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Mike Ricci (7-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. Colin Fletcher (8-2, 0-1 UFC):

The main card for UFC 158 on March 16, 2012 begins with a bout between Mike Ricci and Colin Fletcher. Neither fighter has a win in their UFC careers so both will fighting for a spot on the roster. The UFC is going to continue it’s downsizing after UFC 158 and an 0-2 record will not look appealing to Joe Silva. Both fighters have showed poor takedown defense in their UFC debuts but Fletcher was the only one who mounted any offense against his foe. Look for Fletcher to use his length to pepper Ricci from the outside. Fletcher by decision.

Nick Ring (13-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Chris Camozzi (18-5, 5-2 UFC):

Nick Ring is coming off a terrible decision over Court McGee at UFC 149. On the other hand, Camozzi is on a three-fight win streak with his most impressive victory being Luiz Cane. I think Ring will try to bring the bout to the mat but Camozzi will be savvy enough to keep him away with his jab.  He’ll be able to do just enough to outpoint Ring with his kicks and jabs. Camozzi by decision.

Jake Ellenberger (28-6, 7-2 UFC) vs. Nate Marquardt (32-11-2, 10-4 UFC):

Ellenberger has shown the ability to dominate opponents that he can take down with ease. Marquardt, on the other hand, is a guy who is incredibly difficult to finish. His only stoppage via strikes came against Anderson Silva. If Ellenberger is able to continue his calm, strategic style that he employed against Jay Hieron, he will be able to grind his way to a victory over Marquardt. He has to be careful not to get too excited in the opening rounds and go all out for the finish. If he does, Marquardt has the ability to make him pay like Martin Kampmann did. I think Ellenberger will do enough to stay calm and grind his way to a decision. Ellenberger via decision.

Carlos Condit (28-6, 5-2 UFC) vs. Johny Hendricks (14-1, 9-1 UFC):

Condit has not lost consecutive bouts since 2006. Meanwhile, Johny Hendricks is coming off a huge knockout victory over Martin Kampmann and “Bigg Rigg” has steamrolled his way through five straight UFC opponents. Condit is a very hard fighter to put away and I don’t see Hendricks being able to knock him out with one punch. Condit employed a masterful game plan against Nick Diaz that kept him at distance throughout the fight. Though he wasn’t able to do the same against Georges St. Pierre, Hendricks’ MMA wrestling is not at the same level as St. Pierre. Look for Condit to land powerful kicks that slow down the offensive wrestling of Hendricks. Condit will get taken down a few times, but he’ll get back up and punish Hendricks on the feet. Condit by decision.

Georges St. Pierre (23-2, 17-2) vs. Nick Diaz (26-8, 7-5 UFC):

St. Pierre showed no ill effects of his ACL reconstruction in his bout against Condit at UFC 154. He employed his time-tested game plan of takedowns and ground-and-pound. He’ll look to do the same against Nick Diaz, who is coming off a loss to the former interim champion. Diaz will try to punish the body and pepper the face of St. Pierre with punches. If St. Pierre freezes and succumbs to the pressure like BJ Penn did, he risks a stoppage from Diaz. I don’t think Diaz will be on his feet long enough to accumulate enough damage to stop St. Pierre. Much like his other title defenses, St. Pierre will take down Diaz and smother him for 5 rounds. Diaz is too tough to stop but it is possible St. Pierre can open up a cut that forces a doctors stoppage. Georges St. Pierre by doctor’s stoppage.

What do you think fight fans? Get at me @samgenovese on Twitter.

The fighters took to the scale for UFC 158 earlier today, and we now are officially a go for Saturday evening from Montreal.

In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz will finally settle their long-running feud.

Other key bouts include Carlos Condit-Johny Hendricks to determine the next contender in the welterweight division, and Jake Ellenberger vs. a returning Nate Marquardt.

Complete results from the weigh-ins can be found below:

MAIN CARD (PPV)

UFC Welterweight Championship
Georges St-Pierre (170 lbs.) vs. Nick Diaz (169 lbs.)

Carlos Condit (169 lbs.) vs. Johny Hendricks (171 lbs.)

Jake Ellenberger (170 lbs.) vs. Nate Marquardt (171 lbs.)

Chris Camozzi (185 lbs.) vs. Nick Ring (183 lbs.)

Mike Ricci (156 lbs.) vs. Colin Fletcher (155 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)

Patrick Cote (169 lbs.) vs. Bobby Voelker (169 lbs.)

Antonio Carvalho (145 lbs.) vs. Darren Elkins (145 lbs.)

Dan Miller (171 lbs.) vs. Jordan Mein (170 lbs.)

John Makdessi (155 lbs.) vs. Daron Cruickshank (155 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK)

Rick Story (169 lbs.) vs. Quinn Mulhern (168 lbs.)

T.J. Dillashaw (135 lbs.) vs. Issei Tamura (135 lbs.)

George Roop (135 lbs.) vs. Reuben Duran (135 lbs.)

UFC 158 Countdown features the fighters from the respective event, and it gives in site into the issues going on behind the curtain.

Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz

Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks

Nate Marquardt and Jake Ellenberger

Coming off his first loss in over three years, Carlos Condit wants nothing more than to step back inside the Octagon and hear his name called as the victor.

“The Natural Born Killer” will meet Johny Hendricks this Saturday night at UFC 158, and knows the importance of a win in such a key contest.

“Hendricks has called me out – I don’t mind being called out,” Condit said. “If somebody wants to fight you, that means you have something that they want. But (am I) worried? No. I’m gonna go in there and try to beat the (expletive) out of him.”

Originally, Condit was set to face Rory MacDonald in a rematch of a 2010 fight won by the former interim UFC welterweight champion. MacDonald was hurt, and Hendricks offered to step in.

“It’s a huge fight,” Condit stated. “It puts me right back in title contention with a win. It’s a risky fight, it’s dangerous; but the reward is definitely worth it.”

Condit’s posted a 28-6 career record, including wins over Nick Diaz, Jake Ellenberger, Dan Hardy and the aforementioned MacDonald. His style may not be the most entertaining to some people – looking at you Mr. Diaz – but he wins fights. This should be an interesting matchup between Condit and Hendricks.

Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Carlos Condit’s last two matches inside the Octagon have been against UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.

St-Pierre and Diaz will square off next Saturday night at UFC 158, while Condit meets Johny Hendricks in the co-main event.

During a recent conference call, nobody outside of GSP or Diaz were given much air time, but “The Natural Born Killer” did disclose his prediction for the main event.

“Nick will pose problems, but Georges will win,” Condit said.

Last year, Condit scored a decision victory over Diaz to secure the interim UFC welterweight title. The belt was created because St-Pierre was forced out of action due to back-to-back knee injuries.

Condit went on to fall by decision to GSP upon his return to action this past November.

Photo credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Johny Hendricks was like the rest of us earlier this week, as Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz put a hold on a conference call.

Hendricks, who will meet Carlos Condit next Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 158, didn’t take any issue with some comments Diaz made.

Diaz is set to meet GSP for the title, and questioned the style of fighting that wrestlers – like Hendricks – impose inside the Octagon. “Bigg Rigg” doesn’t necessarily agree with Diaz.

If he’s watched any of my fights, when have I ever took anybody down? I have wrestling. My background is wrestling. I have knockout power. Just because I don’t go out there and use it all, you don’t have to use it all to win fights. The most important thing is to win fights. It’s about getting your hand raised and the fans like that.

Hendricks (14-1) was the odds-on favorite to face St-Pierre after he unified the belts with Condit. However, GSP asked for Diaz instead, and Hendricks was left waiting.

In his 15 pro fights, Hendricks has scored eight knockout finishes and one submission triumph. He knocked out Martin Kampmann late last year after also scoring a KO over Jon Fitch in 2011.

For Johny Hendricks, he must continue to prove his ranking in the UFC’s welterweight division.

Hendricks will meet Carlos Condit later this month at UFC 159 in the co-main event. The championship belt will also be on the line that night, as Georges St-Pierre defends against Nick Diaz.

After his win over Martin Kampmann, “Bigg Rigg” anticipated a title fight of his own. Instead, GSP asked for Diaz, and he was set to meet Jake Ellenberger.

An injury to Rory MacDonald left Condit without an opponent, and Hendricks stepped in. During a recent interview with Inside MMA, he talked about competing for the title in the near future.

I haven’t gotten promised anything. “The only thing I do know is if I beat Condit, then there’s nothing else to prove. I’ve beat everybody else there is, and if we have to start beating other people, we need to drop down even lower.

Hendricks was very out-spoken after UFC officials confirmed GSP-Diaz, claiming that St-Pierre was afraid to face him. He owns five wins since 2011, including three first round finishes – two of which have come under 60 seconds.

Kampmann is a strong welterweight, but stepping up to meet Condit will not be an easy task for Hendricks. This is a former interim UFC champion, and he wants nothing more than to get right back into title contention.

Johny Hendricks is ready for his crack at The UFC’s current welterweight Georges St. Pierre, but that’s on the back burner until he fights former interim champ Carlos Condit

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit will now face Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 in the co-main event spot after an injury forced Rory MacDonald out.

While “The Natural Born Killer” was fully prepared to meet MacDonald, he sees the bout with Hendricks as a chance to silence an adversary.

“He’s called me out in the past, and now is his chance to try to back that talk up,” said Condit, in a statement released to Rebellion Media. “I’ll be ready for him.”

Condit, who lost to Georges St-Pierre in a title unification match late in 2012, added, “While I was disappointed to hear that Rory MacDonald is injured, I am glad that the UFC was able to find a strong replacement for the fight in Johny Hendricks. He is one of the toughest welterweights in the world, and has quickly risen up the ladder in our division.”

Hendricks was slated to meet Jake Ellenberger, but agreed to take on Condit instead. Ellenberger is rumored to be facing Nate Marquardt on the same card.

Malki Kawa, the manager for Condit, believes the change in opponent could actually move his fighter closer to another shot at the title.

“Fighting Johny Hendricks is the perfect opportunity for Carlos to earn another shot at the UFC welterweight title,” Kawa said. “Hendricks is the perfect replacement for Rory, keeping a No. 1 contender bout intact. It’s going to be an exciting fight.”

Photo credit: Sherdog

The decision to stack UFC 158 with welterweights has helped keep the main card looking strong, as Rory MacDonald has suffered an injury.

MacDonald was expected to face Carlos Condit in the co-main event, but he will be replaced by Johny Hendricks, according to MMAjunkie.com.

Hendricks’ original opponent, Jake Ellenberger, will await a new foe for the March card.

“Once we knew Rory had to withdraw, we started looking for potential replacements,” UFC president Dana White said. “Johny Hendricks called me and said he wanted that fight, so we’re going to give it to him a shot at Carlos.”

The UFC originally asked former Strikeforce champion Tarec Saffiedine to face Condit, but he turned down the bout.

Hendricks (14-1) was pegged as the No. 1 contender after defeating Martin Kampmann, but Georges St-Pierre requested a title match with Nick Diaz instead. Those two meet in the main event that evening.

Condit (28-6) is coming off a loss to GSP. He was looking to earn a second win over MacDonald (14-1), who suffered a neck injury in camp.