Tag: Georges St. Pierre

Dan Hardy Will Stay in the UFC, Looks to Re-Evaluate His Career

Following his loss to Chris Lytle at UFC on Versus 5, it was all but certain that Dan Hardy’s time in the Octagon had run out. But UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta assured the British striker will remain in the organization despite suffering his fourth co…

Following his loss to Chris Lytle at UFC on Versus 5, it was all but certain that Dan Hardy’s time in the Octagon had run out. 

But UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta assured the British striker will remain in the organization despite suffering his fourth consecutive defeat. A bad string of luck would have any fighter receive their walking papers, but it appears Hardy is a little more fortunate.

“It’s a nice vote of confidence from the big boss,” Hardy told MMAJunkie.com following the event.

“Obviously, a lot of people are three losses and out. I’m obviously four down now, and I appreciate he’s going to give me another opportunity.’

Hardy came into the UFC with a lot of momentum behind him, tallying off three victories, which would lead to a UFC title shot against Georges St-Pierre. Along with his punk-rock image and brawler-like attitude, It would seem that the organization would have another star to market in the United Kingdom following Michael Bisping’s success. 

But Hardy would endure back-to-back losses to St-Pierre, Carlos Condit and Anthony Johnson. It would be a different story had he lost to mid-tier level competition, but luckily Hardy has been able to stay in competitive bouts. And with possibly one last opportunity, Hardy said he wants to step away from competition and improve his skills as a mixed martial artist. 

“I think my head’s elsewhere to be honest. I’m going to step back a little bit and take some time,” he said.

Hardy has already began to make adjustments to his game plan, as he has relocated to Las Vegas full-time. And perhaps battling against adversity with a successful training camp, along with a successful mindset, might just be what Hardy needs to readjust himself and return to action.

“I think if they are going to give me one more fight, then I really need to take some time and come back reinvented,” he said.

“If I’ve got one more fight, then I’ll take one more fight. But maybe it won’t be for a little while.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and the 13 Most Hated Fighters in MMA History

Even though the history of mixed martial arts is relatively short compared to other sports, it is now without its share of legendary characters that rub fans the wrong way for one reason or another.These fighters, despite being hated by fans, develop…

Even though the history of mixed martial arts is relatively short compared to other sports, it is now without its share of legendary characters that rub fans the wrong way for one reason or another.

These fighters, despite being hated by fans, develop a large amount of star power and become huge draws due to the fact that fans will pay for the possibility to see them get what they deserve in the Octagon.

Who are some of these fighters and why are they so hated? Read and find out, but keep in mind it’s difficult to definitively rank exactly how hated someone is. Thus, the list isn’t ranked per se, but generally goes from least hated amongst hated fighters to most hated.

Begin Slideshow

Jon Fitch, Dominick Cruz and Five UFC Fighters to Watch If You Have Insomnia

Yes, boring fighters exist in combat sports, especially in MMA.Sometimes it’s because they take people down and hold them there, sometimes it’s because they pin opponents against the cage for three rounds and sometimes it’s the fact that they’re just s…

Yes, boring fighters exist in combat sports, especially in MMA.

Sometimes it’s because they take people down and hold them there, sometimes it’s because they pin opponents against the cage for three rounds and sometimes it’s the fact that they’re just so hard to catch.

Now, for some people like myself, guys such as the more-elusive fighters are actually interesting to watch because you never know when they’ll pull the trigger and land their proverbial one-kill-shots on opponents, but if you’re an insomniac and haven’t gotten a good night’s rest since the sixth grade, there’s a good chance that some guys might actually help out with that.

It’s tough to say who would be the biggest cure for insomnia outside of the UFC, but wherever you look, there are guys that are just flat out boring to watch in MMA. The only reason we watch them fight is really in the hopes that whomever they face will be the man to put them in a coma.

Some of the guys you’re about to see will cure your insomnia and there might be some that may actually cause it to linger for some, but all of the men you’re about to see have been accused of being boring fighters.

Would you guys like to meet these five guys?

Begin Slideshow

UFC News: UFC and Fox Reportedly Agree to Network TV Deal

Sports Business Daily has broken some epic news regarding the UFC and Fox.The two parties have agreed to a deal that says that the UFC will air up to four events per year on the major network. The details of the deal should be very enticing for the vas…

Sports Business Daily has broken some epic news regarding the UFC and Fox.

The two parties have agreed to a deal that says that the UFC will air up to four events per year on the major network.

The details of the deal should be very enticing for the vast majority of fight fans, with the main points being as follows:

This is believed to be a seven- or eight-year deal with bidding have reached up to $90 million per year.

Programs featured on Spike and Versus, like The Ultimate Fighter and UFC Live, will now be featured on the FX network. 

UFC programming will also now make its way onto the Fox-owned Fuel network; however, Fuel has no plans of becoming a UFC channel.

This deal “would have included NBC and Versus and would have seen G4 re-branded as a UFC channel, but those talks recently broke down.” 

The SBD article also mentions that the Versus and Spike TV deals with the UFC expire at the end of 2011 and that a deal with Comcast/NBC at one point looked very possible. The UFC also expressed an interest with renewing their deal with Spike, but the MTV subsidiary stated that they had no interest in making a new deal.

In 2005, Spike noted that UFC programs such as Unleashed, Knockouts and Countdown averaged about one million viewers.

This year, those shows are averaging less than half of that—around 492,000 viewers per show.

An interesting note is that “Spike holds the rights to UFC library programming through ’12, including old fights and shoulder programming such as UFC Unleashed.”

Both Fox and the UFC have refused to officially comment on the deal just yet, but multiple sources are reporting that the negotiation is in the record books.

Should things move forward as planned, this move will be huge in making MMA a more of mainstream sport.

UPDATE: 4:33 Eastern Time

UFC president Dana White is telling MMA Junkie that the deal has not yet been finalized.

“We’ve been very smart, and we’ve taken our time and built this thing slowly, just like you do any other business,” he said. “No matter what carrots were dangling out there in front of us, we know we’re in this thing for the long haul.

“We’re not in this thing to make money and everything else. We’re in this for the long haul. We got into this because we love this sport. We’re passionate about it, and what we want to do is build a sport.

“To me, building a sport is where everybody all over the world plays by the same rules. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re working on, and when the right deal comes, we’ll take it.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 137: Georges St. Pierre the Best, but Nick Diaz the Most Dangerous

There are certain intangibles that exist in the mixed martial arts world. In order to be the man, you have to beat the man. Legacies cement legendary status. There are an infinite amount of other cliches that exist, but that doesn’t make them any …

There are certain intangibles that exist in the mixed martial arts world. 

In order to be the man, you have to beat the man. Legacies cement legendary status. There are an infinite amount of other cliches that exist, but that doesn’t make them any less true. 

For Georges St. Pierre, he is well regarded by everyone as a gentleman and embodies the true definition of what a martial artist should be. However, his legacy is still left wanting. It could be a while before we forget that the reigning UFC welterweight champion was outgunned by the pasta-loving New Yorker in Matt Serra, who throttled the Canadian for his 170-pound strap back in 2007. 

It’s a bout four years in the books, but it’s a pattern that became apparent as early as 2004, when GSP was pitted against his idol in Matt Hughes in just his third UFC appearance. Georges, then just a prospect in the sport, threw away a fight he was winning be succumbing to an ill fated armbar in the waning moments of the first-round.

Granted, St. Pierre avenged both those losses in dominant fashion—Hughes twice over just for good measure—but even in his last victory over Jake Shields, did his ugly tendencies leer their weary head again.

Shovel punches scored for St. Pierre early, but he went to the well one too many times, abandoning any appropriate combinations that would present themselves thereon out. An errant punch that caught Georges in the eye had him even more shell-shocked, leading him to entertain a poorly executed kickboxing bout in which Jake Shields was gaining the upper hand in some spots. This is also the same Jake Shields who has relied solely on his jiu-jitsu background to secure all of his victories, which should tell you how effective his striking is overall. 

It’s St. Pierre’s smooth transitions from striking to grappling that leave most fighters unable to engage in a way that would threaten the 30-year-old Quebecer, and for that reason, he’s the best. 

There are also fewer men that would throw themselves in the line of fire if it means potential victory. Nick Diaz, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion, is the exception. While Shields is lauded for his jiu-jitsu prowess, Diaz comes a very close second to his teammate and friend, however, falls short on the sort of wrestling acumen that has complimented Jake’s game all these years.

His inability to take opponents to the mat at will forced him to develop his striking in a way that has become totally unique and his own. With little defense or regard for his own well being, Diaz uses combinations that stifle most opponents, peppering them with shots to the head and body, eventually wearing them down with the incredible pace to which he operates in, which can be attributed to the many triathlons he competes in throughout the year. 

He may not be the most “PC” of the bunch—he talks without a filter—but that’s also what makes him so endearing. He’s a fighter’s fighter, a fan’s fighter and he’s not happy unless you’ve been knocked out or choked out. His 10-fight win streak is evidence of just that, with nine of those victories ending before the final bell. 

The two welterweight standouts are scheduled to meet at UFC 137, adorning headlining honors at the pay-per-view event which takes place on October 29th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. 

On paper, it’s St. Pierre’s fight to lose. But if there was any fighter that could spoil the parade of the 170-pound kingpin, it would be the Stockton bad boy, the most dangerous welterweight fighter in the world. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz Trains with Boxing Champ Andre Ward Ahead of UFC 137

Nick Diaz will prepare with IBA Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward in preparation for Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, according to MMAFighting.com.Diaz is only a week away from beginning his training camp for the UFC Welterweight Champion. Diaz’…

Nick Diaz will prepare with IBA Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward in preparation for Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, according to MMAFighting.com.

Diaz is only a week away from beginning his training camp for the UFC Welterweight Champion. 

Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie, said the opportunity to train with Ward will benefit not only Diaz’s boxing skills, but also help him prepare for and emulate St-Pierre’s speed. 

“GSP is an athletic guy. I don’t think he’s the best boxer in the world, but he’s fast and quick out there,” Gracie said of St-Pierre. 

“To get used to a guy like Andre Ward, GSP wont be really that big of a threat speed-wise if Nick gets used to Andre.”

Diaz held the welterweight title while competing in Strikeforce and will vacate the title in order to challenge the French-Canadian. During his tenure in Strikeforce, he went on a nine-fight winning streak.

However against St-Pierre, Diaz understands he’ll need more tools to beat him, as St-Pierre is widely considered the most well-rounded fighter in the UFC and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts.

Gracie added that Diaz has incorporated the services of other wrestlers to help him prepare for the wrestling and the control “Rush” utilizes to wear down and dominate his opponents; but they aren’t trying to beat the champion in every aspect.

“It’s on the ground? We’ll fight on the ground. It’s standing up? We’ll fight standing up. Seriously, it’s like, don’t worry about it,”he said.

“A lot of people try to stop that and get in the game of who the more explosive athlete is. I don’t think that’s where we want to go.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com