After more than a year of waiting for Carlos Condit's bout with Georges St-Pierre, it's (almost) here. Read on for picks from Yahoo! Sports columnist Kevin Iole, the author of this post and Cagereaders who shared their picks on Cagewriter's Facebook page.
Kevin Iole -- Carlos Condit W5 Georges St-Pierre: I believe that St-Pierre is the better fighter, but he is also dealing with much more. His injured knee is supposedly better than ever, but does St-Pierre have belief that that is truly the case? Condit is extremely well-rounded and will be a threat even when (not if) St-Pierre takes him down. If they fought 10 times, I think St-Pierre would probably win eight, but I see UFC 154 as one of the 10 that Condit would win.
Maggie Hendricks -- Georges St-Pierre W5 Carlos Condit: GSP has had more than a year to prepare for this fight, and preparation has always been his friend. While rehabbing his knee, he had plenty of time to sit and think about the best ways to beat Condit.
Cagereader:? I think GSP has it, simply because of his karate background. He sits out a good 2 feet farther than most fighters to set up his attacks which makes those big shots from condit (who other than the Diaz fight liked to stand in the pocket and throw) very unlikely.? -- Trey Burrus
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[Related: Watch UFC 154 live on Yahoo! Sports]
Kevin Iole -- Johny Hendricks TKO3 Martin Kampmann: Hendricks has grown tremendously as a fighter and is not the same timid one-trick pony he was when he trained with Kampmann at Xtreme Couture. I look for Hendricks to control the early going with wrestling before catching Kampmann with a hard shot late.
Maggie Hendricks -- Johny Hendricks W3 Martin Kampmann: If Hendricks is smart, he will use his wrestling to control and beat up on Kampmann for three rounds. It will keep Kampmann from being able to come up with a late comeback win, and put Hendricks in the conversation for the welterweight title shot.
Cagereader -- In the end I see Kampmann pulling out another come from behind win. His determination, hard work and perseverance will get him the victory. He will get bloody and rocked a few times and the bout will be pretty even with a slight edge to Hendricks when in the third round Kampmann pulls out the submission victory. -- Roberto Garza
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Kevin Iole -- Francis Carmont W3 Tom Lawlor: Carmont has the height and the range to make things difficult for Lawlor, who has struggled when he's stepped up in competition. Carmont will control the fight with his strikes and his movement and will win a clear decision.
Maggie Hendricks -- Francis Carmont SUB2 Tom Lawlor: Though it's Carmont's first time on a big pay-per-view card, he will shine and show off his considerable submission skills.
Cagereader: Carmont wins with better cardio than Lawlor, and being just slightly better in every facet besides KO power. -- Kyle Zaepfel
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Kevin Iole -- Nick Ring W3 Costas Philippou: Philippou is improving fight by fight and his confidence is rising, but Ring is the more well-rounded fighter and that should be the difference in this one.
Maggie Hendricks -- Costas Philippou W3 Nick Ring: Since losing to Nick Catone in his UFC debut, Philippou has been on a winning streak. With the bright lights and main card status, he has the opportunity to show off how good he is.
Cagereader -- Costa wins via R2 TKO. He has superior boxing skills and really good takedown defense. We haven't really seen his submissions but you know he is training with Matt Serra and Chris Weidman so expect him to have above average grappling skills. Not to mention he has a strength advantage. PLUS he is riding a four-fight winning streak. -- Christian Hagopian
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[Related: Georges St-Pierre has 'found the fire again' after tough injury]
Kevin Iole -- Mark Hominick TKO2 Pablo Garza: Hominick took Jose Aldo the distance, but is coming into the fight on a three-match losing streak. He knows he's fighting for his job and I think his superior striking will lead him to a job-saving win.
Maggie Hendricks -- Pablo Garza W3 Mark Hominick: There's a lot of pressure on Mark Hominick. He's fighting in front of a Canadian crowd and fighting for his job. He hasn't shown himself to be a pressure player in the past, which is Garza's opportunity to shine.
Cagereader: Garza is a tough fight for anyone, but Hominick is hungry and his last fight he was dealing with his friend's death. I see a more focused Hominick this time around and I see him winning the fight!! -- Lehi Dominguez
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