Tag: Georges St. Pierre

UFC Fight Night 25: Is Jake Ellenberger GSP’s Biggest Nightmare?

In the ultra-competitive world of mixed martial arts, there are two types of competitors.There are athletes that are content with playing it safe and winning on points and then there are fighters who are not satisfied until they have ruthlessly destroy…

In the ultra-competitive world of mixed martial arts, there are two types of competitors.

There are athletes that are content with playing it safe and winning on points and then there are fighters who are not satisfied until they have ruthlessly destroyed their opposition in every way imaginable.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is undeniably the best athlete in the sport today. St-Pierre has defended his championship six times since regaining the title in 2007.

With every defense, the champion has been dominant but, excluding B.J Penn’s corner throwing in the towel for a TKO stoppage at UFC 94, St-Pierre has not finished any of his challengers.

St-Pierre is the epitome of a great athlete but he is not the most dangerous man in the welterweight division.

After tonight, that title rests firmly around the waist of Jake Ellenberger. Not the UFC title, not yet at least, but the title of the division’s deadliest finisher.

At UFC Fight Night 25, it took Ellenberger a mere 53 seconds to do something that a 185-pound Dan Henderson couldn’t even do with his trademark “H-Bomb” (the very same “H-Bomb” that took Fedor Emelianenko out) and that was finish Jake Shields.

Surely a case can be made that Shields was not in the right frame of mind heading into the fight. He had just lost his father two weeks prior to the bout and instead of dropping out of the fight like most would, the valiant competitor decided to soldier on.

That, however, doesn’t discredit what Ellenberger did tonight because Shields likely would have been victorious if he competed against any other fighter in the division apart from those ranked in the top five.

Ellenberger is a welterweight destroyer with heavyweight punching power. Since bursting onto the UFC scene in 2009, the Omaha, Neb. native has finished four out of six fights and has done so in vicious fashion.

His lone Octagon defeat was a somewhat controversial split decision loss to current No. 1 contender Carlos Condit at UFC Fight Night 19.

That fight was Ellenberger’s Octagon debut and on numerous occasions he came close to adding Condit to his list of finished victims.

At UFC 137, Condit will challenge St-Pierre for the title and Ellenberger isn’t far away from facing the winner. Condit is certainly a threat to the champion but Ellenberger is St-Pierre’s true nightmare.

St-Pierre should, in all likelihood, be able to put Condit on his back and do what he has done in all of his recent title defenses, grind out a decision. He won’t have the same luxury with Ellenberger and if you find that statement to be absurd you will be proven wrong soon enough.

In addition to his powerful striking arsenal, Ellenberger is also regarded for being one of the most explosive wrestlers in the entire sport.

Of course, St-Pierre has out-wrestled fighters with far superior NCAA credentials than Ellenberger in the past, but that doesn’t guarantee that Ellenberger will suffer the same fate.

Just the opposite is true because Ellenberger is much quicker than any wrestling-based fighter that St-Pierre has ever competed against.

Ellenberger is that frightening matchup for St-Pierre that was previously thought to be non-existent. In the video packages for St-Pierre’s last few fights, the UFC has hyped his challengers as legitimate threats even though it was clear that they were outmatched even before the fights began.

This is a different circumstance. This isn’t fight-hype, this is real. Ellenberger is a fighter that you can actually believe would hurt St-Pierre and put the untouchable champion in danger. If it took Ellenberger just 53 seconds to put Shields away, imagine what he would be able to do to St-Pierre in a 25 minute title fight.

A former United States Marine, Ellenberger comes to fight whereas St-Pierre just simply comes to win. There’s nothing wrong with St-Pierre’s approach, but in a kill or be killed environment, Ellenberger would survive where St-Pierre would falter.

St-Pierre excels at dictating the pace of his fights, but when he is unsuccessful at doing just that, he crumbles. It has been a very long time since we’ve seen St-Pierre hurt or even frustrated for that matter and it’s very possible we will see him in both situations against Condit, but with Ellenberger it would be a guarantee.

No disrespect to Condit, but Ellenberger is the man to put an end to St-Pierre’s dominant reign as welterweight champion. When St-Pierre tosses and turns in his sleep, he’s thinking about Ellenberger’s knockout power.

For his sake, hopefully the nightmare doesn’t come true.

Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in MMA. In addition to being the longest running featured columnist in B/R MMA history and being the host of the edgy podcast MMA Mass Debation, Ciccarelli is also currently serving in the United States Air Force. Follow him on Twitter @mitchciccarelli.

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Jake Shields and 5 of Georges St-Pierre’s Toughest Opponents

According to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a video on the UFC’s Facebook page, Jake Shields is probably the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.The former Strikeforce middleweight champion stood toe-to-toe with the French Canadian for fi…

According to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a video on the UFC’s Facebook page, Jake Shields is probably the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.

The former Strikeforce middleweight champion stood toe-to-toe with the French Canadian for five grueling rounds in their championship bout at UFC 129.

Before facing Shields, St-Pierre hadn’t even lost a round in four years.

He wasn’t able to come away with a victory, but Shields proved that he was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world and certainly worthy of a UFC title shot.

Fans have come to expect dominance from St-Pierre, who has virtually destroyed every upper-echelon foe thrown his way.

Even with his everlasting dominance, there have been moments in St-Pierre’s UFC career where he’s faced adversity.

Join Bleacher Report as we reminisce on Georges St-Pierre’s toughest opponents.

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Georges St-Pierre: Is He Afraid of Fighting Anderson Silva?

I have finally come to the conclusion that Georges St-Pierre is daunted by the prospect of throwing down with Anderson Silva. St-Pierre recently spoke about his willingness to throw leather with Silva in the not-too-distant future, on one condition; th…

I have finally come to the conclusion that Georges St-Pierre is daunted by the prospect of throwing down with Anderson Silva.

St-Pierre recently spoke about his willingness to throw leather with Silva in the not-too-distant future, on one condition; that Silva be interdicted from participating in any fight until GSP gains the necessary weight that is required for their proposed fight.

I’m not privy to any fighter, mixed martial artist or otherwise, who has sat at home and counted sheep whilst his opponent cuts or adds weight so as to make an intended fight fair and square.

It doesn’t happen and it won’t happen in this case either, unless the UFC are willing to pay Silva a lot more than “Anderson Silva-type money” whilst being furloughed.

The mere suggestion that Silva should stay idle whilst St-Pierre juggles his weight is insulting to say the least and it reeks of fear on the part of St-Pierre.

Why else would St-Pierre make stipulations as such regarding the fight? He more than likely knows the UFC would never sanction something like that (unless as I stated above).

St-Pierre shouldn’t bow to media or fan pressure in making this fight happen if he knows he’s not up to the task.

What he should do is admit that Silva is the better man, and that a proposed fight would be ludicrous, instead of coming up with some half-baked desideratum for the fight to materialize.

There’s no shame in being afraid, it happens to the best of us. But making outrageous demands like that, will more than likely fall on deaf ears.

The best thing for St-Pierre is to stay in his weight class and continue his legacy; mind you, that legacy will take a bit of a bashing when he locks horns with Carlos Condit at UFC 137.

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UFC Fight Night 25: An In-Depth Look at the Welterweight Title Picture

Divisional superiority is, and always has been, one of the most heated debates in the world of MMA. Simply put, it’s easy to agree on who the top dog in the yard is, but it’s a bit more difficult to determine which yard has the toughest dog…

Divisional superiority is, and always has been, one of the most heated debates in the world of MMA.

Simply put, it’s easy to agree on who the top dog in the yard is, but it’s a bit more difficult to determine which yard has the toughest dogs.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is currently home to seven total weight classes from the heavyweights (that max out at 265 lbs) all the way down to the miniature bad-asses in the 135 lbs division.

Everyone who follows the sport seems to have their own opinion on which division is the most stacked. Truthfully, you could easily make a case for any one of those seven categories because each class is loaded with elite competitors.

Tonight, the welterweight division will be on display as top contenders Jake Shields and Jake Ellenberger collide in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, Louisiana. That bout is just one of several upcoming welterweight fights featuring the division’s cream of the crop.

With that said, let’s take a closer look at those matchups and the current title picture within the division.

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Georges St-Pierre Sets out Conditions to Fight Anderson Silva

Georges St-Pierre has told UFC Connected that he is willing to fight Anderson Silva, but only if the UFC agree to the terms that St-Pierre has outlined.Earlier in the week, St-Pierre told UFC Connected that he would want the promotion to ban Anderson S…

Georges St-Pierre has told UFC Connected that he is willing to fight Anderson Silva, but only if the UFC agree to the terms that St-Pierre has outlined.

Earlier in the week, St-Pierre told UFC Connected that he would want the promotion to ban Anderson Silva from competing so that St-Pierre has the time he needs to gain weight.

When asked about the difference in size, St-Pierre was aware of the seemingly large size difference between himself and Anderson Silva. He told Sportsnet.ca:

Anderson used to fight at 168lbs, just a few years ago in Japan. I don’t know what he truly walks around at. I’ve heard at times, 230lbs, he’s a very big guy.

I walk around at 188, 190lbs. To put on weight, or for me to lose weight, is very hard. I’m an ectomorph, that’s the body type and physique that I have. I have a hard time losing and gaining weight.

St-Pierre spoke of his need for time in order to move up in weight in order to face Anderson Silva, without hurting his style and performance inside of the cage:

I could do it, but it depends on the matter of time that I can do it in. It will definitely take time, but is the UFC willing to give me the time to do so? Same for the fans.

I will not be able to fight during that time and the same for Anderson, because what if he loses? No one is invincible; then this fight would be thrown out the window.

With St-Pierre stating the conditions for a proposed match, is this super-fight closer to happening than we all think?

For now, St Pierre meets Carlos Condit for the UFC welterweight championship at UFC 137. If St-Pierre is to lose to Carlos Condit, then fans will probably have to wait a little longer for the proposed super-fight between Silva and St-Pierre.

St-Pierre was also humble in the fact that he thinks that Anderson Silva is the greatest fighter in the world right now.

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UFC 137: Why Everything Bad Is Secretly GSP’s Fault

Being a fan of any sport, team or athlete entails certain rules. You know what I’m talking about, here.If you’re a Yankees fan, then a Red Sox fan probably hates your guts. If you’re a Maple Leafs guy, chances are your neighbor, the H…

Being a fan of any sport, team or athlete entails certain rules. You know what I’m talking about, here.

If you’re a Yankees fan, then a Red Sox fan probably hates your guts. If you’re a Maple Leafs guy, chances are your neighbor, the Habs fan, and you don’t get along. If you’re a Cowboys fan and your dad is a Redskins kind of guy, chances are you don’t talk much over Thanksgiving dinner. And if you’re Lebron James, well, everyone sort of hates you. That’s just the way it works.

MMA fandom has it’s rules, too. There’s the general ones, like “Boo every close decision no matter what” and “There’s no such thing as the wrong moment to start a USA chant!”. The one I’d like to focus on today is one of the foundational rules of the modern MMA fan: everything is GSP’s fault.

Boring fights. Bad matchmaking. Lopsided title matchups. Angry fans. The Hindenberg crash. Anything you can think of, cynical MMA fans are already blaming GSP for it. You want to be a “hardcore” MMA fan and not just one of those TapouT wearing “casuals”? Time to break with all your friends, tell your girlfriend she’s a lovestruck idiot, and start hating you some GSP.

Case in point: this whole GSP/Nick Diaz fiasco that went down this past week.

When Nick Diaz failed to show up to the UFC 137 press conference, I think most people’s reaction was “surprising, but not shocking.” When Dana White bounced Diaz from the main event because of it, people’s jaws fell a little closer to the floor. And when White then re-inserted Diaz back into the event – this time as the co-main event – people were downright floored.

The only thing that wasn’t surprising was Nick Diaz finding a way to blame it all on that filthy, filthy coward GSP.

Of course, Diaz also blamed his handlers, the UFC, the media, and the very institution of press conferences themselves for his inability to be even basically aware of his own affairs. His accusations lose some of their sting when they’re half weed-induced paranoia – and that’s the reasonable half.

Back on topic: blame GSP. It’s all his fault. When he heard Nick Diaz was being dropped from the title fight he should have stood up, ripped off his pinstripe suit Hulk Hogan-style, and demanded the original fight be put back together, brotha! But he didn’t, clearly because he’s deathly afraid of Nick Diaz.

GSP should have stuck his neck out for the completely unreliable, disrespectful, arguably undeserving challenger who can’t stop talking smack about him. And he should have done it solely because he took the time out of training to do his job like an idiot while Diaz stayed home, broke in his new bong, and played “Call of Duty” like a real man!

But alas, St. Pierre didn’t stick up for Diaz because, see, he’s not a “real fighter”. Hey, don’t take my word for it. According to Diaz, a “real fighter” like BJ Penn would throw down if, say, Diaz called him a little b*tch on the streets. Whereas GSP would need at least 3 months to come up with a gameplan, do some gymnastics, and fly out to Oakland to train with the Amber Lamps guy.

“Not a true fighter”.

What a strange thing for a #1 contender to call the champion he’s challenging. What a strange thing for so many fans to call the biggest crossover star in Mixed Martial Arts history.

Ask those fans why they think that, and the answer usually boils down to “he’s boring! He fights safe! He doesn’t finish people anymore! He doesn’t dominate and put away over matched competition, the way Anderson Silva does!”. Yes, because Anderson Silva’s never been in a boring fight, and always goes for the finish – just ask Thales Leites, Patrick Cote, or Demian Maia.

Yes, some of St. Pierre’s most recent fights have gone to decision, and haven’t exactly been barn-burners either. Luckily, the rule applies itself here again. Forget reasonable expectations for a fight, forget analysis and good judgment and basic common sense. Is a GSP fight boring? Then blame GSP – it’s as simple as that.

Like when he fights Jake Shields, a guy with elite level BJJ, a reputation as a grinder, and a chin capable of withstanding a Dan Henderson haymaker. What are the odds GSP is going to finish that guy? He probably isn’t a tighter BJJ player, and he probably can’t punch harder than Dan freakin’ Henderson. Combine that with Jake’s rep for slow, plodding fights, and you have what sounds to me like a surefire decision on your hands.

I’ve just described the normal, rational though process. That process doesn’t apply in this case, because it ignores the golden rule: blame GSP.

On second thought, this rule doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I need a little clarification here. GSP haters of the world: I turn to you.

Let’s assume the worst about him for a moment. Let’s assume everything you haters say about GSP is the gospel truth. Let’s assume for the moment that he’s a mentally weak, pillow-fisted front runner with a shaky set of whiskers and an aversion to risk, and in every fight he’s looking to jab, jab, double-leg to a decision win.

I have but two questions:

Why can’t this man be beat? If his strategy never changes, and he has all those obvious weaknesses, why can’t anybody beat him? Hell, why in the last three years – while fighting the toughest list of title challengers of any champion in MMA – has no one even come close?

And the second question: why is every boring fight entirely his fault? I mean Jake Shields said he was going to take GSP down and submit him. In the event, he didn’t connect on one single takedown. Why aren’t you guys mad at Jake for being so ineffective? Why don’t we hate him for not doing anything in that fight except trying to park his thumb in GSP’s eye socket?

Josh Koscheck said he was going to knock GSP out. For 25 minutes, GSP stood right in front of him, and he couldn’t get anything going, even before Georges broke his face. Don’t we hate him for abandoning his wrestling, abandoning his kickboxing, and forgetting to pull the trigger?

Dan Hardy knew he was going to fight GSP for months, and that his only chance to win was on the feet. Don’t we hate him for being so inadequate in his defensive wrestling?

For most fans, asking these sort of questions is both daunting, and unnecessary. Instead, let’s just agree to keep blaming GSP for the obvious reasons we’ll never admit to each other: he’s got a funny accent, our girlfriends would leave us for him, and he really doesn’t need or care about the support of hardcore MMA fans, the bastard. 

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