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(L-R) Georges St-Pierre punches Nick Diaz in their welterweight championship bout during the UFC 158 event at Bell Centre on March 16, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

MONTREAL — UFC 158 came to a close with hometown hero, Georges St-Pierre still in possession of his welterweight title belt. Despite Nick Diaz’s head games and aggressive approach leading up to the fight, all judges scored the bout 50-45 in favor of the current champion.

The fight was heavily leaning towards St-Pierre after the first round when most of the time was spent on the ground. Takedown attempts were all successful and Diaz was pushed to turtle position where St-Pierre controlled.

When the two fighters stood up, St-Pierre willingly stayed on the feet to exchange kicks and punches while maintaining an appropriate distance. He claimed the right distance for Diaz, who was more like a kickboxer, standing either too far or close.

Diaz woke up a bit after the first and second rounds, coming back with some punches of his own in the third and fourth round but it wasn’t enough to dominate in the judges’ eyes. The fifth round claimed its owner to the current champion when Diaz resumed his failed takedown defenses and the ground was once again where the fight was controlled.

The closing of the match garnered a surprising hug and mutual respect that could not be described by St-Pierre when asked at the post-fight press conference. Diaz looked as though he had a change of heart after the fight, giving respect to the title-defender. He turned back into fighting mode, however, when he said he wanted a rematch.

“I’m trying to retire and I don’t want to fight any of these young kids, but I will fight GSP again,” said the once again unsatisfied Diaz.

No plans have been made towards the possibility of a rematch.

(R-L) Johny Hendricks reacts after the conclusion of his welterweight bout against Carlos Condit during the UFC 158 event at Bell Centre on March 16, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Fight of the night goes to Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit

In a split decision win, Johny Hendricks took the slight lead over Carlos Condit in what was an endless effort by both. Going the distance for most fights does not always entail an action-packed bout but Hendricks and Condit never stopped moving.

Hendricks has been wrestling since he was five years old, proving such experience in his successful takedowns on Condit. The two were consistently going to the ground by Hendrick’s double legs due to Condit’s ability to get back up. Hendricks could not hold Condit down but the constant takedowns and attempts to control were enough to put him in the lead for the judges to decide.

Hendricks’ heavy-handed punches met Condit’s chin, but the damage was minimal. On the same side of the coin, Condit’s flying knees, swift punches, and high and low kicks were no match for Hendricks’ chin.

After the fight, Hendricks took the opportunity in his post fight interview with Joe Rogan to call out Georges St-Pierre, a behavior not previously seen from the “Bigg Rig.” The win over Condit gave Hendricks the first place in line to fight St-Pierre, as confirmed by UFC president Dana White at the post press conference. White had no immediate plans for the date of the GSP-Hendricks title fight.

Of Condit’s skill in the octagon, Hendrick’s gives praise.

“Much respect to Carlos,” he said. “I am banged up. I hit him very hard, big shots, but he kept coming and coming. He’s an awesome fighter.”

Jake Ellenberger drops Nate Marquardt in the first round 

Nate Marquardt dropped weight to come back strong from his nearly two-year absence from the UFC, but he ended up dropping from Jake Ellenberger’s strong hand at 3:00 in the first round.

Ellenberger managed to hit Marquardt while he was against the cage which dropped him to the ground where he ended the fight with a flurry of punches before the ref called it quits.

The actions was back and forth but Ellenberger remained standing in attempts to avoid his assumed wrestling style and fight Marquardt more on his playing field. The success of this match-up put Ellenberger much closer to a possible title shot later on down the line and place him as a threat once again.

“He kicked me hard to the leg and one to the body and I thought ‘Okay, we going to end this fast.'” said the ecstatic victor. “I saw he squared up whenever he kicked so I threw hard every time he did that. This is no doubt the biggest KO of my life, and it puts me right there for a title fight or No. 1 contender fight.”

Chris Camozzi vs. Nick Ring

Chris Camozzi pulled a split decision win over Nick Ring in a scorecard of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

This bout was the least entertaining of the night, judging by the lack of cheers by the Montreal crowd. The fight went the full distance of three rounds, however the action was quite the same throughout each.

Both fighters had exhausted their energy by the finish, but the display of mixed martial arts was at a near standstill. The two led the rounds in striking but remained rather even through and through.

With not much to say regarding the toughness of the fight, winner Camozzi commented, “It was a tough fight. He fought in a weird style which was hard to figure out. I did more damage and I think that’s what the judges went on.”

Mike Ricci vs. Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher

Mike Ricci pulled the win over Freakshow Colin Fletcher by judges’ decision, all three giving him 30-27 scores. Fletcher danced a lot, using spinning kicks that rarely made contact. Ricci pushed the pace a bit more and maintained solid on the ground when he achieved takedowns.

Fletcher is known for his submission wins, having his last six wins in that fashion. At one point Fletcher was inverted, possibly looking for a kneebar but had no success as Ricci maintained his base well.

“He was so hard to figure out,” said Ricci. “I was trying to land to the head but he’s so unorthodox I couldn’t get him so I went for the body just to make sure I landed something. I was in control every time we went to the ground, though.”

Preliminary Bouts (on FX):

Patrick Cote def. Bobby Voelker by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Darren Elkins def. Antonio Carvalho by TKO at 3:06, Round 1
Jordan Mein def. Dan Miller by TKO at 4:42; Round 1
John Makdessi def. Daron Cruickshank by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
Rick Story def. Quinn Mulhern by TKO at 3:05; Round 1
T.J. Dillashaw def. Issei Tamura by TKO at 0:26, Round 2
George Roop def. Reuben Duran by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Patrick Cote has decided to switch divisions in the UFC. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LCC via Getty Images.

Once a challenger to Anderson Silva’s throne, Patrick Cote decided to say farewell to the middleweight division and head one weight class below at welterweight.

Cote surprised everyone by breaking the news on Twitter that his next outing will be at 170 pounds, and not his weight class of origin.

“After a year thinking and debating with my coaches and nutritionists, it’s time. My next fight will be at 170,” the fighter said in a post on his Twitter account.

The Canadian is coming off a disqualification win over Alessio Sakara, whom he was scheduled to rematch at the March UFC 158 event in Montreal, Canada. Sakara landed strikes to the forbidden behind-the-head region on Cote at UFC 154, resulting in the Italian’s knockout being immediately overturned. The UFC was quick in scheduling a March rematch, but Sakara pulled out of the fight due to kidney problems, as reported by GRACIEMAG.com earlier this week.

Could Patrick be set to make his divisional debut at UFC 158? That’s yet to be seen. The UFC has so far not issued a statement.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Patrick Cote decide mudar de categoria no UFC. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LCC via Getty Images

Outrora desafiante de Anderson Silva pelo cinturão dos médios, Patrick Cote decidiu descer de categoria, saindo dos médios para os meio-médios. As informações são do site MMAJunkie.com.

O canadense Patrick Cote, que vinha de vitória sobre Alessio Sakara, por desqualificação do oponente, aguardava uma revanche contra o mesmo Sakara para o UFC 158, em  março, em Montreal. Sakara golpeou Cote na nuca durante o UFC 154, e a polêmica foi tanta que o Ultimate marcou logo um novo encontro dos lutadores para março. Infelizmente, Alessio Sakara ficou fora desta disputa por conta de um problema nos rins, noticiado pela GRACIEMAG no começo desta semana.

Com isso, Patrick Cote teria sido informado que um novo atleta seria escalado para a luta, mas Cote surpreendeu a todos informando que seu próximo embate seria na categoria dos meio-médios, e não na sua divisão de origem. Patrick informou a mudança pelo Twitter.

“Depois de um ano pensando e debatendo com meus treinadores e nutricionistas chegou a hora. Minha próxima luta será de fato com 77kg”, confirmou Cote.

Será que a estreia de Patrick na nova divisão será já no UFC 158? Provavelmente. O UFC, no entanto, ainda não se pronunciou.

Sakara terá que esperar nova chance contra Cote. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LCC via Getty Images

Veterano do MMA, Alessio Sakara perdeu a chance de participar de um evento e tanto. Ele, que enfrentaria Patrick Cote no explosivo UFC 158, dia 16 de março, está fora do evento por conta de um problema de saúde. A informação é do repórter Erik Fontanez.

Sakara enfrentou Coté há um mês, no UFC 154, quando foi desclassificado por aplicar golpes ilegais em seu oponente. Sakara chegou a comemorar a vitória por nocaute técnico, mas o juiz Dan Miragliotta desqualificou o italiano pelos consecutivos socos na nuca de Patrick. Após a polêmica, a revanche foi marcada para o UFC 158, mas o tira-teima terá de esperar. Sakara está impossibilitado de lutar por conta de um problema nos rins, e o Ultimate já procura outro competidor para enfrentar Coté.

Apesar de não ter seu card inteiramente definido, o UFC 158 em Montreal já promete. No sábado, o UFC confirmou os embates entre Johny Hendricks e Jake Ellenberger, a revanche entre Rory MacDonald e Carlos Condit e a disputa do cinturão dos meio-médios, entre Georges St-Pierre e Nick Diaz.

Alessio Sakara (L) throws a punch against Patrick Cote during their middleweight bout during UFC 154 on November 17, 2012 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The rematch between Alessio Sakara and Patrick Cote scheduled for UFC 158 has been canceled due to Sakara experiencing health issues, GRACIEMAG.com confirmed on Monday.

Sources close to the match-up verified Sakara is having problems with his kidneys and cannot compete on the newly-announced card in Montreal. UFC officials informed GRACIEMAG.com that a replacement for Sakara is being sought.

Sakara (15-10) and Cote (18-8) first met at UFC 154 last month in Canada. In their match-up, Sakara landed several punches and strikes to the back of Cote’s head, prompting referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and put a stop to the bout. The result was Sakara being disqualified for illegal strikes.

UFC officials reacted by pitting the two in an immediate rematch at UFC 158. However, due to Sakara’s condition, Cote will be forced to face someone else on the March card.

GRACIEMAG.com will update on Cote’s new opponent as more information becomes available.

For more UFC and MMA coverage,

visit GRACIEMAG.com’s Choke MMA section

Cyrille Diabaté contra Chad Griggs. Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

Confira abaixo as melhores fotos do emocionante UFC 154, pela lente marcante de Josh Hedges, presente nesse sábado, em Montreal, no Canadá.

Dos atletas escalados a Anderson Silva na plateia, você não perde nada.

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UFC 154
Bell Centre, Montreal, Canadá
17 de novembro de 2012

Georges St-Pierre venceu Carlos Condit por decisão unânime dos jurados
Johny Hendricks nocauteou Martin Kampmann aos 46s do R1
Francis Carmont venceu Tom Lawlor por decisão dividida
Rafael dos Anjos venceu Mark Bocek por decisão unânime
Pablo Garza venceu Mark Hominick por decisão unânime dos jurados

Card Preliminar
Patrick Côté venceu Alessio Sakara por desclassificação (socos na nuca) a 1min26s do R1
Cyrille Diabaté finalizou Chad Griggs no mata-leão aos 2min24s do R1
John Makdessi venceu Sam Stout na decisão unânime
Antonio Carvalho venceu Rodrigo Damm na decisão dividida
Matthew Riddle venceu John Maguire na decisão unânime
Ivan Menjivar finalizou Azamat Gashimov no armlock aos 2min44s do R1
Darren Elkins venceu Steven Siler na decisão unânime

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Gleison Tibau contra Josh Neer, durante o UFC 104. Foto: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/UFC

Dia 7 de julho, em Las Vegas, o UFC 148 promete ouriçar os fãs com a revanche mais esperada dos últimos tempos, entre o campeão Anderson Silva e o provocador Chael Sonnen.

No mesmo evento, no entanto, há outras lutas que prometem agradar o praticante de Jiu-Jitsu, que deve ficar de olho em Demian Maia, Fabricio Morango e Mike Easton.

Outro confere interessante é entre Gleison Tibau e o invicto Khabib Nurmagomedov, ainda pelo card preliminar. Em entrevista ao GRACIEMAG.com, o potiguar disse estar na pilha para quebrar a hegemonia do russo.

“É uma luta muito boa para mim, na verdade. Ele está invicto em 17 lutas, sempre dá a vontade de quebrar a escrita, colocar meu nome ali na primeira derrota dele”, disse Tibau, que completou deixando um punhado de lições para nosso leitor/praticante finalizar da guarda.

“O macete para evoluir no armlock é prestar atenção no quadril. Subir o quadril, ajustar bem e puxar, e não querer apenas fazer força e puxar o braço sem estar justo”, ensina o casca-grossa. Confira e comente.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Nevada, EUA
7 de julho de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Gleison Tibau against Josh Neer at UFC 104 / Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa/UFC

On the coming 7th of July in Las Vegas, UFC 148 will treat fans to the most heavily anticipated rematch of recent times, between middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and the firebrand Chael Sonnen.

At the same event there will also be some other matchups that look sure to please Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, though, with Demian Maia, Fabricio Morango and Mike Easton all in the mix.

And another intriguing bout has Gleison Tibau taking on the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov on the under card. In an interview with GRACIEMAG.com, the Brazilian said he’s dying to put the first blemish on his Russian opponent’s perfect record.

“It’s a good fight for me, to tell you the truth. He’s undefeated in 17 fights, so that will always make you want to put an end to his roll; makes me want to get my name on there as his first loss,” said Tibau, who wrapped up the interview with a few lessons for our readers/practitioners to finish from guard.

“The trick to doing the armbar right is to pay attention to the hips. Bring up the hips, adjust them properly and pull, and not go trying to force it out without having the arm locked in tight,” teaches the burly black belt.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
July 7, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at the pre-UFC 148 press conference in Rio de Janeiro / Photo: Wander Braga/UFC

The mood in Las Vegas is one of anticipation of yet another “fight of the century,” when middleweight champion Anderson Silva defends his title from the big-talking Chael Sonnen this coming July 7, right after the United States Independence Day holiday.

In a video released by the UFC, Sonnen restated how his confidence and desire will be enough to overwhelm the champion’s capabilities—and wherever the action may be: standing, striking or in Jiu-Jitsu.

“Make it a boxing bout, I’ll find a way to win. Make it a kickboxing match, I’ll find a way to win. I’m not going to play a dance-off with him, but if he wants to make it a combative, man’s sport, I’ll do it. Make it a Jiu-Jitsu match, make it a wrestling match, make it an MMA fight—it doesn’t matter; he doesn’t have anything that I as an athlete won’t conquer. I am a competitor. I will find a way to win, as I always do,” says Sonnen, who has been brushing up on his Jiu-Jitsu skills with ADCC heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhães of team Gracie Tijuca.

“It has nothing to do with skills. Commentators love to make it about skills, but it’s not. It’s about who’s tougher, who wants it more,” adds Sonnen, who in their first encounter ended up losing via armbar from within a triangle.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, United States
July 7, 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira

Anderson Silva e Chael Sonnen na conferência de imprensa do UFC 148, no Rio de Janeiro. Foto: Wander Braga/UFC

Las Vegas já vive o clima de mais uma “luta do século”, entre o campeão dos médios Anderson Silva e o desafiante falastrão Chael Sonnen, marcada para o dia 7 de julho, logo depois do feriado da Independência nos EUA.

Em vídeo divulgado pelo UFC, Sonnen afirmou que a confiança e a vontade serão sim capazes de surpreender as habilidades do campeão, e no campo que for, em pé, na trocação ou no Jiu-Jitsu.

“Torne isso uma luta de boxe, e vou achar uma maneira de vencer. Torne isso uma luta de kickboxing, e vou achar uma maneira de vencer. Não vou jogar uma competição de dança com ele, mas se ele quiser fazer um esporte masculino de combate, eu farei. Faça uma luta de Jiu-Jitsu, uma luta de wrestling, uma luta de MMA. Não importa. Ele não tem nada que eu, como competidor, não possa conquistar. Sou um competidor. Vou achar um jeito de vencer, como eu sempre faço”, disse Sonnen, que vem afiando seu Jiu-Jitsu com o atual campeão dos pesados do ADCC, Vinny Magalhães (Gracie Tijuca).

“Não tem nada a ver com habilidades. Comentaristas adoram dizer que é sobre habilidades, mas não é. É sobre quem é mais durão, quem quer mais”, completou Chael Sonnen, que no primeiro encontro entre ambos acabou derrotado por obra de um armlock de dentro do triângulo.

Veja o vídeo com as declarações do americano, abaixo, e o card completo do evento a seguir.

UFC 148
Las Vegas, Estados Unidos
7 de julho de 2012

Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Cung Le vs Patrick Côté
Demian Maia vs Dong Hyun Kim
Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton
Chad Mendes vs Cody McKenzie
Gleison Tibau vs Khabib Nurmagomedov
Melvin Guillard vs Fabrício “Morango” Camões
Riki Fukuda vs Costa Philippou
John Alessio vs Shane Roller
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Rafaello Oliveira