Tag: Georges St. Pierre

Georges St. Pierre: Should He Be Stripped of His UFC Welterweight Title?

For the second time leading up to successive championship bouts, Georges St. Pierre has been forced to pull out, this time due to a completely torn ACL in his right knee as well as MCL damage. Through no fault of his own, the UFC welterweight champion …

For the second time leading up to successive championship bouts, Georges St. Pierre has been forced to pull out, this time due to a completely torn ACL in his right knee as well as MCL damage.

Through no fault of his own, the UFC welterweight champion has now broken down twice (due to knee injuries) in as many months.

First he was scheduled to throw down with Nick Diaz in October at UFC 137, but that went up in smoke as the latter was bounced from the event following his no-show at several press junkets.

Carlos Condit was then fast-tracked to the rank of No. 1 contender, and that’s when St. Pierre’s troubles began.

Nonetheless, the proposed bout with the aforementioned was called off after St. Pierre suffered an injury to the same knee that has caused this latest setback.

Needless to say, Diaz was later reinstated as No. 1 contender after he defeated B.J Penn in the main event of UFC 137. And with a little trash-talking from the Stockton native to help things along, St. Pierre vs. Diaz was forthwith slated for Super Bowl weekend.

His recent injury, however, has put a halt to that, and Diaz will once again take centre stage at UFC 143 alongside Condit, only this time for the interim welterweight belt.

Therein lies the problem: By the time St. Pierre gets back to the Octagon, the total amount of time he’d have spent on the sidelines could be anything up to 18 months or more.

So, whomsoever is interim champion at the time will have two choices—either wait for St. Pierre to make a full recovery and then fight for the belt or keep that momentum going, hence risking their interim status.

The 209 son, I’m sure Diaz will vouch for the latter if he wins his bout with Condit (maybe Condit will as well).

The bottom line is this: St. Pierre should be stripped off the title whilst Diaz and Condit should be allowed to duke it out for the honors. And whenever he recuperates from his injuries, he’ll have first refusal to fight for the belt regardless of who is champion at the time or due to any other underlying circumstances.

I’m quite aware that anyone in his position would take absolute umbrage to having what they’ve worked so hard for ripped from their grasp.

Be that as it may, what’s the difference? Not a lot really, apart from the fact that this time he’ll be the challenger and still the main attraction.

Also, St. Pierre will be in a championship bout, only this time he’ll be fighting to regain his crown. If he’s determined to recapture that glory, as I think he will be, then maybe this time he might actually finish a fight.

We might see a new and improved St. Pierre with the “Rush” moniker firmly placed in between his handles.

Of course the downside is, once a champion has attained glory, they’ll make damn sure to hold on to it for as long as possible, which again brings me back to how much would St. Pierre wants his title back?

Enough to go all out and end things in dramatic fashion.

Still, I wholly understand that he’s a pay-per-view magnet for the UFC hierarchy, but it stands to reason that a championship bout will garner more interest than a non-title bout or interim match.

And since the Zuffa-based company is all about dollars and cents, then it makes sense.

I would go so far as to say that interim titles are the worst-kept secret, but they’re irrelevant and a waste of time.

At UFC 143, Diaz and Condit should be vying for the vacant UFC Welterweight title and not the interim title.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre’s Doctor Says He Expects a Full Recovery in 6-9 Months

Despite initial reports suggesting that Georges St-Pierre’s recovery process would require him to miss the majority of next year, St-Pierre’s physician, Dr. Sebastian Simard, expects the recovery time to be much shorter. St-Pierre and Simard held …

Despite initial reports suggesting that Georges St-Pierre’s recovery process would require him to miss the majority of next year, St-Pierre’s physician, Dr. Sebastian Simard, expects the recovery time to be much shorter. 

St-Pierre and Simard held a press conference to discuss the extent of his knee injury, and MMAFighting.com revealed the recovery process via Twitter.

“GSP’s doctor: I’m expecting a full recovery for GSP in six to nine months,” MMAFighting.com wrote.

St-Pierre was originally scheduled to face Nick Diaz at UFC 143, after Diaz provoked the champion in his post-fight interview, claiming he was scared to face the former Strikeforce welterweight champ. 

St-Pierre’s injury has now forced him off of the card, which will now feature an interim title bout between Diaz and Carlos Condit to headline the event.

Simard elaborated on the injury and said that surgery was mandatory. 

“There’s no way he can compete with the problem on the right knee,” Simard said. “The technique that’s going to be used is the technique of anatomical ACL reconstruction, which is the best technique for this kind of injury.”

Although St-Pierre will be out of action for the foreseeable future, Simard expects him to make a full recovery and return to the octagon at 100 percent. 

“His recovery rate is completely off the charts,” he said.  

“He has an amazing genetics and he has extraordinary physical capabilities, and I know Georges has the discipline and the determination that’s gonna allow him to be back to the same level of competition that he was before the injury.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: They Can Continue to Thrive Without Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva

As you may or may not already know, it was recently announced on Twitter by UFC president Dana White that reigning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is officially out of his bout at UFC 143 against Nick Diaz. In the same tweet, White also announc…

As you may or may not already know, it was recently announced on Twitter by UFC president Dana White that reigning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is officially out of his bout at UFC 143 against Nick Diaz. In the same tweet, White also announced that Carlos Condit will now face Nick Diaz for the interim title on the same night.

This will start off 2012 right where 2011 left off. In 2011, 10 UFC main events were scrapped due to injury. In some cases, fans were treated to some sub-par main events, but in others, some big-named fighters like Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz.

This injury marks the second straight event St-Pierre has been forced out of due to injury. Before the latest sting he was originally scheduled to face off against Condit at UFC 137, but an injury forced him off that card.

St-Pierre, along with current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, will both be out of commission until middle to late 2012. Even without two of their biggest stars able to compete for quite a while, the UFC is still in fantastic shape.

As of now, fans still have Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, Chael Sonnen vs. Mark Munoz, Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson, along with another big-name fight yet to be announced for UFC on FOX 2 to look forward to. And all of that is just in the first quarter of 2012.

Then you have Junior dos Santos, Jon Jones, Dominick Cruz and a slew of other exciting fighters that we are sure to see in action before the summer of 2012 comes around.

While St-Pierre and Silva being out of action is a huge letdown, there is still plenty of MMA action lined up in early 2012 for all mixed martial arts fans excited about. It will just be the icing on the cake when two of the sport’s biggest stars return to action 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Curse of Georges St. Pierre Vs. Nick Diaz

So by now we’ve all heard that Georges St. Pierre has unfortunately blown out his ACL and will be unable to fight for 10 months. Carlos Condit has stepped in to face Nick Diaz at.

So by now we’ve all heard that Georges St. Pierre has unfortunately blown out his ACL and will be unable to fight for 10 months. Carlos Condit has stepped in to face Nick Diaz at UFC 143 for the Interim-Welterweight belt. This would all sound standard and routine in a sport whose athletes face the possibility of injury at every corner when training for their upcoming bout, but the saga that is Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz is anything but typical.

Is Nick Diaz the unluckiest fighter in the UFC or is he correct in his views that Georges St. Pierre is ducking him? The latter sounds like an imaginitive farce and Diaz is hardly someone who isn’t responsible for some of the troubles he’s faced upon his UFC return…

Nick Diaz was of course supposed to meet GSP in the Octagon at the infamous “Expect the Unexpected” UFC 137. But, he wasn’t told about his flight for press duties in Toronto or he decisively missed them, you be the judge. Dana White excused Diaz and was assured he would attend the next presser just a day later in Las Vegas, Nevada. That day we were not surprised by the infamous empty chair conference where the announcement was made that White could no longer trust Diaz to appear in the Octagon come fight night, and Carlos Condit was the far trust worthier (if not perhaps, all around worthier) opponent for Georges St. Pierre.

Meanwhile, Nick Diaz was driving back to Stockton, CA as he vehemently explained, he was on his way to Vegas to attend the conference when he was told he no longer was fighting. However, as luck (if you’d like to call it luck) would have it, Dana White did trust Nick Diaz enough to show up on fight night as a Co-Main Eventer against BJ Penn.

Just one week before the fight, Georges St. Pierre was injured with a blown ACL in his knee and the main event against Carlos Condit was scrapped. BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz was promoted in its place and Diaz soon began to positively change the minds of media and fans as he stepped up and fulfilled all press obligations. Diaz then put on a main event worthy performance as be battered BJ Penn through three rounds, making the legendary former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight champion consider retirement.

Nick Diaz immediately called out Georges St. Pierre who sat feet away from the Octagon. He said GSP was ducking him and questioned the validity of his ACL injury. This disrespect infuriated GSP and an hour later Carlos Condit lost his title shot as GSP was intent on fighting Nick Diaz over Super Bowl weekend at UFC 143. Diaz believed he was getting the fight mostly because we all wanted to see him get a whuppin’. Yet, Diaz gained far more new fans that night and proved he was a laudable title challenger.

It was just days ago that GSP told the Montreal Gazette he had Nick Diaz’s number:

“I truly believe (Diaz) deserves the fight. He’s a fight that I want and a fight that everybody wants to see. He’s a very good boxer, probably one of the best in mixed martial arts. Also very good jiu-jitsu. But I believe I’m better than him everywhere. He’s fought very well, but I know I have his number. I will beat him.”

Ah, but apparently, the line went dead as today it was announced GSP must hang it up for nearly a year, after his second blow to his ACL. Diaz now faces the challenge of Carlos Condit for an Interim title, which is putting everything on the line for both these guys. No fighter who’s worked as hard as these two wants to fight for a title that isn’t against the true champion. Each of these guys were close to their shot against the untouchable Georges St. Pierre so prepare for the fight of their lives as only one will get the chance and the other will have to go back in that long line of Welterweights and at least get a couple more wins before they get near the mountain top.

As for GSP and Nick Diaz ever meeting in the cage? Diaz is definitely being tested. There is always the most epic of battles at the end of a trilogy, so the next time we hear Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz announced, it may be a death match.

Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva: Will Their Injuries Impact UFC’s Growth?

Today the UFC suffered a huge blow as Dana White announced through Twitter that Georges St-Pierre will be out for 10 months due to an ACL injury. St-Pierre was scheduled to take on Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend. Diaz is now scheduled …

Today the UFC suffered a huge blow as Dana White announced through Twitter that Georges St-Pierre will be out for 10 months due to an ACL injury. 

St-Pierre was scheduled to take on Nick Diaz at UFC 143 on Super Bowl weekend. Diaz is now scheduled to take on Carlos Condit for the interim title instead.

With St-Pierre out, the UFC is now down their two top fighters. 

Anderson Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, will be out for the early part of 2012 as he nurses a shoulder injury. 

Silva and St-Pierre are two of MMA’s biggest superstars. Both Silva and St-Pierre have been on lengthy winning streaks and are the longest reigning champions in UFC history. 

Although many fans complain about St-Pierre being boring, he is still one of the UFC’s biggest draws. 

With the UFC making moves to go mainstream in 2012, having two of their biggest stars out may hurt the company. 

However, it may also help the UFC make new stars. 

Current UFC champs Jon Jones, Dominick Cruz, Junior dos Santos and Jose Aldo have all looked nearly unstoppable and are all under the age of 28. 

There are other young fighters like Diaz and Condit who could make a huge splash with a mainstream audience, too.

What’s more, the UFC’s biggest star, Brock Lesnar, will be returning at the end of the month and could have a big 2012. 

While the news that St-Pierre will be out for a while is bad, the UFC will continue to grow. 

2011 could have been a disaster year for the UFC as many big fights were changed or delayed and many UFC greats retired.

Instead, it turned out to be one of the best years in the organization’s history. 

2012 will be even bigger, despite St-Pierre and Silva’s injuries. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

GSP injured, with blown out ACL and laid off for ten months. Carlos Condit will fight Nick Diaz at UFC 143 for Interim Welterweight title. TUF 15 on FX will feature Dominick Cruz and Urijiah.

GSP injured, with blown out ACL and laid off for ten months. Carlos Condit will fight Nick Diaz at UFC 143 for Interim Welterweight title.

TUF 15 on FX will feature Dominick Cruz and Urijiah Faber as coaches.

UFC on Fox 2 adds Michael Bisping vs. Demian Maia to the card.

Efrain Escudero returns to the UFC, faces Jacob Volkmann at UFC 141.

Ramsey Nijem injured. Danny Castillo to replace Nijem against Anthony Njoukani at UFC 141.

Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar feud continues as Mir disses Lesnar’s commentating skills.