November 17th, 3.00am ESPN will broadcast live and exclusive coverage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC 154 as Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre faces interim belt holder Carlos Condit in Montreal.
The headline bout will be St-Pierre’s first fight in almost a year-and-a-half, after a knee injury sidelined him for 17 months. However the Canadian is unbeaten in 10 fights – a run stretching back five years – and will be looking to extend his record in front of a home crowd on Saturday 17th November.
The 31-year-old St-Pierre has successfully defended his welterweight belt on six occasions, and he is currently ranked number three in ESPN.com’s pound-for-pound rankings despite his lengthy absence. Victory over Condit could land him a UFC super-fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, who has been vocal in his desire to face St-Pierre in his next bout.
Challenger Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz at UFC 143 to take the interim welterweight belt, will be determined to halt St-Pierre’s record and become the undisputed welterweight champion. The 28-year-old American has never been knocked out in MMA competition and his record boasts an equal number (13) of submission and knockout wins throughout his 10 year career.
St-Pierre and Condit are ranked one and two in ESPN.com’s welterweight rankings and while both weigh in at 170lbs, Condit standing at 6’2” has a two inch height advantage over his opponent. Both men are recognised as well-rounded fighters, but have contrasting strengths – St-Pierre is a particularly dominant wrestler while Condit’s main threat lies in his striking ability.
ESPN will also bring viewers live and exclusive coverage of the night’s other main card events, including the welterweight bout between Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks, with both men hoping to be the next No.1 contender. Meanwhile, Tom Lawlor and Francis Carmont face each other in the middleweight division, Pablo Garza takes on Mark Hominick in a featherweight bout and Cyrille Diabate goes head-to-head with Chad Grigg in the night’s light heavyweight match-up.
