Author: Mike Hodges

Georges St-Pierre: Chael Sonnen Has The Perfect Style to Beat Anderson Silva

There are a majority of fans expecting Anderson Silva to retain the UFC middleweight title against Chael Sonnen, but Georges St-Pierre isn’t necessarily favoring the Brazilian in the rematch.St-Pierre, who has long been rumored to move up in weight to …

There are a majority of fans expecting Anderson Silva to retain the UFC middleweight title against Chael Sonnen, but Georges St-Pierre isn’t necessarily favoring the Brazilian in the rematch.

St-Pierre, who has long been rumored to move up in weight to face “The Spider” in a highly-anticpated superfight, gave his thoughts on the upcoming bout between the Silva and Sonnen, expected to take place in Brazil this summer.

While appearing on Canadian sports show UFC Central, St-Pierre analyzed the bout and said there are opportunities for Silva to adjust his style and defeat Sonnen, but he also pointed to the fact that performing in front of the Brazilian crowd won’t guarantee him a physiological advantage.

“Sometimes, because I fought in Canada, sometimes it’s makes you worse. It’s not an advantage fighting at home,” St-Pierre said. ” I think it could be even worse for Anderson Silva because he’s fighting in Brazil.”

Silva was taken down at will from his opponent in their last bout at UFC 117 last year, where Sonnen was nearly close to winning before the champion applied a triangle choke to submit his opponent in the final round. Sonnen has been credited to having some of the best wrestling in the sport, and it just happens to be Silva’s main weakness.

St-Pierre said if Sonnen can use angles to get inside of Silva, as opposed to charging straight forward, he can get the fight to the ground and win the bout.

“I believe he’s the got the perfect style to do it,” he said.

“If he can move standing up and not get hit, and find a way to close the distance and bring the fight to the ground, I think he’s got a good chance to win.”  

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Nick Diaz Tests Positive: What’s Next for Georges St. Pierre?

Nick Diaz’s drug test results have affected the welterweight division tremendously.The news might have not surprised most fans but it has left the Nevada State Athletic Commission and UFC management in an awkward position, including UFC President Dana …

Nick Diaz’s drug test results have affected the welterweight division tremendously.

The news might have not surprised most fans but it has left the Nevada State Athletic Commission and UFC management in an awkward position, including UFC President Dana White, who at this time is likely unsure on how to handle the remainder of Diaz’s tenure in the UFC.

Diaz is one of the most polarizing figures in the UFC, and while this likely is detrimental to his career, no other person is impacted more by this incident than UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

The champion intended on facing Diaz before a serious knee injury forced him out of the main event at UFC 143, allowing Carlos Condit to step in. The winner would be expected to meet St. Pierre later that year but it wasn’t the exact opponent that the Saint Isadore, Quebec native was expecting, as Condit defeated Diaz via unanimous decision in a five round interim title bout.

While Condit will surely provide a challenge to the champion, ultimately it was a long-awaited bout with Diaz that motivated St. Pierre to put on a inspiring performance and attempt to beat one of the biggest adversaries in his career.

There a few challenges left for St. Pierre at 170 pounds and a title bout against Diaz would have been the one opponent to potentially test him.

But now it feels more like a distant memory and the chances of ever witnessing a matchup between them is highly doubtful. 

St. Pierre will still continue to dominate the welterweight division and life will go on as he comfortably sits atop his weight class for the foreseeable future. However, fans will always ponder on Diaz’s missed opportunity and debate on a bout that would of solidified both fighters’ legacies as two of the greatest of all-time.

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Dan Henderson Interested in Competing in the Heavyweight Division

With Jon Jones and Anderson Silva scheduled to defend against Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen, respectively, it leaves UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson in an awkward position.At this point, it would seem like the 41-year-old’s chances of cha…

With Jon Jones and Anderson Silva scheduled to defend against Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen, respectively, it leaves UFC light heavyweight contender Dan Henderson in an awkward position.

At this point, it would seem like the 41-year-old’s chances of challenging for a UFC title are slim, but on the contrary, he isn’t looking for a title shot anytime soon. 

In fact, Henderson is just hoping to fight again. 

In an interview with ESPN.com, Henderson said he isn’t in the position to wait for an opponent to come around. If there is a fight that intrigues him, he’ll certainly step up and take it.

“That was never what I said or anything. My thoughts were I was waiting to see what happened with Rashad [Evans] and Phil Davis. That was the only thing I was going to wait for,” Henderson said. 

Henderson recently turned down a fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira because he said he didn’t see any benefit from it. The former Pride middleweight champion said he only considered that bout at the time, depending on the outcome involving Evans’ bout with Phil Davis.

So with no one left at 205 pounds momentarily, Henderson thought of testing his skills elsewhere—possibly in another weight class. 

“The problem is there’s really nobody right now who fits the bill for a title contention fight, that would make sense to fight me,” he said. “Maybe I’d fight at a different weight class. I don’t know if they see anybody at heavyweight that would make sense?”

Henderson’s last bout at heavyweight was against Fedor Emelianenko, which resulted in “Hendo” knocking out the Russian in the first round. Despite having to consume a lot of water to make weight for his bout with Emelianenko, Henderson said the thought of competing at heavyweight motivates him.

“Who do the fans want me to fight at heavyweight? I’d have to think about that,” he said. “I don’t know who is out there, but I did let the UFC know I’d be open to that as well.”

But wherever his next bout is contested, Henderson is hopeful it will lead him to a title shot, preferably at light heavyweight. And if there is one opponent in mind, Henderson would like it to be Jones, who he believes matches up well against.

“I think he’s definitely shown some inexperience,” he said of Jones. “He definitely—like anybody—has holes in his game, and I just think that my style would match up real well with him.” 

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Dana White on Georges St-Pierre: "He’s Still Far from Being Ready"

As Georges St-Pierre attempts to return to the UFC later this year, his progress continues to go well as he is currently recovering from a knee injury.UFC President Dana White commented on the champion’s status, and although he was confident that St-Pi…

As Georges St-Pierre attempts to return to the UFC later this year, his progress continues to go well as he is currently recovering from a knee injury.

UFC President Dana White commented on the champion’s status, and although he was confident that St-Pierre would step back in the Octagon, he said he’s still nowhere near 100 percent at this point.

“Georges has been rehabilitating and he’s been doing great. He is on track, but he is still far from being ready,” White told MMAWeekly.com during a post-fight press conference following UFC 143.

St-Pierre has currently been undergoing rehabilitation since late last year and he said he would be able to return to the Octagon as early as November. The longtime 170-pound champion tore his ACL prior to UFC 137, forcing him off of the card. He has remained out of action ever since then. 

White did reveal St-Pierre was suffering from a little pain in his knee after getting out of his seat following the event, but the UFC boss was adamant that he would be fully recovered.

“He’s getting the best physical therapy that you can get and he’s a hard worker,” he said of St-Pierre. “Some of these knee surgeries now are just as good—I mean, Jerry Rice, 10 years ago, came back from a knee surgery and was still awesome.  It depends on the individual, but these knee surgeries are way different than they used to be.”

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Anderson Silva: Chael Sonnen Needs to Start Training and Stop Talking

Anderson Silva believes Chael Sonnen’s endless trash-talk has worn thin as of late.Silva, who is set to rematch Sonnen later this year, has become fed up with the American provoking him recently and he has finally responded with some words of his own.D…

Anderson Silva believes Chael Sonnen’s endless trash-talk has worn thin as of late.

Silva, who is set to rematch Sonnen later this year, has become fed up with the American provoking him recently and he has finally responded with some words of his own.

During an appearance on UFC Tonight, the UFC middleweight champion retaliated against Sonnen and advised him to focus on their upcoming rematch, rather than continuing to belittle him.

“Chael talks too much,” Silva said. “Chael needs to train. No more talk, train.”

Sonnen and Silva first met at UFC 117, where Sonnen was able to test the Brazilian unlike any other opponent in Silva’s career. However, he was then submitted just moments before the bout ended.

Prior to that showdown, Sonnen unleashed a huge amount of trash-talk on Silva, creating tons of publicity for the fight.

However, despite the fact he lost, Sonnen has continued to verbally attack “The Spider,” even going as far as directing disparaging remarks towards his country, teammates and family.

This time around, Silva seems to have finally decided to respond and remind his opponent that their rematch will have an entirely different atmosphere than before. Indeed, their second encounter will take place in Brazil.

“Going to Brazil? Big problem,” he said.

With their rivalry hitting a boiling point, it is obvious to see why the Silva vs. Sonnen rematch is one of the most anticipated bouts of 2012.

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Georges St-Pierre Willing to Surrender UFC Welterweight Title to Fight Nick Diaz

Carlos Condit might have spoiled a future bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz at UFC 143, however the champion still intends on facing Diaz in the Octagon and he will go to extreme lengths to do so.According to FiveOuncesofPain.com, UFC feathe…

Carlos Condit might have spoiled a future bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz at UFC 143, however the champion still intends on facing Diaz in the Octagon and he will go to extreme lengths to do so.

According to FiveOuncesofPain.com, UFC featherweight Kenny Florian revealed during a segment on UFC Tonight that St-Pierre said he would be willing to relinquish the UFC welterweight in order to face Diaz. Florian said the conversation was held over a private dinner this past weekend between the two teammates after St-Pierre watched the main event at ringside.

St-Pierre is currently rehabilitating a knee injury, which forced him to pull out of his bout with the Stockton, CA native at UFC 137. 

Condit would fill in as his replacement and capitalized on the opportunity when he out-struck Diaz throughout five rounds to be awarded the victory via unanimous decision. It was seen as a somewhat controversial decision, and Condit has also took a considerable amount of criticism for his strategy during the bout.

However, with a possible rematch on the horizon, St-Pierre may still get his shot at facing Diaz later this year.

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