Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz only met once in the cage – but it was enough to become one of the memorable rivalries within the UFC. With GSP and the older Diaz brother being consummate professionals, this rivalry doesn’t have as much bad blood as you may expect. Instead, it was a slow burn, building up to a single fight at UFC 158.
Today we’re looking at the setup for that fight, along with who walked away as the victor and what happened after that. With Diaz still fighting in the UFC, though his record has suffered lately, you may want to check out the UFC odds if he ever takes to the cage again.
Calling Out GSP
Like with all great fighters, many fans wanted to see the bout between GSP and Diaz before it materialized. It was one of those “what if?” scenarios that seemed inevitable as both men eyed the UFC welterweight title.
Then, after Nick Diaz bested B.J. Penn at UFC 137 with a unanimous decision, he called out an injured GSP by saying that he isn’t injured, he’s just scared to fight, ending with “where you at Georges?” In the audience, Georges awkwardly laughs and pretends to shake his hands for the camera.
GSP accepted the call out, scheduling a fight with Diaz for UFC 143. Unfortunately, GSP got injured again during training and so Carlos Condit stepped up to face Diaz for the interim welterweight title.
The Condit Fights
This is where we take a slight detour to the Condit fights, where both Diaz and GSP fought Condit. Diaz had to fight him as a substitute at UFC 143, a fight that Condit would win by UD. However, many people felt that Diaz should have won, and one of those people was Georges St-Pierre. They believed that Diaz clearly won rounds one, two, and five, and should have translated to winning the whole thing.
At any rate, Carlos Condit becomes the interim welterweight champion in February of 2012. To unify the title, he then had to fight GSP that November, at UFC 154. Just like his fight with Diaz, Condit went all the way, but it was GSP who won by a UD this time.
By doing so, GSP becomes the welterweight champ and St-Pierre VS Diaz is scheduled for UFC 158.
The Fight
This is where the rivalry gets most heated, mainly in the pre-fight media events before UFC 158. Dana White revealed that GSP had called Diaz’s call out one of “the most disrespectful human beings” and promised to put “the worst beating” on him.
At a press conference just two days before the fight, Diaz accused GSP of not fighting any “hitters” in his career as he had and lamented the UFC’s focus on wrestling over fist-fighting. Clearly, the implication was that, when they met in the cage, Diaz was going to outbox GSP for the win.
Diaz also told a story of the two meeting at a hotel two years prior, where he implied that GSP was afraid of him. St-Pierre, typically reserved, picked up his mic to ask, “do you think I am scared of you?” multiple times.
As for the actual fight, it was yet another five-round affair where both fighters clashed. With 50-45 all around, George St-Pierre won the bout by a UD. He outlasted Diaz’s strikes while never taking Diaz down with one of his submissions, winning on the terms that Diaz had ranted about in the pre-fight conference.
Shaking Hands
Many years after their March 2013 face-off, GSP and Nick Diaz would come face to face again in 2021. Nick Diaz returned to fight Robbie Lawler last year and, while it didn’t go well for him, he was recorded shaking hands with GSP backstage hours before the bout started.
If that’s any indication, the rivalry between the pair seems to have ended as GSP offered his support to Diaz on his return to the cage.
Conclusion
That’s everything there is to say about the rivalry between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz. GSP is now fully retired, enjoying his newfound place in the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Nick Diaz still wants to fight, but his future is uncertain as many think he’s lost his edge.
Even if they could fight again, it seems that they have squashed the beef between them. For now, the pair will have to settle for competing in one of the most anticipated welterweight match-ups in UFC history.