• UFC 154

St-Pierre: Condit tougher than Hughes or Penn

Georges St-Pierre claims Carlos Condit will be the toughest fight of his career when the pair clash for the UFC welterweight title on November 17.

St-Pierre has beaten every top name that the 170lb division has thrown up over the past eight years, including legendary figures such as Matt Hughes and BJ Penn. Only Hughes and Matt Serra have beaten him, and on both occasions the Canadian avenged those losses.

However, he says his UFC 154 main event with Condit is tougher than anything he has previously faced, partially due to a 19-month absence from the Octagon but more significantly due to the talent of Condit.

"I've spent a year-and-a-half waiting to fight, I'm back stronger and better than ever," St-Pierre said. The hardest part of being out for so long is being inactive, being unable to do what you love for a living.

"This is the biggest challenge of my whole career, I'm fighting the toughest fight I've ever fought. And I have to come off a long layoff.

"The biggest thing Condit has is capacity of adaptation. He can adapt to any opponent he fights. That's why he's so good. He's very skilled, but he's also very smart."

A knee ligament injury has kept St-Pierre from defending his title for over a year-and-a-half, but he insists he will be 100 per cent fit in Montreal. Condit could employ cynical tactics by targeting the knee with leg kicks, but St-Pierre is not concerned.

"I'm not scared of Carlos Condit. I hope he targets my knee. It's not a weakness anymore. There's nothing I can't do on it now. I'll leave with the belt, there's no doubt in my mind."

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