UFC 137 Results: GSP and the 6 Welterweights Who Would Still Beat Nick Diaz

If UFC 137 proved anything, it’s that Nick Diaz is a significantly better fighter was when we last saw him in the UFC. Critics have pointed out that the former Strikeforce champion has never really defeated a top-10 welterweight. That came to a crushing halt at UFC 137.

Diaz was an absolute monster last night as he completely destroyed former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ Penn, exploiting what was considered to be the strongest aspect of Penn’s game—his boxing. Never before has Penn been dominated like that in a fight and the performance earned Diaz a title fight against Georges St-Pierre on Super Bowl weekend in 2012.

The hype surrounding Diaz right now is astonishing. Some are even saying that he should be the favorite in his fight against St-Pierre. But the reality is that while Diaz looked amazing on Saturday night, we still haven’t seen him tested in what has unquestionably been his worst area—his wrestling.

The welterweight division may be the most stacked division in the league when it comes to wrestling and there are a handful of fighters who could definitely still take advantage of the weak point in Diaz’s game.

It is my opinion that not only do these six UFC welterweight wrestlers have a chance against Diaz—I believe they’d all walk out as winners against Mr. Diaz. 

6. Anthony Johnson

MMA Record: 10-3

Last Fight: Knocked out Charlie Brenneman at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson

The biggest welterweight on the planet has to be Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who reportedly walks around at around 220 pounds. That’s 50 pounds of weight-cutting!

Diaz has struggled throughout his career against fighters who are bigger than him and Johnson would have no problem take full advantage of his strength and size advantage. If he could bring the fight to the ground, he’d have to be sure not to let Diaz use any of his slippery jiu-jitsu to catch him unexpectedly. 

5. Rory MacDonald

MMA Record: 12-1

Last Fight: Knocked out Mike Pyle at UFC 133

The hottest prospect in the welterweight division and perhaps all of MMA is the UFC’s Rory MacDonald—who has been amazing during his run in the Octagon.

At 22 years old, MacDonald has an entire career in front of him, but he is already fighting at an elite level. His wrestling has been dominant, but it’s the explosion in everything that he does which is really the difference in most of his fights.

Diaz would certainly have the advantage in the stand-up game, as did Carlos Condit when he knocked out MacDonald, however MacDonald also came within 7-seconds of winning the fight against Condit.

It might take him some time still to get to the point where he’d be a logical opponent for Diaz, but MacDonald has all the time in the world. If Diaz does defeat GSP, we could see another Canadian—MacDonald—get a chance at retribution for his country.

4. Josh Koscheck

MMA Record: 16-5

Last Fight: Knocked out Matt Hughes at UFC 135

Josh Koscheck exploded back into action after over nine months outside the Octagon, when he took a fight against the legendary Matt Hughes at UFC 135. Koscheck smashed Hughes with superior stand-up skills, knocking out the former champion at the end of the first round.

Koscheck has struggled at times throughout his career, but he always comes in with a great gameplan. He’d definitely look to bring Nick Diaz to the ground even though he has quite a bit of confidence in his own boxing skills.

Better yet, Koscheck may be the best wrestler in the division as a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, including winning the 2001 National Championship in a season where he went undefeated.

Needless to say, if this fight went to the ground, Diaz would be in a world of hurt. 

3. Jake Ellenberger

MMA Record: 26-5

Last Fight: Knocked out Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger

He may not be as well-known as some of the other fighters on this list, but Jake Ellenberger could actually be argued as the most dangerous fighter in the entire welterweight division.

Ellenberger’s combination of wrestling and knockout power make him extremely difficult to gameplan against—something which Diaz’s teammate Jake Shields saw first-hand in his most recent fight. Ellenberger completely destroyed the former Strikeforce middleweight champion on the feet, clobbering him with knees and punches on his way to winning a knockout in just 53-seconds.

Diaz would not only have to be wary of the takedown, but he would also have to make sure that he doesn’t let Ellenberger unload on him with a big punch. 

2. Jon Fitch

MMA Record: 23-3-1

Last Fight: Drew with BJ Penn at UFC 127

If it wasn’t for Georges St-Pierre, it’d be hard to argue that Jon Fitch wouldn’t be every bit as dominant of a welterweight champion.

Fitch has been nothing short of unbelievable in the UFC. His record in the Octagon is an amazing 13-1-1, with his only blemishes coming against the aforementioned St-Pierre and in a controversial draw with BJ Penn in which most agree he should have been given the decision.

It may not be pretty, it may not be fun to watch, but Jon Fitch is the ultimate grinder in MMA.

If he got a chance against Diaz, he would be absolutely relentless in looking for the takedown. Once he got it he would smother him—he would smother him to a decision just like he does to just about everyone else.

1. Georges St-Pierre

MMA Record: 22-2

Last Fight: Defeated Jake Shields at UFC 129

It’s on.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz was originally scheduled to main event UFC 137, but ended up being removed from the event when Diaz decided that he didn’t want to bother promoting the fight. Now the bad blood has grown even deeper between these two, culminating with St-Pierre reportedly asking for an immediate fight with Diaz, passing up his previously scheduled fight with Condit.

The biggest question surrounding GSP has been his chin ever since he was knocked out by Matt Serra years ago, but the champion has come back better than ever since that night. He may not be the violent finishing machine that he was before the knockout, but St-Pierre’s new “win first” mentality has served him extraordinarily well.

Since that fight with Serra, St-Pierre has been completely dominant and hasn’t even really been in any sort of trouble at any point. He’s not quite as exciting as some other top-level fighters like Anderson Silva can be, but it’s hard to argue against GSP’s style as being the most effective in the sport today.

GSP doesn’t possess the kind of knockout power that some of the other fighters on this list do, but his jab is among the best in MMA. It’s not going to knock Diaz out, but if he’s even able to use it to keep Nick from coming forward at him, it’s going to be quite a bit easier for the Canadian to time his takedowns and really control the fight.

It’s not going to be easy and Diaz could easily be the biggest challenge that GSP has fought in quite some time, but look for the current UFC welterweight champion to retain his title on Super Bowl weekend.