Tag: Jake Shields

And Another Fighter Criticizes Georges St. Pierre

Georges St. Pierre’s victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 was just another Unanimous Decision win to throw on a pile of Decision wins. Some would argue he was given the best they could throw at him and even with a corneal abrasion, he beat Shields solidly…but those “some” happen not to be several UFC […]

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Georges St. Pierre’s victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 was just another Unanimous Decision win to throw on a pile of Decision wins. Some would argue he was given the best they could throw at him and even with a corneal abrasion, he beat Shields solidly…but those “some” happen not to be several UFC fighters who seem to agree that GSP has lost his mojo. Soon after GSP’s win over Shields, the media was knocking on Jon Fitch’s door to get his opinion on the ongoing criticisms of St. Pierre:

“I think, you know, I deserve some of that criticism too. But when he’s dominating somebody that well, I think it’s up to the champ to put a little more pressure on somebody in the fourth and fifth round. When you’ve secured a pretty solid lead on the scorecards after three rounds, I think a little bit more pressure, because he never really opened up more than a couple jabs and an overhand right. I mean, double up on the right, something.”

Then a less diplomatic Chael Sonnen decided to chime in with his criticisms of GSP via Twitter:

I watch hockey and rugby. Anything that has a remote chance of breaking out into a fight. Which is exactly why I stopped watching George.

*Note… Guess we should be thankful, Sonnen keeps it brief on Twitter. We figure if he was doing time for his money laundering, he’d probably have brought us a War Machine-esque Big House Blog.

And now, Matt Hughes who has been finished by Georges St. Pierre twice (TKO in 2006 and armbar in 2007) wrote in his own blog:

As for the GSP/Shields fight, I really believed GSP was going to tear Shields up. The fight didn’t go like I thought it would at all. Let me tell everybody now, I like GSP, he’s a good guy and he’s somebody I wouldn’t mind sitting next to on a plane ride or at a supper table. So don’t think that I’m talking out of bitterness for the two losses, I’m speaking through experienced eyes that have been in these situations. GSP actually looked worse in this fight than I’ve ever seen him before. I really feel like Georges fights not to lose, he just doesn’t fight to win anymore. I like Georges, I like watching him fight, I wish there was some way I could help him to get that hunger back inside of him. Georges has the potential of being so much better than what we’ve seen recently. If Jake had won one more round he would have won the fight, based on how the judges scored it. So an interesting fight and a little disappointing at being the last fight of the night.

Are these fair assessments? Darren Wong of Bleacher Report has made some good points against the criticism. And regardless of any negative reactions, St. Pierre continues to dominate the UFC promotion as its most popular and marketable fighter. He even has a mobile application coming out soon.

So…when you’re the most recognized and talked about MMA fighter in the world, you’re bound to experience both love and hate. There’s an old saying from an American showman, PT Barnum, who said, “I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right.” Not only do we always remember the “s” in “Georges” but who else is known simply by their initials, GSP? …Wonder if Georges St. Pierre cares so much, what these guys are saying…

Quote of the Day: Hughes Calls St-Pierre’s Performance Against Shields the Worst of His Career


(“Come on, Georges. If you keep this up I’m going to rescind my offer to join me for a country breakfast.”)

Matt Hughes is not impressed by GSP’s performance in his last fight.

Now, before you jump to conclusions and say that Matt is only saying that Georges stunk the joint up in his UFC 129 fight against Jake Shields at Rogers Centre because he’s still sore that “Rush” laid a beating on him in their last two bouts, Hughes did say that he likes St-Pierre just fine.

Check out what the former UFC welterweight champ had to say in a recent blog post he wrote about the Shields-St-Pierre bout after the jump.


(“Come on, Georges. If you keep this up I’m going to rescind my offer to join me for a country breakfast.”)

Matt Hughes is not impressed by GSP’s performance in his last fight.

Now, before you jump to conclusions and say that Matt is only saying that Georges stunk the joint up in his UFC 129 fight against Jake Shields at Rogers Centre because he’s still sore that “Rush” laid a beating on him in their last two bouts, Hughes did say that he likes St-Pierre just fine.

Here’s what the former UFC welterweight champ had to say in a recent blog post he wrote about the bout:

“As for the GSP/Shields fight, I really believed GSP was going to tear Shields up. The fight didn’t go like I thought it would at all. Let me tell everybody now, I like GSP, he’s a good guy and he’s somebody I wouldn’t mind sitting next to on a plane ride or at a supper table. So don’t think that I’m talking out of bitterness for the two losses, I’m speaking through experienced eyes that have been in these situations. GSP actually looked worse in this fight than I’ve ever seen him before. I really feel like Georges fights not to lose, he just doesn’t fight to win anymore. I like Georges, I like watching him fight, I wish there was some way I could help him to get that hunger back inside of him. Georges has the potential of being so much better than what we’ve seen recently. If Jake had won one more round he would have won the fight, based on how the judges scored it. So an interesting fight and a little disappointing at being the last fight of the night.”

I guess we’re not the only ones who are getting a bit fed up with GSP’s inability to finish (or reluctance to engage for fear of getting caught like he did against Serra) lately. Maybe Matt needs a rematch to remind us that Georges can cause a stoppage.

Quote of the Day: Hughes Calls St-Pierre’s Performance Against Shields the Worst of His Career


(“Come on, Georges. If you keep this up I’m going to rescind my offer to join me for a country breakfast.”)

Matt Hughes is not impressed by GSP’s performance in his last fight.

Now, before you jump to conclusions and say that Matt is only saying that Georges stunk the joint up in his UFC 129 fight against Jake Shields at Rogers Centre because he’s still sore that “Rush” laid a beating on him in their last two bouts, Hughes did say that he likes St-Pierre just fine.

Check out what the former UFC welterweight champ had to say in a recent blog post he wrote about the Shields-St-Pierre bout after the jump.


(“Come on, Georges. If you keep this up I’m going to rescind my offer to join me for a country breakfast.”)

Matt Hughes is not impressed by GSP’s performance in his last fight.

Now, before you jump to conclusions and say that Matt is only saying that Georges stunk the joint up in his UFC 129 fight against Jake Shields at Rogers Centre because he’s still sore that “Rush” laid a beating on him in their last two bouts, Hughes did say that he likes St-Pierre just fine.

Here’s what the former UFC welterweight champ had to say in a recent blog post he wrote about the bout:

“As for the GSP/Shields fight, I really believed GSP was going to tear Shields up. The fight didn’t go like I thought it would at all. Let me tell everybody now, I like GSP, he’s a good guy and he’s somebody I wouldn’t mind sitting next to on a plane ride or at a supper table. So don’t think that I’m talking out of bitterness for the two losses, I’m speaking through experienced eyes that have been in these situations. GSP actually looked worse in this fight than I’ve ever seen him before. I really feel like Georges fights not to lose, he just doesn’t fight to win anymore. I like Georges, I like watching him fight, I wish there was some way I could help him to get that hunger back inside of him. Georges has the potential of being so much better than what we’ve seen recently. If Jake had won one more round he would have won the fight, based on how the judges scored it. So an interesting fight and a little disappointing at being the last fight of the night.”

I guess we’re not the only ones who are getting a bit fed up with GSP’s inability to finish (or reluctance to engage for fear of getting caught like he did against Serra) lately. Maybe Matt needs a rematch to remind us that Georges can cause a stoppage.

MMA Top 10 Welterweights: Few Challenges in Sight for GSP

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Rankings, WelterweightsIt’s hard to believe that Georges St. Pierre could win his ninth straight fight, defending his welterweight title in front of 55,000 fans in one of the biggest events in UFC history, and h…

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Georges St-PierreIt’s hard to believe that Georges St. Pierre could win his ninth straight fight, defending his welterweight title in front of 55,000 fans in one of the biggest events in UFC history, and have it feel like something of a letdown.

But that is how St. Pierre’s unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields felt to many fans: We’ve seen this so many times — St. Pierre spending 25 minutes demonstrating that the other man in the Octagon is simply nowhere near as good as he is — that it’s starting to feel routine. And that’s not how one of the greatest fighters in history stepping into the Octagon should feel.

So are there any challenges remaining in the welterweight division? We’ll look at that question as we run down the Top 10 welterweights in MMA.

George St. Pierre Following UFC 129: Is Nick Diaz All That’s Left at 170?

Consensus top 10 rankings in the mixed martial arts world have a lot of names that are in George St. Pierre’s win column. At No. 2, there’s Jon Fitch. The former Purdue Boilermaker has only lost once in his last 23 bouts—a lopsided decision …

Consensus top 10 rankings in the mixed martial arts world have a lot of names that are in George St. Pierre’s win column.

At No. 2, there’s Jon Fitch. The former Purdue Boilermaker has only lost once in his last 23 bouts—a lopsided decision to GSP at UFC 87. Although Fitch has been working his way back to a title shot ever since, his latest fight—a draw with contender B.J. Penn—has delayed him yet again, as a rematch will need to take place before he ever does so. In addition, a shoulder injury that requires surgery will have him out an additional 4-6 months.

The majority of rankings have Jake Shields at No. 3. In case anyone was in a coma for the last several months, UFC 129 was one of the biggest events in MMA history.

GSP easily dispatched Shields despite an eye poke that left him without the use of his left eye. Shields did not really threaten at any point in the fight and there is no reason to believe that a rematch would be considered any time soon.

Thiago Alves is in at No. 4, and while he stood no chance against St. Pierre at UFC 100, he is a constantly improving fighter at only 27 years old. The issue, however, is that injuries have only allowed him to fight twice since his July 11, 2009 bout with the welterweight champion, losing to Jon Fitch and winning impressively against John Howard. On May 28th, he will be taking on Rick Story, whom he will need to dominate in order to start fighting contenders again. Either way, Alves is several fights away from another shot at the title.

At No. 5 is Josh Koscheck. After a great deal of hype with the help of the Ultimate Fighter, Koscheck’s title shot at UFC 124 involved a broken orbital bone and a subsequent trip to the hospital. Although Koscheck showed some impressive defensive wrestling, it was another lopsided decision for St. Pierre. Koscheck has yet to fight since their bout on December 11, 2010. Obviously, he is far away from a title shot.

Nick Diaz, at No. 6, is the only current legitimate contender at welterweight for St. Pierre that he hasn’t already disposed of. Although the majority of the mixed martial arts world believes that Diaz’s lack of wrestling will result in him spending the evening on his back, he does have a tendency to put on exciting fights that rarely go the distance, something that GSP desperately needs at the moment. Diaz has only gone to decision once in his last 11 bouts.

BJ Penn is the man in the No. 7 spot. Again, he is tied up in a rematch with Jon Fitch and has already lost to St. Pierre twice. There aren’t too many people who would care to see Penn fight for the title again and there really isn’t much of a reason to believe anything would be different. Penn was completely overwhelmed by the bigger, stronger champion and was forced to throw in the towel after four rounds.

Although most of the rankings have names like Carlos Condit, Diego Sanchez, Paul Daley and Martin Kampmann, none of these fighters have ever fought GSP for one reason—consistency. Condit has lost to Kampmann; Kampmann has lost to Shields and Sanchez (although Diego’s face would probably disagree); Sanchez has lost to Penn and Hathaway; and Daley has lost to Koscheck and Diaz.

Besides a relatively low-threat contender in Nick Diaz, George St. Pierre has completely cleared out the welterweight division.

I can understand his hesitance to jump up in weight by 15 pounds to middleweight—a loss to Anderson Silva would be detrimental to his stay there and his career—but this move is inevitable, barring some massive influx of talent to the 170 pound division. Either way, Anderson Silva is 36 years old and has been bringing up the prospect of retiring in recent years.

Whether St. Pierre fights Silva or not, he should be at 185 for the longevity of his career—for both the potential fights and the increased ease in cutting weight as he ages.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 129: Fans Find St-Pierre vs. Shields Title Fight Exciting…to Talk About

UFC 129 was a true war theater of the absurd. A night of fantastic fights leading to a vexing main event that aroused more excitement before and after the fact than during.Just when I thought nobody in his right mind would bear the agony of watching th…

UFC 129 was a true war theater of the absurd. A night of fantastic fights leading to a vexing main event that aroused more excitement before and after the fact than during.

Just when I thought nobody in his right mind would bear the agony of watching the champion Georges St-Pierre and his challenger Jake Shields plod for 25 minutes again, I was proven wrong.

As it turns out, it’s true that our ever-reliable MMA fight analysts don’t sleep on the job inside their respective Situation Rooms.

And that they actually bothered to rewind and do a frame-by-frame analysis of the fight video is what separates them from casual fans.

It didn’t take long before Internet sites showing photos and slow-motion replays of the alleged eye pokes propagated like mushrooms—courtesy of our techie fans, er, I mean fight scientists.

Now what makes the past fight interesting is the hot debate swirling around it post-fight.

Now the buzz zeros in to a matter of sight, precisely the loss of it by St-Pierre in his left eye in the second round.

Was it caused by an eye poke or a legit jab?

If it was an eye poke (or pokes), was it intentional or not?

And if it was intentional, was it the main tactic of Shields and his camp to take home the UFC Welterweight Title?

And just how much did it adversely affect the champion’s game plan?

Apparently, in the eyes of some fans, Shields’ integrity as a fighter is now verbally poked by accusations, while St-Pierre’s lackadaisical performance finds absolution.

“If only St-Pierre’s left eye didn’t go blind, he would’ve won in convincingly dominating fashion,” some think.

The MMA public is divided between those who opine that Shields fought with malice and those who give him the benefit of the doubt that his finger only accidentally twitched toward his opponent’s eye every time within touching distance.

Still, there are others who insist that only knuckles landed on St-Pierre’s face.

There are, as expected, contradicting in-depth readings of the fight video. Here are samples from the comments on my previous article UFC 129 Results: Expect a Quantum Leap in Jake Shields’ Stand-up Striking.

“GSP was poked at least five times. I can say with reasonable certainty that two were successful..three of the pokes definitely seemed intentional. One was a thumb-out jab. The other two were jabs in which he opened his hand at the end of its extension. It’s very unlikely that the latter two were clinch attempts as Shields was moving backwards.”

“It really is difficult to say if it was intentional or not. I would like to believe that it wasn’t, because he does seem like a decent guy…The only real way to tell is to cross-reference his previous fights to see if these kinds of strikes are a trend. If this is the first time, then I would say there is little doubt it was intentional.”

A dissenter claims that,”My inexpensive DVD recorder has from 4 x slow up to 64 x slow or frame by frame. The PUNCH that did the damage was from the small knuckle of Shields’s left jab, it went right into the eye once and landed mostly on the same eye all night.”

How do you see it?

If you’re asking me, I foresee Frankie Edgar successfully retaining his lightweight title on UFC 130.

UFC 129 Results, News and More 


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