UFC 158 Results: Georges St-Pierre Retains Welterweight Title Against Nick Diaz

Georges St-Pierre (24-2) has retained the UFC welterweight title for the eighth time with a commanding unanimous decision win over Nick Diaz (26-9, 1 NC) at UFC 158 on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

All three judges awarded the fight to St-Pierre 50-45.

In the opening two rounds, St-Pierre was able to completely dominate the fight, landing takedowns at will and was able to outwork Diaz from the top position with ground strikes.

He began to slow down in round three and Diaz was able to repeatedly stuff his takedown attempts and keep the fight standing, engaging in strikes. But the 31-year-old Canadian was still able to out-strike Diaz on his feet and never looked in doubt.

Coming into the final round, St-Pierre clinched, looking for the takedown, but Diaz broke free before falling to the mat where the eight-time world champion was able to land ground strikes from side control, maintaining top position, to the roars of his home crowd to the final bell.

“I didn’t want to fight in a boxing range with him because he’s the best boxer in mixed martial arts,” St-Pierre said. “He has a very unusual scrambling style and I don’t have a training partner like that, it’s almost impossible to get ready for that.”

Although there was animosity between the pair leading into the fight, it all seemed forgotten after the final bell, with both fighters full of praise for their counterpart.

“Nick, you made a great job promoting the fight. He’s a good guy,” St-Pierre told the crowd. “I never took it personal. Nick is a veteran. He was in the UFC before me. I’m actually a big fan of Nick Diaz and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to fight him.”

Nick Diaz hinted at retirement when speaking with Joe Rogan post-fight, saying it’s something he’s been contemplating.

“I think I’m going to have to figure out whether I want to keep doing this. I really don’t think I have any more.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” Diaz continued. “I think I’m done with mixed martial arts. I want to help my team and I’m tired of getting banged up.”

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