to the drawing board.

Winner: Johny Hendricks
Who He Should Fight Next: Georges St. Pierre
Why They Should Fight: Johny Hendricks made it very clear before and after UFC 154 that he has no intentions of fighting again unless it’s for a title shot. Usually waiting an unknown period of time for a title shot is frowned upon, but in Hendricks’ case it’s without a doubt the right call.

‘Bigg Rigg’ has disposed of five opponents in a row with three of them being brutal knockouts. In that span, he has defeated two former No. 1 contenders in Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck as well as a man people were on their way to calling ‘Fighter of the Year’ in Martin Kampmann.

Hendricks vs. Georges St. Pierre is a fight a lot of people want to see and a fascinating style match up. St. Pierre hasn’t fought a southpaw in years and a southpaw with the wrestling and one-punch knockout power of Hendricks poses a serious threat to the champion.

Winner: Georges St. Pierre
Who He Should Fight Next: Anderson Silva and Johny Hendricks
Why They Should Fight: The future of Georges St. Pierre is really up to him at this point. If the long-awaited super fight with Anderson Silva is going to happen, it seems that now is the time to pull the trigger.

There’s no need to go into detail about what GSP vs. Silva means for the sport, how there is a size difference, etc. That’s been talked about to death. We know Silva and the UFC want the fight, so it’s going to come down to St. Pierre.

On another note, UFC President Dana White said after UFC 154 he wouldn’t count out St. Pierre from fighting again in the welterweight division next. If that’s the case, bring on Johny Hendricks.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.

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(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit has come and gone, and as usual, FOX Sports has released full fight video highlights from the Nov. 17 event, which went down at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The headlining bout from Saturday’s event in Montreal on PPV was a undisputed welterweight championship bout between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.

If you happened to miss the event or just want to see the fight again, watch UFC 154: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit full fight video highlights below.

The post VIDEO: UFC 154: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on FightCove.com.

Date: Saturday, November 17, 2012
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Venue: Bell Centre

Main Card (PPV)
Welterweight Championship Bout: Georges St-Pierre def. Carlos Condit via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Welterweight Bout: Johny Hendricks de. Martin Kampmann via Knockout (Strikes) – R1 (0:46)
Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont def. Tom Lawlor via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Lightweight Bout: Rafael Dos Anjos def. Mark Bocek via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight Bout: Pablo Garza def. Mark Hominick by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (FX)
Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote def. Alessio Sakara via DQ (Punches to the back of the head) – R1 (1:26)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate def. Chad Griggs via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – R1 (2:24)
Lightweight Bout: John Makdessi def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Featherweight Bout: Antonio Carvalho def. Rodrigo Damm via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Welterweight Bout: Matt Riddle def. John Maguire via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar def. Azamat Gashimov via Submission (Armbar) – R1 (2:44)
Featherweight Bout: Darren Elkins def. Steven Siler via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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UFC Primetime is back on FX with the eleventh installment of the series, this time highlighting the UFC 154 main event between heavyweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.

Episode three of the three-part series aired Friday night on FX, and featured an inside look at the lives and training camps of the two superstars set to meet in one of the most lucrative prizes in combat sports.

The fight between St-Pierre and Condit came together after St-Pierre went down in late 2011 with an injury and the UFC needed an interim champion. Condit defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 143 in February to become interim welterweight champion and waited for St-Pierre to recovery from his injury. Now the two men will battle to become undisputed welterweight champion.

Watch UFC 154 Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Condit (EPISODE 3) below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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We are only hours away from one of the most significant bouts in UFC welterweight history as Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit are set to tangle for the interim belt in the main event of UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit, live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The votes have been tallied and the results for this week’s Fight Cove poll are in. The question “Who Will Walk Away From UFC 154 As The Undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion? ” was answered by over 250 readers and the result was determined by just a mere four votes.

Who do the fans believe will win tonight’s main event between St-Pierre and Condit, live on pay-per-view? Find out below.

Condit had a shockingly strong start in the voting, landing over 75% of the votes going into midweek. However, as the weekend approached, support for St-Pierre began to pour in and the Canadian took a sizable lead in voting.

Ultimately, a clear winner was determined by the poll winner.

We are only a few hours away from the championship battle going down live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, and it should be an outstanding fight.

To vote on our new poll question, “Are You Excited To See Women Fighting In The UFC?” simply look on the right side of your internet browser.

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Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit (Welterweight Championship Unification Bout)

Mike Bohn: Georges St-Pierre has a ton of pressure to perform at UFC 154 with talks of superfights in his future and a return from the longest layoff of his career. Carlos Condit, on the other hand, is almost expected to lose, which makes him a very dangerous man. Condit has slick grappling and one-strike knockout power that St-Pierre needs to be very aware of or he will wake up on the mat wondering what happened. As most St-Pierre fights do, it’s going to come down to his ability to control the pace of the fight and score takedowns. A think a finish isn’t likely for either side so it comes down to the question of who is more likely to win three of the five rounds. My answer to that is GSP. Georges St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision

Erik Jackson: There’s a glaring variable here, which makes this one hard to predict. How will GSP’s knee hold up, and whether he will be tentative using it. The layoff is not so much of a concern to me as Condit has been out of action for around 9 months anyways. As much as I would desperately like to see GSP vs. Anderson Silva, my heart tells me to go with Condit. Carlos Condit via TKO

Doug Ancey: Such a tough one to call. GSP has been so dominant, so consistent at shutting down his opponents, weather they be strikers or grapplers. After his split decision loss to Martin Kampmann, Condit has found a way to win every fight. His finishing rate (92%?) is the highest in the UFC and I think he employs the perfect mix of sound technique, aggression, and intelligent game planning in his fights. Also the timing in arguable perfect for Condit. GSP is definitely back to 100% physically, but an 18 month layoff will definitely take its toll on a fighter. Also, more often not, athletes coming back form that type of injury have a much harder time mentally, as the doubt remains as to weather or not that body part will function at its optimum level. GSP says the fire is back though, and he’s fighting at home. MY biggest question is, what will Carlos bring to the table the GSP hasn’t encountered before? Georges St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision

Martin Kampmann vs. Johny Hendircks (Welterweight Bout)
Mike Bohn: The most difficult fight on the card to predict. Hendricks would be wise to use a wrestling-heavy attack in this one. ‘Bigg Rigg’ has skill on his feet for sure, as seen in his 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch, but Kampmann’s level of technical striking is too much for a lot of people to handle. If Hendricks fights smart and uses his clearly superior wrestling ability to ware Kampmann down, he has a very good shot at winning. Expect an extremely competitive three-round fight that could very well end in a controversial decision. However, I think it will be unanimous for Hendricks. Johny Hendricks via Unanimous Decision

Erik Jackson: Martin Kampmann will want to make this as technical as possible, and if he can do this by picking his shots and staying away from the power of Johnny Hendricks, as well as avoiding the takedowns, he will win this fight. Martin Kampmann via Split Decision

Doug Ancey: This is going to be sweet. Definitely a title contender eliminator. I’m a huge fan of Martin Kampmann, I love the way he fights. He’s another guy that i don’t like to bet against as he more often than not finds a way to win. Johny Hendricks is a powerhouse for sure and loves connecting on opponents domes, and has the wrestling skills to fall back on, But look at last two opponents: I think Ellenberger hits harder than Hendricks and is just as good of a wrestler. He connected flush on Kampmann, who weathered, recovered, got back to his feet and finished the fight. Alves hits just as hard as Hendricks and has way better technique and Kampmann was able to weather that as well. I also think that Martin has very underrated grappling and will be able to capitalize where ever the fight goes. If it isn’t obvious by now I’m taking Kampann. I think he believes this is his time. He’s been with the UFC forever and has been able to get himself back in the mix with the top of the division every time he’s taken a loss. Martin Kampmann via TKO – R3

Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor (Middleweight Bout)
Mike Bohn: Don’t get me wrong, Tom Lawlor is a respectable fight, but if the past has taught us anything, it’s that he loses to fighters like Francis Carmont. I’m sure Lawlor is going to put up a good fight as he always does, but Carmont’s combination of skill and athleticism is too much for ‘Filthy’ to handle at this point. Francis Carmont via Submission – R2

Erik Jackson: Although Francis Carmont is riding a very impressive winning streak, Tom Lawler is a large step up in competition over his previous UFC fights and will pose the biggest challenge to date in Carmont’s short UFC career. I believe the range of skills Carmont posseses will help him here and he will look better than we have ever seen him on Saturday night. Francis Carmont via Submission – R2

Doug Ancey: Tom Lawlor has been able to save his UFC career was his recent KO of Jason McDonald. I wonder who he’s going to dress up as this time. Francis Carmont is a GIANT middleweight and his riding a 8 fight win streak. I think he’s going to overwhelm Lawlor, he’s to big and powerful. He has the range and speed to compete on his feet, and when the fight goes to the ground I see him with a clear advantage. Also, he’s fighting at home which is a big boost. I see Carmont looking to make a statement in the Middleweight division. Francis Carmont via Submission – R2

Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza (Featherweight Bout)
Mike Bohn: A loss for Mark Hominick or Pablo Garza at UFC 154 could spell an end to their current UFC stint. In reality, both men are very talented fighters but have lacked confidence in their own skills recently, which is likely the cause of their respective losing streaks. Hominick is the more technical fighter of the two and given his experience, ‘The Machine’ should pull off the win. Mark Hominick via Unanimous Decision

Erik Jackson: This could be a must win fight for both fighters, as each one of these two are riding losing streaks. Mark Hominick needs to keep his composure and not try to rush things. If he does this he should be able to outscore Pablo Garza in this one. Mark Hominick via Unanimous Decision

Doug Ancey: This is a must win fight for both dudes. The question is, how will Hominick deal with the height and length of Garza? We saw in the George Roop fight that his was able to get inside and use his superior technique to knock Roop silly. He’s going to have to watch out for the knees of Garza though. Pablo Garza may have a better time on the ground against Hominick, based on his length alone. Should be an interesting match up. If Mark stays smart and aggressive I see him pulling this one out. Mark Hominick via Unanimous Decision

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(Photo by Steve Marcus via Las Vegas Sun)

UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit weigh-ins are in the books from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. All 26 fighters competing on the card came in on weight, making the 13-bout card official.

Conclusion of the weigh ins means tomorrow night’s fights are one-step closer to becoming a reality. All that remains is the winners and losers to be determined inside the octagon tomorrow afternoon, live on PPV from the Bell Centre.

Weigh-in results for the UFC 154 main card below, preliminary results and video in the full entry.

Welterweight Championship Bout: Georges St-Pierre (170 lbs) (Champion) vs. Carlos Condit (169 lbs)(Interim Champion)
Welterweight Bout: Martin Kampmann (171 lbs) vs. Johny Hendricks (171 lbs)
Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont (185 lbs) vs. Tom Lawlor (184 lbs)
Middleweight Bout: Nick Ring (184 lbs) vs. Constantinos Philippou (185 lbs)
Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick (145 lbs) vs. Pablo Garza (145 lbs)

Preliminary Card (FX)
Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote (185 lbs) vs. Alessio Sakara (186 lbs)
Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate (206 lbs) vs. Chad Griggs (205 lbs)
Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek (156 lbs) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (155 lbs)
Lightweight Bout: Sam Stout (154 lbs) vs John Makdessi (155 lbs)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Featherweight Bout: Antonio Carvalho (145 lbs) vs. Rodrigo Damm (145 lbs)
Welterweight Bout: Matt Riddle (170 lbs) vs. John Maguire (171 lbs)
Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar (135 lbs) vs. Azamat Gashimov (135 lbs)
Featherweight Bout: Steven Siler (145 lbs) vs. Darren Elkins (145 lbs)

Click here to view the embedded video.

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(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

You read their articles, you watch and listen to their interviews, but often the personal opinions of the MMA media get brushed over.

These experts have inside knowledge of the sport and a unique perspective of the fighters that they have the privilege of interacting with. Before you place that bet in Vegas or with your friends, be sure to check out what those most educated about the sport have to say about the upcoming event.

Read as seven of the sport’s top writers and reporters break down and predict the UFC 154 main event of Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre vs. ‘The Natural Born Killer’ Carlos Condit.

Mike Bohn (Fight Cove): Georges St-Pierre has a ton of pressure to perform at UFC 154 with talks of superfights in his future and a return from the longest layoff of his career. Carlos Condit, on the other hand, is almost expected to lose, which makes him a very dangerous man. Condit has slick grappling and one-strike knockout power that St-Pierre needs to be very aware of or he will wake up on the mat wondering what happened. As most St-Pierre fights do, it’s going to come down to his ability to control the pace of the fight and score takedowns. A think a finish isn’t likely for either side so it comes down to the question of who is more likely to win three of the five rounds. My answer to that is GSP. Georges St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision

Dann Stupp (MMA Junkie): I like Carlos Condit’s chances. I really, really do. He frustrated Nick Diaz with a fantastic game plan, he finishes high-level opponents, and with the volume of strikes he throws, it could be a big factor in a five-round fight. Still, despite his lengthy layoff and surgically repaired knee, Georges St-Pierre is my pick. Until he gives me a reason to believe otherwise, St-Pierre is just too well-rounded, he’s got the of deceptive power to counter Condit’s output, and I think he can outwork and largely control Condit on the mat. St-Pierre via unanimous decision.

Dave Doyle (MMA Fighting/Sports Illustrated): Carlos Condit isn’t going to outwrestle Georges St-Pierre. Nor is he likely going to be able to employ the “Dancing for Points” style he used so against Nick Diaz, not with a fighter as patient as GSP. Will we see the return of the go-for-broke Condit, then? That seems to be the interim champion’s best path to victory. But if he does so, we’re likely to be reminded that even though we haven’t seen it in awhile, GSP can get down and dirty in a firefight, too. St-Pierre via TKO.

Damon Martin (MMA Weekly): I may be in the minority on this one, but I really believe this is Carlos Condit’s time. He’s the kind of dynamic fighter willing to take the chances that past opponents have been unwilling to do to beat Georges St-Pierre. Condit isn’t afraid of the takedown, and he’s willing to throw a flying knee or spinning elbow to land the big strike he needs to put somebody away. Make no mistakes about it, Condit fought a strategic masterpiece against Nick Diaz, but he’s one of the most explosive strikers the UFC welterweight division has ever seen. St-Pierre is amazing no doubt, but I feel like it’s time for a changing of the guard. Carlos Condit by 3rd round TKO

Guilherme Cruz (Tatame): The biggest question in the GSP-Condit fight is how the recovery will affect the champion on his Wrestling abilities. If he comes out of the surgeries 100%, he’s going to take Condit down and work a submission for 25 minutes – and he might even get it. If his knees aren’t the same yet, he’ll have a big trouble while going or the takedowns, and Carlos would get a bigger chance on the striking game. With all these “ifs”, I see St-Pierre getting of the cage with another win by decision.

Chuck Mindenhall (ESPN): There are so many question marks for GSP that give me pause, like…how will his knee hold up after the injury and all that rehab? Will he be ring rusty after 19 months? Will his nerves, notoriously jangly things even under normal circumstances, get the better of him in his native Montreal? Can he withstand Condit’s aggression? Does the shadow and Anderson Silva loom over him? But then I can’t shake that it’s St. Pierre, a superhuman, and I answer my own questions (Probably fine, probably not, doubtful, certainly and absolutely not). My hunch is that St. Pierre will still be explosive, he’ll still be able to use jab to set up the takedowns, he’ll still frustrate his opponent’s game plan, and he’ll look as if he never went away. Going St. Pierre, TKO, third round.

Jason Nawara (Middle Easy): In my mind the GSP/Condit fight comes down to these three things: rust, the gameplan and takedown defense. The rust factor is an obvious one; GSP hasn’t been in the cage Octagon for 18 months. But keep in mind it’s just over a year since he was injured, so his injury in some ways was just a long layoff. If GSP for some strange reason needs a round or three to warm up, he might be toast…French-Canadian toast. As far as the gameplan? Carlos Condit had the most perfect and frustrating gameplan any human could ever devise against Nick Diaz, so why not assume that The Natural Born Killer and Greg Jackson went into a room and broke down exactly what needs to happen in order to defeat GSP? The natural born conclusion that they probably came to was ‘stop the takedown.’ If Condit can stay off his back, he has as good a chance as anyone at defeating GSP. Keep the fight standing, then implement some of that spinning sh*t Condit loves and maybe he can land something. I want to take Condit, but I’m going GSP via 4th round armbar.

Adam Martin (Sportsnet): Everyone is wondering about how Georges St-Pierre will look in his UFC 154 main event bout against Carlos Condit coming off a near two-year layoff, and most seem to think he’ll look worse. But for some reason I think he’s going to look even better than ever. OK with playing it safe for the last few years, I believe St-Pierre is hungry to show everyone why he’s one of the very best mixed martial artists that has ever stepped foot in a cage. He’s going to take Condit down at will and control the interim champ with his dominant ground game, and possibly even get a stoppage. I’m going with St-Pierre all day in this one, most likely via unanimous decision but don’t count out a finish. Maybe I’m not giving Condit enough credit, but I just don’t see how he gets by St-Pierre unless the French-Canadian re-injures his knee during the fight.

Media picking Georges St-Pierre: Seven
Media picking Carlos Condit: One

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(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

There are plenty of things to do on a Saturday night. However, most don’t involve watching two men locked inside of a cage attempting to punch, kick, knee, and choke their way to victory. In reality, though, few things match the excitement.

For the third time this year, the Octagon heads to Canada for an event as UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit takes place this Saturday (Nov. 17) from the Bell Centre in Montreal. A welterweight championship unification bout headlines the event as champ Georges St-Pierre meets interim title-holder Carlos Condit.

If you weren’t planning on tuning in already, here are five reasons why you should invite some friends over, order a few pizzas, grab a couple beers, and tune into UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit this Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, only on pay-per-view.

5. Ivan Menjivar Returns To Montreal To Face A Talented Prospect
Montreal resident Ivan Menjivar fights in the province of Quebec for the first time in over two-years when he welcomes Azamat Gashimov to the UFC roster in a bantamweight affair at UFC 154.

Menjivar was on the rise towards bantamweight title contention earlier this year, however was sent to the back of the line after a disappointing defeat at the hands of Mike Easton at UFC 148. The “Pride of El Salvador” came out of a four-year retirement in early 2010 and has gone 4-2 since returning to the sport. Menjivar fights in Canada for the second time in his UFC career at UFC 154.

Gashimov has fought professionally since 2007 with all of his bouts taking place in Russia and the Ukraine. “Tough Guy” is a well-rounded fighter who has finished all but one of his opponents by submission or knock out. Gashimov meets a top-ranked veteran in his first UFC fight and has the chance to make an immediate splash in the UFC at 135-pounds.

UFC 154 is a huge fight for both Menjivar and Gashimov. Menjivar looked terrible in his last fight against Mike Easton and needs to put on a strong performance in order to prove to the higher-ups at the UFC, as well as the fans, that his career is not coming to an end. While Menjivar will be fighting to prove something, there is no pressure on the debuting Gashimov. If the 22-year-old Russian can take Menjivar out in his UFC debut then he will be a fighter to keep an eye on moving forward.

4. Lightweight Fisticuffs
Featured on the preliminary portion of the UFC 154 fight card is an all-Canadian lightweight bout pitting Ontario’s Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout against Quebec’s John “The Bull” Makdessi.

Stout last fought at UFC on FX 4 in July where he defeated Spencer Fisher to win the trilogy over his longtime rival. UFC 154 marks the fourteenth octagon appearance for Stout with the 28-year-old earning a 7-6 record to date. Stout is regarded as one of the most technical strikers in the world at 155-pounds but has fought to a decision in nine of his last ten bouts.

Makdessi likely will be fighting for his UFC career at UFC 154 after suffering back-to-back losses. The 27-year-old opened his octagon career with consecutive wins but hit a number of setbacks and now has his back against the wall. Makdessi has never been knocked out in his 11 fights as a professional.

It is rare the UFC will match up a fighter coming off a win (Stout) against a fighter coming off of not just one, but two losses (Makdessi). Clearly matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby saw potential in the match up and it makes sense as, when allowed to fight in their comfort zones, Stout and Makdessi have two of the most fan-pleasing styles in the lightweight division. Stout always comes to fight as seen by his five post-fight bonuses while Makdessi has proven to be an exciting fighter in his own right.

3. Top Welterweight Contenders Collide
A welterweight bout between top contenders Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann and Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks serves as the co-main event at UFC 154 in Montreal.

Kampmann is currently riding his first three-fight win streak as a welterweight with wins over Rick Story, Thiago Alves and most recently, Jake Ellenberger. The Danish fighter has recently proved to be somewhat of a comeback specialist, but will need a strong performance from start to finish to get by Hendricks and prove he is the top contender in the welterweight division.

Hendricks has quickly surged up the rankings with back-to-back wins over established top-5 welterweights in Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. Hendricks is an impressive 8-1 in the UFC with his lone loss coming to Rick Story via unanimous decision in December of 2010. The American is one of the hardest hitters at 170 pounds and will be out for his fifth consecutive victory when he travels north of the border for the second time in his career.

While the UFC has not made anything official, the winner of Kampmann vs. Hendricks is likely to be named the No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division. Unfortunately, there is no telling when that shot may come until the night’s main event between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit comes to a conclusion. If GSP wins, he may fight Anderson Silva before defending his welterweight title again. However, if Condit wins, we will likely see him face the winner of Kampmann vs. Hendricks in the near future. Nevertheless, Hendricks vs. Kampmann is an intriguing bout for the UFC welterweight division and the winner will have a big fight in their immediate future.

2. An Undisputed Welterweight Champion Is Crowned
For the first time since April 2011 the undisputed UFC welterweight championship of the world will be up for grabs when long-time welterweight champ Georges “Rush” St-Pierre returns from injury to face interim 170-pound title-holder “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC 154.

St-Pierre has not competed since a unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 back in April 2011. The one-plus year absence from fighting is the longest St-Pierre has had since beginning his career back in 2002. One of the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighters in all of MMA, the 30-year-old is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak and has not lost a bout since a TKO defeat at the hands of Matt Serra all the way back in 2007. He will look to push that streak to an unbelievable 11-fights when he attempts to make his seventh title defense while unifying the two belts against Condit.

Condit won the UFC interim welterweight championship last February at UFC 143 by defeating Nick Diaz via unanimous decision in a hotly contested bout. It was only Condit’s second decision victory in his 33-fight career and by far the most significant victory in the American’s career to date. Condit had the option to defend his interim belt against one of his fellow contenders in the welterweight division, but opted to wait for St-Pierre to return to the octagon in order to ensure he had the chance to challenge one of the top stars in the sport.

St-Pierre’s return to the sport is one of the most significant events of the year for the UFC and he faces an extremely threatening opponent in Condit. There is no telling what St-Pierre’s knee is going to be like after a major surgery and there is no doubt Condit is going to try and take advantage of GSP entering the fight off a long layoff. Condit is capable of ending the fight at any time with his tremendous knockout power while St-Pierre is an expert at taking opponents out of their comfort zone.

The UFC 154 main event plays a huge role on the future of the welterweight division as St-Pierre winning could mean the title will be on hold while he fights Anderson Silva. On the flip side, Condit still has a lot more fighters to beat in the UFC at 170-pounds and the championship could be defended much more frequently should he emerge victorious.

There is no doubt St-Pierre vs. Condit is one of the biggest fights of 2012.

1. The Return Of “Rush”
At UFC 154 on Nov. 17, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre makes his long awaited return to the octagon after nearly 19-months away from the sport due to a torn ACL in his right knee. “Rush” faces Carlos Condit for the undisputed welterweight title in his hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

St-Pierre’s rehabilitation process was long and intensive – the 30-year-old pushed his body to the limit and as his Nov. 17 return draws near, St-Pierre’s body is back to its previous physical condition and he is prepared to compete at the top level of the sport once again.

St-Pierre’s return to action will mark one of the most anticipated bouts in UFC history.

“Rush” is one of the biggest draws in MMA history and win or lose, his return is good for the UFC. With potential super fights against Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz looming, St-Pierre needs to remind everyone why he was so highly regarded before he went down with his injury.

Both men currently hold title belts, however only one can walk away from UFC 154 as undisputed welterweight champion of the world.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBohnMMA. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.

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