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UFC 154 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's event report for Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit event in Montreal
Nov 17, 2012 - 11:45:31 PM UFC 154 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's event report for Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit event in Montreal

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 154: ST-PIERRE VS. CONDIT
NOVEMBER 17, 2012
LIVE FROM MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA

=====Facebook Preliminary Card Quick Results=====

--Darren Elkins def. Steven Siler via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

--Ivan Menjivar def. Azamat Gashimov via submission (armbar) at 2:44 of the first round

--Matt Riddle def. John Maguire via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

=====FX Preliminary Card=====

-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the FX broadcast by running down the fights coming on tonight's pay-per-view card. We move quick to the pre-fight video package for our first televised bout tonight.

FIGHT ONE: ANTONIO CARVALHO VS. RODRIGO DAMM (FEATHERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Both fighters were hesitant to engage early. Damm popped in with a couple of strikes about 45 seconds in. Carvalho landed a leg kick. Damm got in a solid inside leg kick to the thigh. Carvalho landed a kick and barely missed a left hook. Carvalho connected on another hard leg kick to the outside. Carvalho went high with a kick but wasn't in range to connect. Damm landed another very hard leg kick to the outside, then got one in return. Lots of leg kicks in this opening round. They traded some more kicks. Damm's lead leg was showing the effects of the kicks. The crowd was getting restless already in the fight. Damm landed a decent jab. Damm threw a few wild strikes that missed, but then landed a jab.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Carvalho. He scored a lot more effectively with the leg kicks than Damm that round.

ROUND TWO: Carvalho continued with the leg kicks into the second frame. Damm tried to start pushing forward. He landed a straight kick to the body. Carvalho slipped and Damm brought it to the ground. Damm jumped behind Carvalho, but Carvalho swept and got back to his feet. Nice sequence. Back on the feet, Carvalho's nose was bleeding a little. The crowd got a little vocal again. Damm scored a bit more with his jabs and short strikes. Still a lot of tentative action from both fighters. Damm landed a nice left hook. Carvalho returned with a couple of kicks. Damm landed a kick, then threw a punch behind it. He kept pressing forward. Carvalho landed a couple of strikes. Damm landed a few strikes, but ate a hard right from Carvalho as the round came to an end.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Damm. Things are evened up here as Damm was the more effective fighter that time around.

ROUND THREE: Damm pressed in early. Carvalho landed a couple of kicks. More tentative action drew boos from the crowd. Carvalho landed a hard kick. Damm landed one back. Damm landed a jab and Carvalho's mouthpiece fell out. The crowd booed as he was given time to get it back in his mouth. Damm pressed in with a big combination. He landed a solid kick, then took one back. They each exchanged a few big strikes. Damm landed a few more. Carvalho landed a nice right. He got in another kick to the lead leg. Carvalho went high with a kick but it was blocked. Damm threw a straight kick to the body. He ate another leg kick. Carvalho landed a short exchange. Damm pressed in with a punch that was blocked. Carvalho pressed in with a strike. They exchanged. Carvalho jumped up with a knee as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Damm. Close round, but Damm was constantly moving forward, and had the most effective exchange in the round. Carvalho was too content backing up and trying to counter.

WINNER: Carvalho via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (*) Tentative fight with not much happening. Not angry with the decision or anything, it was a close fight and I wouldn't call it a robbery, as neither really established themselves as the better fighter during the 15-minute bout.

FIGHT TWO: SAM STOUT VS. JOHN MAKDESSI (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Makdessi landed a couple of early body kicks. Stout tried to walk him down, but didn't Makdessi stayed out of range. He landed a couple of short strikes in close, and avoided Stout's early offensive attempts. Stout connected with a right. Makdessi landed a nice jab. Makdessi countered a missed punch nicely with a left hook. Makdessi continued working the jab well while avoiding Stout's punches.Stout landed an outside leg kick. He got in a short uppercut to the body. He connected again to the body. Makdessi caught a kick and landed a right. Makdessi landed a hard jab. Stout tried to press in quick, but Makdessi again got out. Stout got in with a right. Makdessi landed the jab again and stuffed a takedown. Back to the jab for Makdessi. He threw a few short leg kicks and tagged Stout with the jab again. Stout conned throwing and missing. Makdessi landed a spinning back kick and another jab. They exchanged punches in a short flurry. Makdessi landed another nice jab. Makdessi snapped Stout's head back with consecutive jabs and ate a leg kick as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Makdessi. Very good start for the underdog, who utilized the jab and head movement to outwork Stout that round.

ROUND TWO: Makdessi threw a front side kick that missed the mark. Makdessi caught a kick, landed a punch and went high with a kick behind it. He landed a couple jabs. Stout landed a body punch but ate a big counter strike after it. Makdessi landed a body kick. He got in with the jab. Stout landed a jab. Makdessi continued landing counters as Stout missed. Stout got in with a body punch. They traded strikes. Stout shot in and briefly tripped Makdessi up, but Makdessi popped right back up. They traded jabs. Stout connected with a kick to the face. Makdessi landed a couple punches. He tried to catch a kick but didn't capitalize. Stout got in a kick to the body. Makdessi retruned the favor. Makdessi landed another left hook. Makdessi again connected and avoided a counter. And again he landed the jab. Stout landed a jab. He landed a punch to the body. Makdessi threw a side kick to the body. Stout tried to chase Makdessi down, but got hit by jabs as he missed punches. Makdessi landed a short combination. Makdessi landed a body kick. Stout got in a body punch. He shot in and tried for a takedown, but got stuffed. Makdessi threw a straight kick to the body. He landed a nice left hook as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Makdessi. He's just out-landing Stout and avoiding most of Stout's offense while being a lot more effective himself.

ROUND THREE: Makdessi threw a few side kicks. He landed one to the face. Stout came back and landed an overhand right. He ate a couple punches as he tried to pop in. Makdessi landed another hard jab. Makdessi caught another kick and landed a nice strike. Stout landed a couple of strikes. Makdessi again landed the jab. Stout tried to walk him down, but ate another jab. Stout landed a leg kick. Makdessi landed another jab. More jabs from Makdessi. He sidestepped a takedown attempt. He went high with a kick that was blocked. Stout landed a body kick. Stout threw a high kick that was partially blocked. Makdessi landed another jab. Makdessi accidentally went low with a kick. They started trading punches. They exchanged once more as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Makdessi. He continued landing more than Stout throughout the round, and was just a lot more effective throughout the event.

WINNER: Makdessi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (**) Solid fight from Makdessi. He showed improved takedown defense, and great head movement to avoid much of what Stout was trying to do. Very good bounce back win for him.

FIGHT THREE: CYRILLE DIABATE VS. CHAD GRIGGS (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Diabate landed a solid knee to the body early. Griggs rushed at him and got cracked by a straight left that dropped him. Diabate got to side control. Griggs tried to power him off, and Diabate then picked him up and slammed him. Griggs' nose got busted open and Diabate tried to work from top position. Griggs tried to get up, and Diabate hit him with a knee. Griggs tried a counter, but Diabate got right back up and took Griggs down again. Griggs got to his feet. Diabate hit him in the head again. Diabate got in a rear naked choke as they went down, and forced Griggs to tap.

WINNER: Diabate via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:24 of the first round

STAR RATING: (**) Good stuff from Diabate, but Griggs is just… not good. Diabate hurt him early, then outworked him on the ground when he's far from a ground fighter. Still, solid win for Diabate in a one-sided fight, and likely the end of Griggs in the UFC.

-After the break is a replay of Ivan Menjivar's Facebook win over Azamat Gashimov.

-They had some technical difficulties at the end of the Menjivar-Gashimov replay, which Goldberg apologized for back from the break.

FIGHT FOUR: PATRICK COTE VS. ALESSIO SAKARA (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Cote pawed out a few early jabs and landed an inside leg kick. Goldberg said a "Cote" chant started in the crowd, when in face they were doing the "Ole!" chant. Cote hurt Sakara with a strike, and Cote looked to take advantage. He landed a hew big strikes, but Sakara grabbed a clinch. Sakara hurt him with elbows against the cage. Cote went down, and Sakara unleashed a ton of strikes to the back of the head and Cote went out. That should be a DQ, horrible ref job from Dan Miragliotta to not even give a warning there. That was eight to nine straight to the back of the head.

WINNER: Cote via disqualification at 1:26 of the first round

STAR RATING: (n/a) Not rating a fight like that, but Miragliotta made the right call after the fact. Unfortunately, he stood there dumbfounded as Sakara was delivering the illegal blows and didn't halt the fight as he should have. He should have stopped it when he saw the punches going to the back of the head, then given a warning and given Cote time to continue. If he couldn't, then you call a no contest or a disqualification. It shouldn't have counted as a win for Sakara at all, so he got that part correct, but that was only after the fact. Very poor reffing job in the cage.

=====Pay-Per-View Card=====

After welcoming in the pay-per-view card and breaking down the event, it's time for the first pay-per-view fight of the night.

FIGHT FIVE: MARK HOMINICK VS. PABLO GARZA (FEATHERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Hominick tried to walk Garza down early, but Garza popped in with a knee and a few punches. Garza landed a nice body kick and a few leg kicks. Garza landed a left. Then a right to the body behind it. Garza went high with a couple kicks that were blocked. He landed a nice straight kick to the body. Garza landed a hard inside leg kick. Hominick landed a short combination. Garza landed a hard knee to the body. He landed a nice jab, but Hominick came right back at him. Garza went high with another kick that was blocked. Garza covered up from a few punches. Garza landed a hard kick to the body again. Hominick landed a body punch. Garza continued working the kicks. Hominick landed a left. He landed a hard right. Garza fought back off the cage and backed Hominick up. Garza got a hold of Hominick, but Hominick countered. Garza went for an armbar and nearly had it, but Hominick got out. Garza landed a punch from his back and Hominick landed some from the top. Garza kicked Hominick off and got back to his feet. He swung wildly with a few shots. Hominick landed a hard body shot and Garza went down. Garza went down, but got back to his feet. Garza cut Hominick open with a big shot. He started attacking and pressed Hominick to the cage. Garza landed a big knee to the body and another couple of strikes. Wow. Awesome round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Hominick. What a freaking round. Legitimately could go either way, but I think the trip and the body shot knockdown gave Hominick the round despite Garza's late flurry.

ROUND TWO: Garza threw a spinning jumping kick to start the round that went nowhere. Garza landed a nice punch and kick combo. Hominick got in a punch. Garza landed a strike. He shot in and nearly got Hominick's back, but got in Hominick's guard on top. Hominick tried to work free, but Garza held position well and worked in some nice elbows from the top. Hominick tried to hold control. Garza postured up and landed a bunch of strikes from the top. Garza opened Hominick up around the other eye as well. The crowd chanted for Hominick as Garza continued working from the top. He continued landing elbows and forearm strikes that were doing damage. Hominick landed some body punches in as well. He continued doing damage from the top, and Hominick's face was a mess. He landed a few more big elbows from the top. Excellent work from the guard by Garza. He continued the assault through to the end of the round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Garza. After a close first round, Garza took complete control from the top. It's going to all come down to this round, and Hominick had a lot taken out of him in that frame.

ROUND THREE: Garza went high with a couple of kicks that were blocked. Hominick tried to press in, but Garza defended well. Garza landed a hard body kick. Garza grabbed a clinch, but Hominick got loose and landed a short combo on the cage. Garza landed a body kick, then went high. Garza then shot in and scored a big takedown. Garza landed a few body punches and some elbows, avoided Hominick's attempt at something and continued working from top position with elbows. He continued getting through with punches and elbows. Hominick tried to grab Garza's foot and get loose, but Garza remained in top position, and continued landing strikes in top position. Garza stood, then dropped back into Hominick's guard with strikes. Hominick landed a couple palm strikes to the side of the head. Garza landed another big elbow from the top. Garza continued to work effectively from the top, avoiding any standup from the ref. Garza landed another big strike. Hominick kicked Garza off, then got to his feet, but ate a couple strikes and got taken right back down. He tried to roll for an omoplata, but Garza wound up on top in his half guard. Garza landed a couple of strikes. Garza stood, Hominick tried to grab an arm, but Garza landed a few more strikes and dropped into guard as the round ended. Big win for Garza here.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Garza. Another big takedown and very good top work should give him a clear win with at least the last two rounds. Good fight.

WINNER: Garza via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (***-) The first round was fantastic. Just great featherweight action for five minutes. Then, things became a rinse and repeat spectacle with Garza getting the takedowns and working effective ground and pound. It slowed things down, but he picked up a really big win when he needed it.

FIGHT SIX: MARK BOCEK VS. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Dos Anjos circled around the outside, then landed a big uppercut early. However, Bocek grabbed a hold of him, and looked for the clinch. Dos Anjos battled out with some knees and got free. Dos Anjos landed a nice straight left. Dos Anjos landed a body kick, and Bocek clinched and brought him to the cage. Bocek landed a few knees to the thighs. He dropped levels, but Dos Anjos held off the takedown attempt. Dos Anjos got in a big knee, and a few more to break free once again. Dos Anjos landed a right. Bocek slipped on a high kick. Bocek got a knee in from the Thai plum, then ate a couple uppercuts as he went for a takedown. Dos Anjos landed a nice right as he broke free, then threw a flying knee. He landed a punch and a body kick. Dos Anjos landed a straight left. He landed an inside leg kick, and again held off another takedown attempt. Bocek landed a few knees to the thighs and dropped for a single. Dos Anjos again held it off. He landed a leg kick. He got in close and landed a couple elbows and a big knee before the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Anjos. Very good round from Dos Anjos. He stuffed every takedown, and made Bocek pay for trying to initiate a grappling game.

ROUND TWO: Bocek landed a hard kick that went low, and Dos Anjos was given time to recover. Bocek was given a direct warning from Yves Lavigne. As they restarted, they circled around one another. Bocek shot in, Dos Anjos turned him around and then took him down. Dos Anjos grabbed for an arm, but Bocek continued holding it off. Bocek got out, then turned around to go for his own takedown. Bocek was cut open as they got back up to their feet. Bocek shot in, but again, Dos Anjos turned him around and scored another takedown. Dos Anjos got Bocek's back with one hook in. He lost the hook. Bocek tried to roll out, but Dos Anjos stayed on him. Bocek got back to his feet, but Dos Anjos stuffed another takedown as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Anjos. One-sided round from Dos Anjos there.

ROUND THREE: More work from Dos Anjos on the feet to start the round. He shot in, and Bocek pulled off a switch. Back on the feet, Dos Anjos hurt Bocek with a big strike, then picked him up and slammed him down. He got to his back, but Bocek got up. Bocek went for a kimura and got free with it. Bocek landed a strike. Dos Anjos came back with a short combo. Dos Anjos landed a few more strikes. Bocek kept coming forward, but got hit by a few more strikes. Bocek landed a strike. Dos Anjos got back at him. Dos Anjos landed a few strikes and the fight came to an end.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Dos Anjos. This was a clear sweep for Dos Anjos. Excellent performance start to finish. He did to Bocek what Bocek does to most of his opponents, and made him look like a worse version of himself.

WINNER: Dos Anjos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (**) It wasn't always a pretty fight, but it was a highly effective one from Dos Anjos and a highly impressive one at that. He dominated the action start to finish, and out-grappled Bocek, which doesn't happen often at all.

FIGHT SEVEN: FRANCIS CARMONT VS. TOM LAWLOR (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Lawlor pushed in early, and grabbed a clinch. Carmont landed a knee to the body. They were separated after some inactivity. Carmont landed a couple hard body kicks. They clinched again. Carmont went for a kimura, but Lawlor got out and pressed his back to the cage. They separated again. Carmont landed another body kick. Lawlor tried to get in with an uppercut, but missed the mark. Carmont landed a hard right. Carmont landed another hard kick. Lawlor grabbed a guillotine choke and pulled guard. Blood spilled out of Carmont's mouth, but he finally pulled out and landed an elbow as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lawlor. The choke was the most significant attempt of the round, and he pressed the action throughout. Carmont just didn't have quite enough offense that frame.

ROUND TWO: Carmont landed a hard inside leg kick early. He got in a right. Lawlor threw a left. He landed a couple of kicks, but they were partially checked. Carmont landed a hard knee to the body to avoid a clinch. Lawlor missed a strike, but pressed Carmont to the cage. They separated and Lawlor landed a kick. He landed a nice counter right. He tried to press in, and Carmont held him at distance with his reach. Carmont threw a straight kick to the body. Lawlor closed the distance and again clinched. He landed a knee to the leg. Lawlor then finally scored a takedown into Carmont's guard. Carmont tried to escape. He got to his feet, then ate a knee for his troubles. Carmont tried for a kimura, but Lawlor defended, ate a couple knees, then took Carmont down. Carmont attacked from his back, but Lawlor passed, then grabbed for a guillotine. He again held the position, but didn't have it tight and Carmont got out and threw a couple strikes as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Lawlor. He scored a couple takedowns, again attacked for the submission, and Carmont's been stuck playing defense all fight.

ROUND THREE: They traded some strikes early in the round. Lawlor landed a punch. Carmont rushed in with a jumping knee, and Lawlor grabbed a clinch and again went for a takedown. The crowd booed the stalling on the cage and they were broken up. Lawlor landed the first punch as they restarted. He blocked a kick. Carmont landed a leg kick. Carmont got a knee in during another clinch. Lawlor scored with a couple strikes and grabbed another clinch. The clinch stalled things some more on the cage. Carmont got loose again. Carmont threw a kick to the body. Carmont landed another body kick. Carmont threw some more kicks to the body and legs. It went back to a clinch to the boos of some in the crowd. Lawlor landed some foot stomps, then Carmont tripped him briefly. He got back up before the round ended. Bad fight.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Very little happening with extended clinch battle in that round. Carmont had a little offense, but he didn't do much with it, and Lawlor, while pressing the clinch, didn't do much either.

WINNER: Carmont via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (*) Not a good fight, and I'm not a fan of the decision. It was close, and there wasn't a ton going on, but that seems like a hometown decision for Carmont, as he did very little through three rounds.

-Dana White's response on Twitter to the fight was "Who cares! They both lost that fight."

FIGHT EIGHT: MARTIN KAMPMANN VS. JOHNY HENDRICKS (WELTERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Hendricks rushed in early with a series of hard left hooks, but they didn't land flush. Hendricks then came in and dropped Kampmann with a two punch combo, ending with a left to the jaw, and he followed it up with another on the ground and it was all over. Wow! Just. Wow. Kampmann slammed his head on the mat as he went down. Vicious stoppage for Hendricks.

WINNER: Hendricks via KO at :46 of the first round

STAR RATING: (***) That was sick. Just absolutely sick. Huge combination from Hendricks, and he put Condit out cold. That's just a crazy result to what was expected to be a more competitive fight.

MAIN EVENT FIGHT NINE: GEORGES ST-PIERRE VS. CARLOS CONDIT (UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

-The crowd gives St-Pierre a massive ovation as he comes out, then again once he gets in the cage. The fight is finally here!

ROUND ONE: St-Pierre comes to the center for the first time in 19 months. He tries to bottle Condit up against the cage. He landed the first jab. He got in with an inside leg kick. Condit went high with a kick but it was blocked. St-Pierre missed a couple strikes, but kept the pressure on Condit. They checked some leg kicks. Condit threw a straight kick to the face that missed. He landed a couple of strikes kin combination. GSP landed a nice jab in close. He landed another jab, then shot in and put Condit on his back. Condit tried to control him, but St-Pierre popped out and into his guard. Condit threw his legs up, but St-Pierre got out and kept working from guard. St-Pierre passed to half guard. He postured up with a few big strikes, and Contie got back to guard. St-Pierre passed again to half guard> Condit again got him back to guard, but St-Pierre landed a few strikes. Condit again looked for an armbar, but St-Pierre stood and dropped with strikes into Condit's guard. St-Pierre eyed the clock. Condit tried to land strikes from his back, and St-Pierre fired back with some more from top position. St-Pierre landed some strikes to the body. He landed a nice elbow. Condit escaped and got to his feet as the round ended, but he was cut bad from a late elbow.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 St-Pierre. Good first round from the returning Champion. Got his legs back, got a big takedown, and worked real well from the top before opening up a nasty cut above Condit's right eyebrow.

ROUND TWO: St-Pierre again took the center and came straight forward. St-Pierre landed a nice jab. Condit got in with a right, but a follow up high kick was blocked. St-Pierre missed a couple high kicks of his own. St-Pierre landed a nice right. Condit got in with one of his own. St-Pierre had another head kick blocked. He kept pressure on Condit against the cage. The eyebrow opened up again. St-Pierre landed a nice jab. Condit opened up with a few strikes. He landed a nice left, then got one in to the body. St-Pierre landed a nice two-punch counter as Condit jumped in. St-Pierre landed a punch to the body, and continued moving forward. Condit missed with a spinning back fist. Condit landed a body shot. St-Pierre perfectly timed a kick and scored a takedown into half guard. He landed an elbow to the cut and Condit bled badly. Condit rolled for a leg, but St-Pierre went right back to work in his guard. Condit threw punches from his back, nbut St-Pierre continued the assault. Condit threw his legs up looking for something, but St-Pierre continued working well from the top. Condit landed a couple strikes from the back. Condit got to his feet but ate a big strike. They exchanged punches and the round ended with a crimson-masked Condit again.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 St-Pierre. He's looking very good through two rounds, but the real test will be as this fight continues on. He's still been out 19 months, he's got to keep this pace up for five.

ROUND THREE: St-Pierre closed the distance, landed a jab and an inside leg kick. Condit caught St-Pierre with a head kick that knocked him down! St-Pierre tried to grab a hold of him as Condit tried to go for the finish. St-Pierre just got back to guard. Condit landed some big elbows from the top. St-Pierre kicked him off and got back to his feet! He went back to stalking. St-Pierre closed the distance with a combo, then scored a takedown of his own. Condit threw a couple of strikes from his back, but St-Pierre regained his bearings in the guard. Condit landed strikes form his back. St-Pierre landed an elbow from the top. Condit tried to get his back to the cage, and St-Pierre worked in some big strikes from the top. Condit got to his feet, but St-Pierre held a single leg. Condit went for a kimura, but St-Pierre put him on his back. St-Pierre continued working from the top. St-Pierre passed to half guard, and ended the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 St-Pierre. I think the three and a half minutes of top control and offense just barely negated the knockdown from the head kick. But I'm not going to argue a Condit score in that round.

ROUND FOUR: Condit went for a couple of quick kicks early, but St-Pierre again walked him down. Condit landed another high kick, but got hit by the counter from St-Pierre. St-Pierre again shot in and scored a takedown to side control. Condit got it back to half guard. St-Pierre landed a few strikes from the top. Condit regained guard. Condit continued attacking from the bottom as well, making St-Pierre work. St-Pierre moved to half guard again, landing a couple of big strikes. Condit again regained guard. St-Pierre landed a big elbow. Condit tried to attack an arm, then tried to attack for a knee bar. St-Pierre got loose from a triangle attempt after that and landed a big strike as he got back into half guard. Condit threw some more strikes from his back. He got to his feet. St-Pierre went for a takedown, and Condit reversed it and got on top. St-Pierre then escaped and scored another takedown. St-Pierre continued working from the top, holding position and landing strikes. Condit got back to his feet, but got dragged down once more as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 St-Pierre. Another clear round for the Champion, giving him three with one close round that could have gone his way. Condit's got to go for the kill in the final frame.

ROUND FIVE: St-Pierre again came straight ahead. Condit landed a right. He went high with a kick. St-Pierre landed the superman punch. Condit got in with a kick. They traded leg kicks. Condit landed a two punch combo. He landed a spinning back kick to the guy. St-Pierre came back at him and walked him down. St-Pierre ducked under and scored another takedown. Condit got to his feet and landed a sidekick to back him up. St-Pierre landed a big right. Condit connected with a right. He landed a few punches in combination. St-Pierre was bleeding from under the left eye. They traded strikes and Condit landed a nice left. St-Pierre got in with a jab. He landed again. Condit connected with a short combo. St-Pierre landed another jab. He landed an nice combo, then scored a takedown against the cage. He passed immediately to half guard. St-Pierre tried to continue progressing, but Condit defended. He almost got to side control. Condit gave up his back. He scrambled and got back to guard. St-Pierre landed punches and elbows from the top again. St-Pierre continued working from top position as the crowd grew to a frenzy. Condit went for the kimura as time wound down, gave it up and landed some punches from the bottom. St-Pierre landed a few big elbows and punches to close out the fight.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 St-Pierre. Even though this could go as a clean sweep, Condit was an absolutely game opponent, and had his moments in this fight. Amazing fight, amazing return from St-Pierre, and a gutsy performance from the challenger as well.

WINNER: St-Pierre via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)

STAR RATING: (****) Absolutely everything you could have hoped for. A finish somewhere could have made this an all time classic, but as it was it was an amazing fight. Condit nearly finished things in the third round, but he couldn't stop the takedown, and St-Pierre returned as good as he's ever been against a fantastic challenger. Great fight.

-St-Pierre said people talk about ring rust, and he definitely knows what it is now. He said this was his toughest fight, Condit's an amazing martial artist and he'll come back strong. GSP said he missed the fans and the crowd reaction a lot. He said the knee didn't bother him at all, and he wouldn't have fought if it was an issue. St-Pierre said he was focusing on Carlos Condit 100%, and he needs to put some thought into the Anderson Silva fight. He said he didn't see the kick. He said his eye was a bit blurry from a punch in the second round, and Condit took advantage of it.

-Condit took a little consolation in St-Pierre's compliment, but said he needed to go back to the drawing board and figure out what he needs to do to fix up his weaknesses.