UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (21-2) has less than a week left before he defends his title for a sixth straight time when he meets No. 1 contender Jake Shields this Saturday at UFC 129.
St-Pierre has spent months preparing himself against the submission skills that Shields brings into the octagon by preparing with such notable Jiu-Jitsu practitioners such as Roger Gracie, in England, and with Renzo Gracie, in New York.
Speaking with Tatame.com, St-Pierre talked about his preparations to face Shields “American Jiu-Jitsu” on April 30 in front of 55,000 fans at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
How was this experience of training with great Jiu-Jitsu fighters, like Roger Gracie and Braulio Estima? Are you training with them all along or just doing this final part of your preparation?
I’m a mixed martial artist. Brazilian JIu-Jitsu is my favorite sport, so I want to become better at it, and especially for this fight. I’m fighting an expert in Grappling, so I want to be able to use Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to come for a submission.How do you see Jake Shields’ Jiu-Jitsu and the techniques he uses in MMA?
Jake Shields calls it Grappling American Jiu-Jitsu, because he doesn’t train with the gi. Me, I want to know American Jiu-Jitsu, but I’m using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’m training with the best on the sport right now.Which advantages you think you have by training with the gi for a MMA fight? Do you think it brings you different techniques you’ll use on the fight?
Sure… I believe that it makes your game more technical, and I believe it’s very important.You’ve been dominating this division for a long time. Beating Jake Shields, do you still think there’re challenges for you in this division?
I think I’ll always gonna have challenges everywhere because nobody is invincible, and everyone can be beaten if they do any mistake.