UFC 137: 5 Things Georges St-Pierre Must Do to Beat Carlos Condit

UFC 137 has already been through a lot.

First GSP was going to face Nick Diaz.  Now instead he faces Carlos Condit.

This means that St-Pierre will need a whole new game plan when he enters the Octagon on October 29.

Even though GSP isn't facing Diaz, Condit is still a stiff test that can beat anybody on a given night.

If GSP wants to keep the belt, he'll need to do these things or go home empty handed.

Stay Away from Striking

Carlos Condit is dangerous on the ground.  He actually has quite a few submission victories on his record.

However, those were against fighters outside the UFC, and for as dangerous as his ground game is, his striking is lethal.

There is a reason they call him "The Natural Born Killer."

GSP isn't a bad striker, but he probably doesn't want to test himself against someone like Condit.

Plus, GSP was knocked out by Matt Serra.  Whether that was a lucky strike is irrelevant.  It proved that GSP's chin could be cracked.

If the welterweight champion decides to stand with Condit, it might happen again.

Close the Range

Every striker has a different range.

Some fighters are best in the clinch, others are great at long range, and some are best at mid-range.

Condit seems to be a bit of all of the above, but he is best at mid-range.

In the Dan Hardy fight, Hardy let Condit dictate the distance and in doing so fell into Condit's timing and paid the price.

Condit is such a nasty striker that he just needs a few minutes of throwing strikes in his best zone to find a way through his opponent's defense.

GSP would do well to make sure that if he can't take Condit down, he at least presses him against the cage in tight clinches that give little breathing room.

If he doesn't, GSP might find himself facing his third loss.

Slow Down the Pace

Not only is Condit heavy handed, but he also puts combinations together in flurries.

GSP will want to slow the fight down so Condit can't put together those flashy punches and knees.  It may not make the fight exciting, and it will probably lead to a decision win, but it will lead to a win.

Fans would love to see St-Pierre go blow for blow with Condit, but that will not happen.

GSP's wrestling is second to none, and he proved it in the Josh Koscheck fight.  Beating the collegiate wrestler at his own game, GSP proved he is an elite fighter on all levels.

So it seems unlikely that he will try to have a fast-paced match with Condit, or one that stays standing.  It is what gives him the best chance for victory, and that is what fighters go in the Octagon to do.

While he is on the ground though, he should remember...

He Has Been Submitted in 3 out of 5 Losses

The fact that Condit is open to submission losses might be dated information at this point.  The last time Condit was submitted was against Pat Healy in 2006.

Over the years, he might have ironed out his defense and improved his technique on the ground.

St-Pierre is a great wrestler, though, and one of the most imposing fighters in the welterweight division.  He seems to be able to manhandle former college wrestlers on the ground and was even able to throw Jake Shields to the ground.

For a person like Condit, who is mostly a striker, a submission win for GSP might not be impossible.  If he shows the same dominance he has in the past, it might serve him well and get him that clear-cut win Dana White and the fans have been hounding him for.

Be Careful of a Late Surge

When Carlos Condit fought Rory MacDonald, it seemed like he was going to lose to the young Canadian phenom.

That is, until it got to the middle of the third round.

In a fight that MacDonald had dominated, it only took Condit a few moments to crush the scrappy Canadian and get the victory.  Even though Condit had been beaten for most of the fight, he was able to turn it around when the opportunity arose.

It showed that Condit had the stamina, strength, and killer instinct to go for the finish when it presented itself to him.

St-Pierre needs to be careful of letting himself slip for even a second unless he wants to end up being just like MacDonald.

Your Thoughts

Do you think GSP needs anything else?

Maybe something he needs to watch out for?

Let your thoughts be known in the comments below.

And as always, thanks for reading.