Georges St-Pierre is a near perfect human. He’s smart, he’s articulate, he’s an incredible athlete, he’s a nice guy. For the first time ever, St-Pierre finds himself at odds with fans and he just doesn’t seem to know how to handle it. He finds himself …
Georges St-Pierre is a near perfect human. He’s smart, he’s articulate, he’s an incredible athlete, he’s a nice guy. For the first time ever, St-Pierre finds himself at odds with fans and he just doesn’t seem to know how to handle it.
He finds himself in an uncharacteristically not-enviable position over his upcoming matchup with Nick Diaz. The controversy, of course, comes from Diaz receiving the title shot after a year away from the sport due to a failed drug test following his loss to Carlos Condit, rather than Johny Hendricks who is riding a five-fight winning streak, including three wins over top-10 fighters.
With GSP facing criticism that is perhaps harsher than anything he’s faced before, he has been at a loss for words and, in many ways, struggling with rationalizing this turn of events. At UFC on Fox 5, GSP sounded off (you can check it out here):
“I believe Diaz is the number-one ranked [contender]. His fight with Condit was very controversial. When I saw the fight, I gave it to Condit…I do feel bad for Johny Hendricks, but put yourself in my shoes. Diaz is the big fight. It’s been waiting for a long time…When Hendricks fought [Josh] Koscheck, I gave the fight to Koscheck. For me, for motivation…I fought Koscheck before…I would have given it to Koscheck.”
Once again, Georges St-Pierre is very smart, and quite media-savvy. He knows what the staggering majority of fans already know…that quote up there and any of his attempts to brand Nick Diaz as the true top contender are total crap.
He knows it’s silly to question Hendricks’ split decision win and Diaz‘s unanimous decision loss in the same breathe. He knows that, beyond question, Johnny Hendricks is the top contender in the welterweight division. He knows that there’s a huge logical hole in saying he doesn’t want to fight Hendricks because he lost to Koscheck, but wants to fight Diaz who lost to Condit.
There is absolutely, positively no way Georges St-Pierre believes there is a reality-based case for him to be fighting Nick Diaz right now, rather than Johny Hendricks.
That, however, does not mean Georges St-Pierre should not fight Nick Diaz. Like the single mother who works every day to provide, St-Pierre has earned himself that fancy pair of shoes. Damn the consequences.
It is easy to forget, given his relative youth, but come January 31, Georges St-Pierre will be celebrating his ninth anniversary as a UFC fighter. During this time, champions like Tito Ortiz, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Randy Couture and BJ Penn have given Dana White fits over contract disputes. Champions like Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Matt Lindland, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Don Frye have taken up prominent roles with the UFC’s competition.
St-Pierre has never had that sort of ugly, public run-in with UFC brass. He has not even given the UFC the headaches they had with Anderson Silva from 2008 through 2010, or the trouble seen with Jon Jones surrounding UFC 151. Georges St-Pierre has enough clout to have a hand in steering his matchups.
Not total control by any means. If Diaz wasn’t a bigger draw than Hendricks at this point, this fight would not be happening. The same goes for if Diaz wasn’t a strong opponent.
That said, the UFC is giving Georges St-Pierre what he wants, and he needs to stop dancing around about that. Georges St-Pierre wants to fight Nick Diaz instead of Johny Hendricks and there’s no shame in that. Now he just needs to admit it, something Dana White is making no bones about.
So stop it, Georges. Stop trying to rationalize it. Stop trying to make excuses.
Just come out and say “I want Nick Diaz, and I have earned the opportunity to pick a fight with him if I feel like it.” There is no arguing with that.
Sure, it still stinks for Johny Hendricks. That said, the UFC owes Georges St-Pierre some favors. We shouldn’t get too grumpy about him finally calling them in.
Georges St-Pierre believes Johny Hendricks may have been gifted a decision against Josh Koscheck.At the UFC 158 press conference, St-Pierre was asked why he passed on Hendricks as an opponent and chose to fight Nick Diaz, who is coming off a loss.The U…
Georges St-Pierre believes Johny Hendricks may have been gifted a decision against Josh Koscheck.
At the UFC 158press conference, St-Pierre was asked why he passed on Hendricks as an opponent and chose to fight Nick Diaz, who is coming off a loss.
The UFC welterweight champ harped on the bout with Diaz being the fight fans wanted to see, and he also pointed to Hendricks’ controversial split decision win over Koscheck at UFC on FOX 3 as the main reason for his decision.
“Nick and I were supposed to fight before. This is the big fight that people wanted to see. People wanted to see this fight more than me fighting any other guys. My other option was Johny Hendricks, and Johny Hendricks, when I watched the fight with Josh Koscheck, according to me I believe Josh Koscheck should’ve won that fight.
I don’t want to fight a guy that lose to me to a guy that I beat, and I think for me, Nick Diaz is the number one contender. He’s proved himself many times before, and there’s a story between us.”
Diaz is a marquee name who has a tendency to stir up controversy.
For St-Pierre and the UFC, it makes little sense to pass up on the opportunity to put together the blockbuster fight fans have salivated over for years. This certainly isn’t fair to Hendricks, who has amassed a five-fight win streak in the UFC.
Unfortunately, it’s the nature of the fight business.
Hendricks deserves the UFC title shot more than any other fighter in the division, but his disconnect with fans makes it even harder for him to climb the welterweight ladder. As of now, fans aren’t really interested in seeing Hendricks compete for a world title.
It’s a similar situation to the one Jon Fitch was in years ago. It took Fitch nearly three years, and an eight-fight win streak before the UFC finally caved in and gave him a title shot. Hendricks could be headed in the same direction.
If he can’t find a way to make fans care, he can expect a long wait in the never-ending line of contenders for UFC gold.
2012 was a huge year for mixed martial arts when it came to blockbuster fights that we had been wanting to see for quite some time. Whether it was with UFC or Strikeforce, Zuffa continued to establish itself as the promotion that houses almost all of t…
2012 was a huge year for mixed martial arts when it came to blockbuster fights that we had been wanting to see for quite some time. Whether it was with UFC or Strikeforce, Zuffa continued to establish itself as the promotion that houses almost all of the top talent in mixed martial arts as it made its presence felt on network television.
But while it was a great year for Zuffa, individual fighters within the company did not necessarily reap the benefits. In fact, some of them flat out got the shaft.
Sure, you could always say that having a fight on a Strikeforce or UFC card is good no matter who you are going up against, but that’s not always enough. In a sport like MMA where a fighter’s window to physically compete at an elite level can close at any time, there’s a sense of urgency to get to the top as soon as possible.
For one reason or another, these 10 fighters had their chance to move up the rankings stifled in 2012 and Zuffa needs to strongly consider making it up to them in 2013.
Does anyone remember that knockout artist Johny Hendricks was supposed to be the next challenger in line to face UFC champion Georges St-Pierre?For a moment there, it seemed like some MMA fans forgot.Going into the final Strikeforce event on Satur…
Does anyone remember that knockout artist Johny Hendricks was supposed to be the next challenger in line to face UFC champion Georges St-Pierre?
For a moment there, it seemed like some MMA fans forgot.
Going into the final Strikeforce event on Saturday, questions were already being asked about the likelihood that Nate Marquardt, the promotion’s welterweight champion, might have to face his own teammate for the 170-pound UFC title.
Thankfully for Hendricks, Tarec Saffiedine came along and upset Marquardt in a beautiful display that saw the Greg Jackson MMA fighter chopped down with savage leg kicks and gusty striking.
In one of the year’s biggest upsets, so far, that’s one less challenger who could potentially leapfrog the deserving Hendricks.
Granted, “Bigg Rigg” hasn’t been very high on the UFC’s priority list lately.
Despite notching three “Knockout of the Night” awards in a dominant 5-0 stretch over the last two years, Hendricks has been cheated out of his rightful title shot by St-Pierre.
Instead of facing GSP for the welterweight title, he’ll instead have to battle Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158 while Nick Diaz slides into the main event.
As usual, it’s another case of the term “No. 1 contender” not meaning much in the UFC.
“Dollars over sense” has been the major impetus behind Hendricks getting shafted from the welterweight title picture, as St-Pierre vs. Diaz will most likely make substantially more money on pay-per-view than St-Pierre vs. Hendricks would.
That’s also been the same reasoning behind Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen, as the former middleweight talked his way into a title shot and a coaching stint opposite Jones on The Ultimate Fighter.
Had Marquardt beaten Saffiedine in the same brutal fashion as he did in his Strikeforce title fight debut against Tyron Woodley, it’s not crazy to think that he may have leapfrogged Hendricks.
But with Marquardt out of the picture, that’s one less potential obstacle between Hendricks and Georges St-Pierre. That is, unless he loses to Ellenberger—or Diaz somehow pulls off the upset of the year in Montreal this coming March.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.
Georges St-Pierre is afraid of Anderson Silva. Before you leap to crucify me for that statement, understand a few things. First, there’s nothing wrong with fearing Anderson Silva. His constant, typically challenge free destruction of opponents sh…
Before you leap to crucify me for that statement, understand a few things. First, there’s nothing wrong with fearing Anderson Silva. His constant, typically challenge free destruction of opponents should instill fear in potential foes.
Second, for all of Georges’ amazing strengths, he’s a fighter who prefers to hit and not be hit. GSPdoesn’t have an ounce of “Forrest Griffin” in him. Meaning, he’s not a guy who finds it amusing or driving, to be punched in the face. Hit Forrest in the face flush a few times to start a fight, and he wakes up and realizes he’s supposed to be chucking leather. Punch St-Pierre a few times—flush—and he’s uncomfortable, really uncomfortable.
Third, and perhaps most relevant is the potential career damage that comes affixed with a fight against “The Spider.”
See it’s not all about legacies, win-streaks or reputation; it’s about physical and mental health. St-Pierre has never competed north of 170 pounds. The truth is, he has no idea what a jump in weight might produce, be it moving up to 178 pounds for a catchweight collision or up to 185 to contend as a certified middleweight.
Slipping out of his comfort zone, the welterweight division, could potentially lead to a slight forfeiture of speed. The size difference could negate the wrestling advantage he’s showcased time and again against men of similar size.
Anderson Silva isn’t of similar size.
Make no mistake about it, I’ve met both men, and there’s a tremendous size difference between the two. GSP is a bulky little fellow who looks fit to crush most men walking the planet. Silva is a looming figure, far wider than many suspect with a smirk of confidence that suggests he’s fit to crush a cyborg.
Remember UFC on FOX 5? You know the event that just happened a few weeks ago? Remember what it looked like to see B.J. Penn tangling with Rory MacDonald? It looked like a lightweight battling a middleweight.
That’s pretty close to what we’d witness if GSP and Silva ever set foot in the cage to determine the better man; it’s going to look a lot like a welterweight fighting a light heavyweight.
As much as I’d enjoy watching two of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet fighting for supremacy, it’s not necessarily the brightest maneuver for the Canadian to make. And I can hear the cries of the naysayers already. GSP needs to man up! He was willing to fight a much smaller B.J. Penn! Silva’s already traveled from the middleweight division to the light heavyweight division on multiple occasions!
Wanting to see this fight as bad as I do, I understand those kinds of complaints, but I’ve also got some valid counters to those arguments.
GSP has manned up, fighting every top flight welterweight alive sans recently emerging studs like Johny Hendricks (who we’ll get to in a few).
Yes, B.J. Penn had the moxy to fight GSP outside of his natural weight class, but look at the current state of B.J.’s fighting career and the toll the weight fluctuations have had had on the Hawaiian. At 34 years old, Penn’s had 27 professional fights, winning 16 of them, and dropping the vast majority of encounters (Machida, GSP, Hughes, MacDonald, Diaz) that occurred in weight-classes higher than the 155 pound division.
St-Pierre in contrast, is 31 years old, has opted to fight where comfortable 25 times, and only come up short as a professional on two occasions. He’s optioned an intelligent approach to his career from day one, and you can see what it’s done for him.
As for Anderson Silva and his lack of apprehension of fighting 205 pounders, well, let’s look at the kind of opponents he’s faced in the light heavyweight division.
He tangled with unranked and consistently inconsistent James Irvin, a technically inferior former champion in Forrest Griffin, who had been knocked unconscious by Rashad Evans in his bout prior to his UFC 101 showdown with Silva, and he battered Stephan Bonnar, who accepted the fight on short notice (I know short notice fights can potentially be detrimental to both parties), and had been rumored to be eying retirement.
These are good, tough guys Anderson beat at light heavyweight.
But they’re not top flight foes. Anderson Silva didn’t migrate to 205 to meet LyotoMachida when he had the title, and he hasn’t pounced on the chance to challenge the beastly Jon Jones. It’s important to respect the courage displayed by Anderson, but it’s also important to note the caution he’s exercised when straying from middleweight.
At the end of the day, I believe GSP fears potential long-term career damage, and he fears the strengths of “The Spider.” Georges is not the kind of guy who likes to eat power punches, especially not from a sniper like Silva, and that’s really all there is to it. I don’t fault him for fearing the most frightening man on the planet, and I haven’t lost an ounce of respect for him. You shouldn’t either.
Now, let’s talk a bit about Johny Hendricks and Nick Diaz.
The MMA world is up in arms over the UFC’s decision to bypass clear No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks in favor of a showdown between St-Pierre and rival Nick Diaz.
I can sympathize with fan frustration, and I think Hendricks’ own displeasure with the situation is warranted. There’s only one man in the division not holding a title who’s riding a five fight unbeaten streak with three top-10 victims (two of which suffered brutal knockout defeats) among those five wins. That’s Johny Hendricks.
He’s put a stamp on the division, and that stamp declares him a worthy challenger to GSP’s strap. That said, one more fight might actually benefit Hendricks and help to further prepare him for his inevitable shot at welterweight gold.
Hendricks will meet yet another top-10 welterweight with a well-rounded skill set on March 16th, when he toes the line with heavy handed, capable wrestler, Jake Ellenberger.
Jake’s an extremely dangerous fighter with one punch power in each fist and a strong offensive wrestling attack. He will pose a genuine threat to Hendricks, as his style mirrors Johny’s. That said, I favor the beard (double entendre anyone) of Hendricks over that of Ellenberger. “The Juggernaut” falls to the big power punch before “BiggRigg.”
Also adding to the intrigue of the Hendricks/Ellenberger fight is the fact that St-Pierre will be headlining the same event, in his home country. He’ll meet the Stockton bad boy in the evening’s headliner.
If GSP exits the octagon still in possession of the championship belt, and Hendricks does indeed topple Ellenberger, the stars will be perfectly aligned. Hendricks will have not only disposed of a sizable chunk of the division’s best, but he’ll have the perfect platform to light a fire under the tale of St-Pierre.
Just imagine the tirade that will likely flow from Hendricks’ mouth during the post-fight interview. It should work to rile GSP as well as the Canadian crowd, which is a win-win situation for the UFC; build another rivalry, get one of the biggest markets highly interested.
Now, it’s time to justify the GSP versus Diaz match. I’ll openly admit this: Nick Diazdoesn’t deserve to fight Georges St-Pierre at this time. I’m itching to see this match, as I’ve been on the Diaz bandwagon for more than half a decade, but I know the facts, and the facts of the matter are simple: Diaz is being gifted a title shot here.
The reason my feathers aren’t horribly ruffled by this match is the personal animosity these two share (neither has been mum on the topic) for one another. That, companied by the fact that Diaz’s bout with Carlos Condit (which I personally scored in favor of Condit, three rounds to two) is viewed as controversial by a large chunk of MMA followers, leaves Diaz in a unique position: the case can be made that he hasn’t fallen in the ranks. Every fan who scored the Condit fight in Nick’s favor still considers Diaz to be the number one contender.
In my mind, he’s not.
Carlos Condit outworked Nick Diaz at UFC 143, and sadly, Diaz’s corner completely failed to inform him that the fight was too close to coast. Some different advice between rounds (there are transcriptions of Diaz’s corner advice floating about the net that you can track down with relative ease) could have produced a different fight.
But that’s irrelevant.
What’s done is done: Condit earned the nod from the judges, challenged GSP at UFC 154, came up short, and now Diaz will be handed his own chance at dethroning the champion at UFC 158.
To bring this drawn out viewpoint to conclusion I’ll leave you with these words: GSP will not likely battle Anderson Silva. Not one fight from now, not three fights from now, not 10 fights from now. That’s just my personal prediction.
I see a proposed fight that he’s not hungry for, and that may just echo his intelligence. He also has the right to fight Nick Diaz. Not, as I’ve noted, because Diaz is the legitimate number one contender, but because he’s run roughshod on the entire division for years on end. The guy has taken on all welterweight comers at this point, and he’s earned the right to make a special request.
Nick and Georges do not like each other, and Georges is anxious to try and dish out some punishment on the rugged Californian. “Rush” has paid his dues: granting a rare request from the champion isn’t outlandish, it’s what I’d call respectful business from one employer to one employee who’s been a company man through and through for nearly eight years.
Johny Hendricks is likely going to knock Jake Ellenberger much farther down the pecking order on March 16th, and GSP is likely going to abuse (but not silence) Nick Diaz that same evening.
That opens a door for another challenge by Hendricks, who will still run a parallel schedule to the champion and will have a public stage perfectly suited to stir interest.
Johny Hendricks vs. Jake Ellenberger features two skilled wrestlers with heavy hands facing off in hopes of a meeting with divisional champion Georges St-Pierre. Speaking to Sherdog Radio’s Beatdown show, “Bigg Rigg” explained why he believes Elle…
Johny Hendricks vs. Jake Ellenberger features two skilled wrestlers with heavy hands facing off in hopes of a meeting with divisional champion Georges St-Pierre.
Speaking to Sherdog Radio’s Beatdown show, “Bigg Rigg” explained why he believes Ellenberger is a more dangerous opponent than GSP (transcription via MMA Mania).
It’s not that it’s more difficult (fight) but, it’s a little bit more dangerous, you know what I’m saying? Like I said, you don’t know which punch will be the last. With GSP, you know where he’s going to want to take it, you know he’s not going to want to stand with you. He’s going to want to go in there set up his jab, throw a few leg kicks, or he’s going to get you to the perimeter, to that black line, and you know a double leg is coming. Ellenberger, he is going to try to knock you out before he takes you down.
The numbers seem to back up Hendricks’ argument. In 28 career wins, Ellenberger has scored 17 victories via knockout, while St-Pierre has just eight knockouts in 23 professional wins.
By the same token, there is no question of St-Pierre’s dominance at welterweight. He is riding a 10-fight win streak that includes seven successful title defenses.
Even though Hendricks has won five in a row, boasting knockouts over Jon Fitch and Martin Kampmann during that span, Nick Diaz will be the one challenging GSP for the title at UFC 158 in March.
Hendricks and Ellenberger will battle on the same card, which also features another high-profile welterweight clash between Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.
Will Hendricks defeat Ellenberger and finally get his shot at St-Pierre or will Ellenberger or Diaz spoil the party?
