Edited UFC sports article by me

UFC 154 Reviews

 

UFC 154 brought about one of the most anticipated fights of the year, with George St Pierre (GSP), making his return after nearly a year of rehabilitation after tearing his ACL whilst training for the match up with Interim Champion Carlos Condit.

 

The year long delay only served to overflow tensions, in what was to be one of the most exhilarating fight cards in Mixed Martial Arts this year.

 

At the Bell Centre, Montreal, some twenty thousand GSP fans all sat nervously, keen to see if the 5 year reigning champion could overcome adversity and deliver a victory against Condit.

 

This wasn’t the only big fight of the night though, the main card was packed full of fights to remember.

 

Mark Hominick Vs Pablo Garza

 

The opening bout of UFC 154’s main card served two fighters coming back from loses, three in Hominick’s case, two in Garza’s. There were points to prove in this fight; they both needed the morale boost of a main card win.

 

The first round kicked off in a fitting shroud of greatness, with both fighters landing significant strikes and setting a good pace for the fight from the off.

 

Hominick found homes for his sharp right hand, in particular a powerful strike to the body sat Garza down for a few seconds before he eventually recovered and matched this aggression with a flurry of quick punches.

 

Garza’s leg kicks and knees seemed effective against the comparatively short looking Hominick, but they unfortunately weren’t enough to win him the first round.

 

Strategies changed moving into the second and third round.

Garza played to his strengths and used that extra height to his advantage on the ground.

From the top, he was able to control Hominick, and reigned strikes down on him throughout the second round, punishing the face of Hominick with elbows and heavy punches.

 

Hominicks only saving grace during the second was his occasional and unsuccessful attempts at an omaplata. This subsequently opened him up to further punishing strikes to the face, leaving him cut up badly walking to his corner at the end of the second, blood filled round.

 

Garza glided through the third round with some really good offensive wrestling.

It seemed that Hominicks game plan had gone completely out of the window as he was subjected to a final round of further ground and pound, and floor play similar to the second.

 

The inability to find his way back to his feet in order to stand up with Garza ultimately lost him the fight with a decision victory going to Garza.

 

Hominick left with a face resembling the fights course.

The post-fight word is that Dana White still intends to keep him in the UFC despite him coming off four loses now.

Rafael dos Anjos Vs Mark Bocek

 

The second fight on the card brought to the table, the well-respected BJJ black belt Anjos, and Canada’s own mixed martial artist Bocek.

 

This match up looked like it was going to hold some explosive action, with both fighters looking to take their game to the next level and snap themselves out of that mid-tier category.

It did not disappoint.

 

Starting on its feet, the first round began calmly, with both fighters testing each other’s range. Leg checks began accumulating, Bocek made his game plan evident when he shot for a takedown early on.

 

He unfortunately didn’t land, and showed a weakness in his wrestling game when he was instantly shut down against the fence by Anjos, who then opened up and fired some nice short strikes.

 

Anjos looked to be figuring Bocek out by the end of the first round, and looked very sharp.

 

In the second round Anjos really looked like he had Bocek found, and Bocek was looking fatigued from his constant failed takedown attempts.

 

He started to take big shots and his face was showing the damage. Bloodied up, Bocek continued to take nasty blows and started to be taken down by the now fired up Ajos.

 

One thing that was evident throughout the fight was Ajos’s conditioning and stamina, the guy just did not get tired, he really set himself apart from Bocek, and for most of the fight looked like he was leagues above.

 

The third round was a like the second, with Ajos continuing his almost complete physical domination of Bocek.

 

Receiving a well-deserved victory, Rafael do Anjos looks set to go onto bigger fights and did a great job of displaying his now near perfected craft.

 

His performance proved that he has huge potential in the UFC; I’m very much looking forward to this guy’s next fight, he made himself a very watchable fighter at UFC 154.

 

Francis Carmont Vs. Tom Lawlor  

 

The third bout of the main card set Carmont to face the seasoned veteran of the octagon, Lawlor, after winning his opening three fights in his introduction to UFC.

 

This fight could be classed as lacklustre in comparison to the others on the card but it still managed to end in a fairly controversial style with a decision.

 

The fight started on its feet with Carmont circling the shorter Lawlor, pecking at him with occasional kicks and punches.

 

Those fell flat, and Lawlor began shooting for takedowns, but didn’t manage to get Carmont to the ground due to Carmont’s greatly improved takedown defence.

 

Carmont began landing significant knees, but Lawlor almost redeemed himself at the end of the first round by a powerful looking guillotine choke, but he was unfortunately unable to finish it due to his poor technique.

 

Round two was of similar mould except for Carmonts slightly more aggressive work on his feet, he was again landing some good strikes on Carmont but still not enough to do any real damage.

 

Lawlors takedowns on two occasions became successful in the second, earning him some points on the board, but nothing else as the well rounded Carmont swiftly returned to his feet in both instances.

 

Going into the third round tired and sloppy, both fighters briefly pattered each other with jabs and kicks but nothing very effective.

 

Lawlor was however, having the better round, trying to go for takedowns again and pushing Carmont into the cage and putting the pressure on the Canadian.

 

An exhausted looking Carmont gave some big kicks and slow punches back as the round closed in but the fight was to go to the judges; who would they pick?

 

It seemed at the end that Lawlor was going to prevail, albeit not a greatly, but he was the one throughout actively looking for takedowns and being more aggressive.

 

Surprisingly, the judges gave it to Carmont, a decision even contested by the home crowd, who booed after the call.

 

Johny ‘Big Rigg’ Hendricks Vs. Martin Kampmann.

 

After the disappointment of been told the fight wasn’t for a title shot; both fighters had no other goal than to go into the octagon and make something amazing happen to convince the people at the top, that they were deserving of a shot.

 

Hendricks achieved that in just 46 seconds with a staggeringly powerful left hook that followed straight from a misleading right.

 

The follow up punch was also devastatingly accurate, catching Kampmann on the floor, already gone, before the ref could stop the fight.

 

The punch completely cemented Hendricks’s position as a contender for the belt. His ability to land these insanely powerful hands time and time again are making him look dangerous.

 

A Future champion?

He’s certainly a fighter of extreme confidence in himself and has the ability to back it up, there’s definitely a possibility there.

 

 

The Main Event

 

GSP Vs. Condit

 

Still buzzing from the incredible strike of Hendricks, the crowd insured GSP got the reception that warranted this momentous return to the octagon.

 

The roar sent shivers as he marched down to the beat of twenty thousand fans screaming their lungs, knowing that what they were about to see was going to be epic.

 

That speaks to the consistency of both fighters. Condit’s looking good these days, and as top contender, he just had that look in his eye pre-fight that this was all he ever wanted, a shot at the champ. He’d got it, this was it. Do or die.

 

GSP was coming back in after injury causing lots of questions to be asked about his physical shape.

He needed to silence the critics, Condit just needed to win.

 

This was sure to be a battle. Everyone got their money’s worth on this fight alone.

 

The first round kicked off with GSP skilfully working the centre of the cage, pushing the attack and keeping Condit on the back foot while going forward with his strikes, textbook stuff.

 

He looked sharp and managed to duck most of Condit’s striking attempts as the round began.

 

GSP’s wrestling was back to its unquestionable form two minutes in when he took Condit down effortlessly, sealing him the first round.

 

GSP by the second round seemed to have things almost completely under his control. Throwing some nice jabs, some significant, he was doing some nice damage; Condit’s mangled face at this point reflecting this punishment.

 

A second take down coming off a failed kick from Condit saw the contender hammered to the floor once more, giving GSP a second round.

 

The fight was almost becoming predictable, but the third round changed this.

 

A now calmer looking, relaxed GSP began the third comfortably, until Condit placed a perfectly aimed head kick at the champion, landing it flush on the temple.

 

GSP didn’t see it coming as it came after a wild pair of punches. Thinking the combination was over, GSP was stunned by this kick, enough to knock him to the floor, allowing Condit to jump in and finally inflict some damage back on the clearly hurt GSP.

 

Unfortunately for Condit he couldn’t finish the fight here, and didn’t manage to get anything significant through GSP’s superb survival mode ground defence.

 

GSP managed to clamber back on to his feet eventually, and after a few jabs, landed a big right and took Condit to the floor once more, where he remained for the duration of the round.

 

Rounds four and five were both GSP’s. His wrestling took over and he kept Condit to the floor once again and had him defending an almost constant onslaught of jabs and elbows.

 

Condit tried on occasion to submit, but his opponent, the champion, in this case was too strong and breezed out of the attempts before reining more strikes down on the battered Condit.

 

The fight was over; GSP had silenced the critics and shown people after his lengthy break in play, that he’s still the rightful owner of the belt.

 

Condit can’t be too hard on himself though, he fought amazingly well against GSP, nearly putting him out at one point and sending shivers down the spines of everyone watching.

 

He seems to be growing exponentially as a fighter, and will leave from this a much more experienced mixed martial artist.

 

GSP showed that he can overcome injury and still mix it with any big contender.

 

He uses his body so well that it’s hard to imagine him ever losing again, but with a possible super fight with Anderson Silva on the horizon, next year will be very interesting for GSP and his fans.

 

UFC 154 was a fantastic card and housed some amazing fighters.

It’s events like this one that justify any fans love of the sport.

 

It showcased flash knockouts, great ground work and some intense brutality and skill.

 

With UFC 155 on the horizon, with Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and former champion Cain Velasquez facing off again, the fun doesn’t look to be stopping here.

 

By Owen Ramirez.