Champion Georges St. Pierre, Challenger Nick Diaz Cleared for UFC 158 Main Event in Montreal
- from http://www.sherdog.com/ on Mar 15, 2013
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The high-stakes fight for which Nick Diaz has long pined is now staring him in the face.
Diaz tipped the scales at 169 pounds for his five-round battle with Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Georges St. Pierre (170) in the UFC 158 main event on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Co-headliners Johny Hendricks (171) and Carlos Condit (169) also met their mandated weight requirements without issue at Friday’s official weigh-in, as they prepare to vie for the right to be considered the No. 1 contender at 170 pounds.
Sherdog Fantasy MMA: UFC 158 Free Fan Pick’EmSt. Pierre will carry a 10-fight winning streak into the cage. The 31-year-old Tristar Gym representative last appeared at UFC 154 in November, when he returned from reconstructive knee surgery to defeat Condit by unanimous decision. Wins over UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes (twice), former two-division champion B.J. Penn (twice), onetime Strikeforce titleholder Jake Shields and American Top Team’s Thiago Alves anchor St. Pierre’s stellar resume. He has held the welterweight crown since April 19, 2008 and has never lost in 10 career outings inside his native Canada.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, Diaz last fought at UFC 143 in February 2012, when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous verdict against Condit in a five-round clash for the interim title at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The loss snapped Diaz’s 11-fight winning streak, and, to make matters worse, the 29-year-old Stockton, Calif., native received a one-year suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana metabolites. A potent and proven finisher, Diaz has delivered 21 of his 26 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
UFC 158 “St. Pierre vs. Diaz” -- which airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT -- also features a pivotal welterweight duel pairing the world-ranked Jake Ellenberger (170) with former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt (171), a middleweight scrap pitting Chris Camozzi (185) against Nick Ring (183) and a lightweight tilt matching St. Pierre stablemate Mike Ricci (156) with Colin Fletcher (155).
Two hours prior, the FX network will carry four preliminary bouts, as Patrick Cote (169) locks horns with Bobby Voelker (169), Darren Elkins (145) meets Antonio Carvalho (145), former International Fight League champion Dan Miller (171) toes the line against Jordan Mein (170) and John Makdessi (155) squares off with Daron Cruickshank (155). The remaining three undercard matchups will stream to the UFC’s Facebook page at 6:35 p.m. ET/3:35 p.m. PT: Rick Story (169) vs. Quinn Mulhern (168), T.J. Dillashaw (135) vs. Issei Tamura (135) and George Roop (135) vs. Reuben Duran (135).
UFC 158 “St. Pierre vs. Diaz” Weigh-In Results:
Georges St. Pierre (170) vs. Nick Diaz (169)
Johny Hendricks (171) vs. Carlos Condit (169)
Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Nate Marquardt (171)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Nick Ring (183)
Mike Ricci (156) vs. Colin Fletcher (155)
Patrick Cote (169) vs. Bobby Voelker (169)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Antonio Carvalho (145)
Dan Miller (171) vs. Jordan Mein (170)
Daron Cruickshank (155) vs. John Makdessi (155)
Rick Story (169) vs. Quinn Mulhern (168)
T.J. Dillashaw (135) vs. Issei Tamura (135)
George Roop (135) vs. Reuben Duran (135) view original article >>
