Tonight, live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC presents UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz. In the main event of the evening, we’ll see the culmination of years of animosity as Nick Diaz challenges UFC Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre for the title. Also on the card, Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks battle with the right to face the winner of the main event.
Join us starting at 6:35 PM ET for the Facebook prelims. The FX card begins at 8 PM ET and the main card, only on PPV, begins at 10 PM ET.
7:59 PM EST UPDATE: Okay, folks. “The Fighter” has ended on FX and the credits are rolling. We’re up next!
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
UFC Welterweight Title Match
Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Nick Diaz
Round 1: Head down, hood up and Deftones is blaring… Nick Diaz is making his way to the Octagon and my blood is flowing. I thought the treble on my home theater system was messed up, but it just turns out every fan is booing Nick Diaz. Surprise— they didn’t touch gloves. Diaz jabs GSP but gets taken down immediately. Diaz has a high guard on. GSP hits a nice punch. Diaz’s guard is open. Diaz brings a foot over as if he was attempting rubber-guard, but GSP postures up and lands another punch. Diaz tries to escape but GSP is on his back. Every single time Diaz tries to escape or roll, GSP transitions and stuffs it, very impressive. Diaz rolls through but GSP lands in side control. GSP is now in Diaz’s open guard and lands an elbow. Diaz is trying to wall walk to his feet and makes it up, but GSP drags him back down. He is kind of embarrassing Diaz right now. Diaz is back to his feet again with GSP on his back but gets slammed back down to the canvas. Horn sounds and the two get to their feet. Diaz threw a punch after the round but the referee pulls him back in time. Interesting. 10-9 GSP.
Round 2: GSP hits a solid leg kick and is looking to connect with a straight kick to the face, but misses. 40 seconds in and Diaz is on his back already. Diaz is unable to stop the takedown and uncharacteristically unable to generate any offense from his back. GSP is a machine and is smothering him. Whenever it looks like Diaz is planning to roll, GSP transitions and escapes any potential danger. Diaz makes it to his feet but gets dragged back down. Diaz makes it back to his feet and as he tries to escape, GSP hits a right hook. GSP hits two Superman jabs within 30 seconds of each other. The crowd is either chanting “Love You Diaz” or… something else. The horn sounds. 10-9 GSP.
Round 3: Diaz looks a big sluggish in his striking and whenever he taunts, he gets hit. Diaz blocked a takedown only to get taken down 15 seconds later. They’re both on their feet again. GSP shoots for another takedown, but stops mid-takedown. That’s going to go against him in the stats but it shouldn’t hurt him during this fight. GSP hits a left hook. GSP is outstriking Diaz, which many thought was not going to happen. Diaz hits a nice right hook. Diaz lands a good left and right. It looks like this fight is turning around a bit, but Diaz gets taken down again and Stockton moans in disappointment. GSP has looked at the clock twice in the last minute, maybe he’s gassing a bit. Horn sounds. 10-9 GSP.
Round 4: The two trade exchanges for a bit to open the round. Nick lands a good right hook. GSP shoots and Diaz stuffs it. Diaz is landing some okay hits, but GSP is countering with better strikes. They are now in the clinch and Diaz is landing body punches but GSP is countering with uppercuts. Diaz hits a good body punch, hook combo and they separate. GSP looks up at the clock, and shoots for a takedown. Diaz is now on his back, makes it to all fours and crawls to the Octagon wall to wall walk up and makes it to his feet. GSP slams him back down in something similar to a “Rock Bottom”. Diaz once again crawls to his feet and has a kimura attempt locked in but it’s only 25% locked in; he only has his arm locked up and none of his body. GSP easily escapes. They scramble and GSP ends up on top. Horn sounds. 10-9 GSP.
Round 5: It looks like Diaz knows that he needs to do something big to win because he opens the round with aggressive striking. They clinch and GSP lands a good knee. Diaz has GSP pressed against the cage, but he keeps getting popped with knees to the chest. The clinch breaks up and they are both standing in the middle of the Octagon. Diaz tries a head kick, but falls on his side and GSP dives on top of him. It was a similar face palm moment to Sonnen’s spinning backfist in his rematch against Silva. Diaz tries to roll through after a takedown but GSP is able to maintain the top position, just like any other time they have a scramble. Once again, they both make it back to their feet and end up in a clinch. GSP throws a switch kick and whiffs. It doesn’t really matter because he hit another takedown with 40 seconds left. Diaz tries a triangle but GSP stuffs. Final 10 seconds of the fight! Horn sounds and both men get to their feet. Diaz raises GSP’s hand and walks away. 10-9 GSP.
Georges St. Pierre defeats Nick Diaz by way of unanimous decision. (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks
Round 1: Johny Hendricks got slapped in the face by a fan while he was walking out to the Octagon. I almost choked on my drink. Hendricks almost connected with a bomb of a punch but Condit escaped. Hendricks again lunges for a strike and connects and Condit connects with a knee. Condit gets thrown to the ground by Hendricks but he lets him back up. Hendricks is repeatedly lunging with punches and he almost connects. It’s only a matter of time before he connects. Condit gets taken down and ends up on his back. Condit gets back to his feet. Hendricks picks up Condit and looks to slam him, but Condit lands on his feet. Hendricks grinds a takedown and Condit is on his bum. Condit’s nose is dripping blood. They’re back on their feet. Hendricks connects with a series of lefts and rights shoots for a takedown. Condit counters a takedown and ends up on top, but Hendricks is back up. Condit hits Hendricks with a straight kick. Hendricks lands a fifth takedown and the horn sounds. Exciting fight so far. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 2: The two touch gloves and they start the round. Hendricks slows down. Condit lands a jumping knee, but eventually lands on his back again. Condit almost nailed Hendricks with a right hand. Hendricks sends Condit back with a punch AGAIN. He’s doing a good job in controlling where the fight is going. Hendricks lands another takedown. Condit throws two knees but Hendricks blocks them both. Hendricks is starting to slow down. Condit attempts a jumping knee but Hendricks catches him and lands a charging takedown. Hendricks is looking for an arm triangle but nothing comes of it. Condit gets back to his feet after a neat scramble. These guys are beating the crap out of each other and it’s entertaining. Hendricks just punched Condit’s leg… interesting. Condit is landing with these knees at will but they’re not doing anything. Hendricks lands another takedown. The horn sounds. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 3: Hendricks throws an awkward straight kick to the body, but it’s just a feign as he lunges with a punch that barely connects. Hendricks lands another takedown. Condit almost made an attempt for a kimura, but Condit ends up on his back. After a bit of grappling, Condit is standing again. Hendricks grabs the back of Condit’s head and lands a couple uppercuts that don’t phase Condit; these guys are freaks of nature. What an awesome fight. Condit lands a right hook. Hendricks takes him down again and somebody is bleeding. Condit once again ends up on his feet. Condit lands a big left and has Hendricks’ back against the cage! Hendricks presses a takedown and escapes danger. Another successful takedown attempt, but Condit is up. They duke it out for the last 15 seconds and the crowd is on their feet. The horn sounds. 10-9 Hendricks.
Johny Hendricks defeated Carlos Condit by way of unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt
Round 1: Ellenberger is a gangster for coming out to “Gangsta’s Paradise”. Pretty long feeling out process. Marquardt chases Ellenberger across the Octagon and connects with a really nice cross. Ellenberger keeps connecting with leg kicks, and they’re pretty solid. No takedowns yet. Marquardt connects with a kick to the body but he gets ROCKED with a counter left and right! Marquardt crumbles and Ellenberger sees blood. Marquardt eats a few shots hooks while Marquardt is on his knees and Marquardt goes face down. Referee separates the two and the fight is over.
Jake Ellenberger defeated Nate Marquardt by way of TKO (strikes) Round 1, 3:00
Chris Camozzi vs. Nick Ring
Round 1: Ring is a lot more bouncy than we last saw him. Camozzi misses three jabs and gently connects with a jab. Ring counters Camozzi’s shots with a slap. We are 2 minutes in and nothing overly exciting has happened. I think the most interesting part about this fight is Camozzi’s chest tattoo. Ring delivers a couple body shots to Camozzi’s stomach. There is one, single guy chanting “BORING” by himself. It’s kind of funny. 20 people just joined him in the chant. Camozzi clips Ring with a punch as the first solid hit of the fight. Ring has a tiny cut under his right eye, likely from one of the repetitive soft jabs Camozzi keeps throwing. None of them have connected really, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Camozzi’s glove caught Ring’s face. Not a good fourth round of the night. Crowd is getting restless. Horn sounds. Camozzi 10-9.
Round 2: It still seems as if nobody is comfortable with their striking abilities and distance as the first significant strike of the round was a jab by Ring a minute into the round. Camozzi stuns Ring with a knee to the liver, but doesn’t take advantage of it. Ring has recovered and is in the middle of the Octagon. My friend Dave says, “This is like watching Demian Maia fight Demian Maia in a kickboxing match because they’re both grapplers”. He couldn’t be more accurate. Camozzi hits a good knee at the end of the round. Camozzi is really getting outperformed. Ring 10-9.
Round 3: Camozzi keeps lunging for strikes but Ring keeps countering with jabs to the body. Camozzi’s side is getting a bit swollen. Camozzi throws a left counter and lands. Camozzi clinches Ring’s side, brings him to the cage and finally has an advantageous position. He’s throwing knees that are connecting but it’s letting Ring escape a bit. Ring escapes and makes it to the middle of the Octagon. Camozzi is the aggressor now and is landing good leg kicks. Camozzi hits a decent jab, but his mouth is open and is gasping for air. With just a minute left it looks like Ring is comfortable with just countering. 10-9 Camozzi.
Chris Camozzi defeats Nick Ring by way of split decision. (29-28 Camozzi, 29-28 Ring, 29-28 Camozzi.)
Colin Fletcher vs. Mike Ricci
Round 1: Mike Ricci looks like a younger Mr. Fantastic. They high five, and the first fight of the main card is underway. Fletcher lands the first strike, and it’s a leg kick. Not a lot of action going on, and we are two minutes in. The commentators have resorted to talking about Fletcher’s pale skin. Ricci lands a good straight left, thank goodness. Ricci hits a good spinning backick to the body. Fletcher hits a leg kick, but Ricci answers with a better one. Every time Fletcher throws a leg kick, Ricci connects with a counter. Maybe Fletcher should change it up a bit. Ricci hits a stiff jab to the crown of Fletcher’s head. Men are even on the total strikes landed. Fletcher NAILS Ricci in the nuts. That shot echoed. Fight paused. Action is resumed. Fletcher charges Ricci, but nothing comes of it. Very even round, but I’d give Ricci the round. 10-9 Ricci.
Round 2: Before the second round starts, Ricci fixes his wonderful looking hair. Ricci hits a nice headkick and follows through with a takedown. Ricci postures up, throws Fletcher’s feet to the side and lands in side control. They are now in north-south. Joe Rogan calls it “donkey guard”. Likely an Eddie Bravo name. Fletcher makes it back to his feet but is busted up. The action now is similar to the first round… impressive yet uneventful. Fletcher attempts the least fluent looking spinning strike ever. It looked like he was doing ballet. The horn sounds. Quite the uneventful round. 10-9 Ricci.
Round 3: Fletcher’s face is all sorts of messed up. He doesn’t need that clown mask anymore. Fletcher looks for the shot, has the single, presses Ricci against the cage but nothing comes of it. He tried very hard but Ricci showed good defense. 3 minutes in and we have more of the striking from the first two rounds, uneventful. Fletcher is trying interesting strikes like the Superman Punch and spinning strikes but they aren’t connecting. Ricci goes for a stalling takedown but Fletcher shows good defense… by grabbing the fence. It was hilarious looking. Ricci is in Fletcher’s open guard and is pounding away, the crowd is finally waking up. Ricci has Fletcher’s back with thirty seconds. Fletcher’s face is really bad! He looks like Nosferatu. Nosferatu ends up on top but the horn sounds. 10-9 Ricci.
Mike Ricci defeats Colin Fletcher by way of unanimous decision. (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
Patrick Cote vs. Bobby Voelker
Round 1: Awesome exchange to open the fight. Cote is hitting overhand rights and Voelker backs up all the way to the cage, but he makes it back to the center of the Octagon. They clinch, Voelker has Cote up against the cage and gets spun around. They spin around on the cage, split and they’re both back to the center. Good news for us, because we want more knockouts and submissions. They’re back in the center of the Octagon duking it out and they both connect decent shots. Voelker hits a takedown and is trying to pass Cote’s guard but needs to be careful. Cote almost has an armbar synced up, but Voelker escapes. Cote keeps looking for the armbar, now the triangle but Voelker is never in any danger. Cote is constantly working off his back, but Voelker is landing strikes as well. Cote goes for a sweep and fails. Cote did enough work off his back to the point where he should win the round, but by the way judging as been going Voelker was on top long enough to win the round. 10-9 Voelker.
Round 2: Another fun exchange to open the round. Voelker lands a nice shot but doesn’t follow up, surprisingly. Voelker JUST misses a fast overhand. Voelker keeps hitting the right leg kick and it should lead to big things. Cote has a tiny cut over his eye, shouldn’t hinder him in any way. Cote has Voelker against the cage and throws a bunch of punches, but only connects with a couple. Voelker is throwing wild punches and Cote is backing up a bit, but gets out of danger and doesn’t take any damage. They’re back in the middle of the Octagon. Cote is almost doubling Voelker with significant strikes. Voelker hits a knee after Cote feigns shooting for a takedown. Cote clinches and Voelker has his back against the cage. Cote landed a takedown at the end of the round but Voelker landed on top. 10-9 Cote, barely.
Round 3: Voelker nails Cote with a couple punches that sends him back a little bit. Cote hits a jumping knee. Voelker hits a knee of his own after 30 seconds or so of grappling against the cage. The exciting parts of these fights make up for a couple dull moments. Voelker now has the lead of significant strikes. He’s on top of Cote, but Cote is making his way to his feet. Cote is back on his feet, but his back is against the cage. One minute remains. If Cote wants to win this fight he will have to do something drastic. BAD NEWS FOR COTE as he gets taken down AGAIN. Assuming this fight doesn’t go back standing, Voelker just stole this fight and the victory. Big upset. 10-9 Voelker.
Patrick Cote defeated Bobby Voelker by way of unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Kirschner’s Note: That is highway robbery and Cote is very lucky he won that. I hope Voelker still gets a win bonus.
Antonio Carvalho vs. Darren Elkins
Round 1: The two touch gloves are we are under way. Elkins hits a good body punch, gets in the clinch and lands more body shots. Elkins shoots, doesn’t land the takedown. Carvalho hits a counter hook after Elkins whiffs. Elkins throws a wild right hook that misses. Elkins’ left hook lands like a slap, Carvalho’s face doesn’t budge when it connects. Elkins gets stuffed again. Carvalho’s back is against the cage, but he spins Elkins against the cage. They separate. Elkins lands a nice right hook. Carvalho gets popped in the jaw and gets hit with a left hook right hand combo then falls on his butt, and the referee stops the fight. Carvalho gets RIGHT back up and protests the stoppage. Questionable stoppage. It was clear Carvalho was knocked a bit loopy but he was never in any SERIOUS danger of taking unnecessary damage.
Darren Elkins defeated Antonio Carvalho by way of TKO (strikes) Round 1, 3:06
Jordan Mein vs. Dan Miller
Round 1: Miller is very active at the start of the fight, striking Mein’s body and head already. Miller lunges in for a hook but Mein counters with a hook of his own. Mein gets taken down and he has a butterfly hook in. Miller tries to pass, Mein flips him and somehow ends up in an armbar! Mein is out of danger after impressively spinning out of it, that was insane. Miller hits a right hand that wobbles Mein. Halfway through the fight. Mein hits an elbow, and a counter hook. Miller lands a nice shot to the body, then the leg. Mein lands a HUGE counter punch and Miller gets knocked on his bum, he’s a bit loopy. Mein is patient and lets him up. Mein hits another big right hand and sends Miller back a bit. Miller looks to have gained his composure again. Mein lands three hard jabs to the nose, follows up with several uppercuts that puts Miller’s back on the cage. Miller repeatedly gets popped with punches and the referee peels Mein off his opponent. Mein wanted this win badly, on got it.
Jordan Mein defeated Dan Miller by way of TKO (strikes) Round 1, 4:32
Daron Cruickshank vs. John Makdessi
Round 1: Cruickshank is getting boos. Makdessi is over with the crowd before the fight even starts. Long feeling out process. 90 seconds in and maybe a total of 10 strikes have landed. Crowd is booing. Both men have missed multiple high kicks. Makdessi keeps getting kicked in the leg without checking it but they look like pretty insignificant kicks. Cruickshank comes close to landing a head kick, but it looked like he hit the shoulder. Cruickshank hits an oblique kick, then gets kicked in the nads. Fight pauses. Makdessi misses a switch kick. Makdessi misses a spinning backfist. Cruickshank shoots for a takedown with 30 seconds left but gets stuffed. Makdessi gets hit with an elbow, but doesn’t budge. Both men try an exchange at the end of the round, neither connect. Horn sounds. Cruickshank 10-9.
Round 2: Makdessi lands a really nice leg kick after a few missed exchanges from both men. Cruickshank lands a nice leg kick and then a really solid uppercut. Business is picking up. Makdessi is landing a lot of nice step up jabs. Cruickshank goes for a spinning strike, stops, and gets popped with a counter punch. Cruickshank lands an overhand right. Makdessi lands a nice spinning backick to the body. Cruickshank shoots for a takedown but is shot down again. Makdessi lands a nice counter right. Makdessi lands two solid jabs. Makdessi misses an axe kick. Cruickshank hits a front leg sidekick. Makdessi counters with a solid combination. Makdessi has found his range and is countering nicely. Makdessi misses a spinning strike but follows through with a straight jab. Cruickshank charges Makdessi like a bull with a running jumping knee but whiffs badly and falls on his bum. Horn sounds. Makdessi 10-9.
Round 3: I’d say each man has one round. Both men are bouncing on their toes now, looking to be very active. Makdessi is really doing well with his jabs and counter strikes. Cruickshank is trying a lot of side kicks, but Makdessi keeps countering with jabs to the side of his head. Cruickshank hits a loud cross right but Makdessi lands a nice punch himself. Cruickshank goes for a kick, Makdessi catches it and pops Cruickshank on his bum. He invites him back to his feet, Cruickshank shows up to the party. Both men are standing. Cruickshank barely misses on a wheel kick. Cruickshank whiffs on another takedown. And another. Cruickshank keeps waiting for the perfect moment to strike, but Makdessi cuts him off with quick jabs. Makdessi has landed 32 significant strikes while Cruickshank has landed 14. Makdessi goes for another spinning strike, and lands with a follow up punch instead. He gets poked in the eye. Fight is paused. Makdessi is angry, and is very aggressive with his striking. He lands a high kick and it’s becoming evident Cruickshank is losing his flow. The two men have an exchange at the end of the round and the crowd is now on their feet. The horn sounds. Makdessi 10-9.
John Makdessi defeated Daron Cruickshank by way of unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6:35 p.m. ET)
Rick Story defeated Quinn Mulhern by way of TKO (strikes) Round 1, 3:05
T.J. Dillashaw defeated Issei Tamura by way of KO (strikes) Round 2, 0:26
George Roop defeated Reuben Duran by way of unanimous decision. (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
