Georges St-Pierre: "Road to Recovery" Part 4

Georges St-Pierre may be away from the Octagon recovering from a knee injury, but fans are anticipating his return with his “Road to Recovery” series documenting his rehabilitation.In the fourth episode, St-Pierre is shown doing a variety of stren…

Georges St-Pierre may be away from the Octagon recovering from a knee injury, but fans are anticipating his return with his “Road to Recovery” series documenting his rehabilitation.

In the fourth episode, St-Pierre is shown doing a variety of strength-related exercises as he prepares to come back later this year. 

He has been out of action since last October after tearing his ACL, and he is expected to face Carlos Condit, tentatively scheduled for UFC 154 in Montreal on November 17.

The UFC welterweight champion appears to be healing relatively fast and looks to be in top condition based on his training sessions.

If this is a glimpse into a re-motivated St-Pierre, fans can certainly expect a longer reign at 170 pounds, not to mention a potential move to the middleweight division.

As the champion continues to release his “Road to Recovery” series, there is little doubt he will perform at less than 100 percent when he returns, dismissing rumors regarding his longevity in the sport.

St-Pierre has always been renowned for his work ethic and his training regimen, ranging from gymnastics and plyometrics. He is considered arguably the top-pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

And if his documentary is any indication, St-Pierre may return stronger and better than before.

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Carlos Condit Should Fight Between Now and UFC 154

I enjoy UFC Primetime and UFC Countdown as much as anyone. These mainstays on the pre-fight hype smorgasbord offer in-depth interviews and special access that are not easy to come by for all us little people out there.That said, these shows have a lot …

I enjoy UFC Primetime and UFC Countdown as much as anyone. These mainstays on the pre-fight hype smorgasbord offer in-depth interviews and special access that are not easy to come by for all us little people out there.

That said, these shows have a lot in common with other reality programming. It can often run short on actual reality. Footage is carefully edited, messages carefully controlled. I’m not sure it’s as egregious as Kobe Doin’ Work, but I get the distinct impression that fighters—especially those with any semblance of media savvy—reveal exactly what they mean to, and no more.

When Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz lived with the Primetime cameras in their run-up to UFC 143, where Condit decisioned Diaz to capture the UFC interim welterweight title, Condit seemed out to win the public relations war. There was footage of “The Natural Born Killer” unwinding at shooting ranges when he wasn’t going hard in the practice cage. When he wasn’t venting his aggression, he was displaying his jagged edges for the producer. “I’m coming to put your lights out,” Condit said during the show.

I’d have the over/under on the number of times he referred to himself as a “warrior” at five.

Then the actual fight happened. Condit was evasive. He stayed out of the pocket. I’m not here to exhume that dead horse, though I will say claims that he was afraid to engage were not borne out by the numbers or the outcome of the fight.

Nevertheless, it opened Condit up to criticism that he wasn’t doing his walking with quite as much enthusiasm as his talking. Soon after UFC 143, though, he had a chance to lower the volume. Most notably, Jake Ellenberger, a scintillating new arrival on the welterweight division’s title scene, waited in the wings.

Here was the interim champ’s opportunity to display that warrior spirit. He could have shown the critics that no matter what they thought of his game plan, at the end of the day he was going to let his warrior flag fly.

Condit did not take advantage of that opportunity.

Instead, he chose to wait for champion Georges St-Pierre to return from his injury. That’s a ways away. At the moment, it looks slated to happen at UFC 154 in November.

I understand Condit’s rationale. After all, how many title shots do you get? He surely understands the fleeting nature of success in this sport. He saw what happened to Rashad Evans.

I’m not saying it’s a cowardly move, either. Carlos Condit is not a coward. He’s in the wrong line of work for that. Waiting for GSP is the smart move.

On the other hand, however, is it really? Condit is 27. The argument that the fleeting nature of success should force Condit to wait for the big title shot can be used to prove the opposite. You only get so many big paydays. By waiting, Condit is losing one. Maybe two. And fans know that the nine-month delay in welterweight division title activities is a direct result of Condit’s decision. Does that damage his marketability, even integrity, as a fighter?

Either, Condit doesn’t extol his smartness in those interviews. He extols his warrior spirit. Between the Diaz fight and this self-imposed exile, it’s easy to wonder whether a warrior flag is quite so convincing when it’s flown so selectively. 

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Georges St-Pierre Says He Will Be Back ‘Better Than Ever’ Against Carlos Condit

Out of commission since last October, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre fully intends on making a full recovery and competing in 2012.The champion hopes to make a return by November, where the UFC will host UFC 154 in St-Pierre’s hometown of …

Out of commission since last October, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre fully intends on making a full recovery and competing in 2012.

The champion hopes to make a return by November, where the UFC will host UFC 154 in St-Pierre’s hometown of Montreal, Quebec.

St-Pierre spoke with Sherdog.com about his progress and gave an update on the status of his injury.

“I already feel better. More knowledge. I already know a lot of stuff and I will be back stronger,” St-Pierre said. “I’m going to come back better than I was.” 

The French-Canadian has been sidelined with an ACL injury that forced him out of his UFC 137 bout with Nick Diaz. Since then, St-Pierre has been working diligently in his rehab to return as quickly as he can.

Should he be able to make a full recovery, St-Pierre will be set to make his seventh title defense against Carlos Condit. Condit defeated Diaz at UFC 143 to win the UFC interim welterweight title and is unofficially slated to meet the champion later this year.

St-Pierre had his sights set on facing Diaz, but he said he wants to prove he is the best 170-pound fighter in the world by facing whoever is put in front of him.

“For me, it’s great honor to fight Carlos Condit. And what makes him so good is he is a very smart guy. He is very athletic, but he is a very smart, very skilled and that’s why he is so good,” he said. “I wanted to fight Nick Diaz in the first place, but the thing is I want to be the best in the world and right now the best is Carlos Condit.”

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Georges St-Pierre: ‘Road to Recovery’ Part 3

As Georges St-Pierre continues his rehabilitation, he has released another video of him preparing for his comeback.In the latest episode of “Road to Recovery,” the UFC Welterweight Champion is seen running on an anti-gravity treadmill, which he admitte…

As Georges St-Pierre continues his rehabilitation, he has released another video of him preparing for his comeback.

In the latest episode of “Road to Recovery,” the UFC Welterweight Champion is seen running on an anti-gravity treadmill, which he admitted it was his first time using. 

The champion wrote on his Twitter account earlier this week that it was the first time he had ran since the beginning of his rehab.

“Have you ever heard of an Anti-Gravity treadmill? This is the first time I’ve run in 4 months— feels pretty good!” he wrote. 

The anti-gravity treadmill was developed by NASA technology by using air pressure to lift up the runner and reduce weight on the joints.

The 30-year-old St-Pierre suffered an ACL injury that has kept him out of the Octagon since last April. He is expected to return at UFC 154 on November 17, where he will meet UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit in a title unification bout. 

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Georges St-Pierre Hopeful of a November Return and Headline UFC 154 in Montreal

While there is no exact date for Georges St-Pierre’s return to the UFC, the UFC welterweight champion is only hoping he can return later this year.The champion discussed his progress via satellite during a UFC press conference in Calgary, Alberta earli…

While there is no exact date for Georges St-Pierre’s return to the UFC, the UFC welterweight champion is only hoping he can return later this year.

The champion discussed his progress via satellite during a UFC press conference in Calgary, Alberta earlier today and he was optimistic in at least one appearance before the end of 2012.

“My rehab is going really well,” St-Pierre said. “The doctor says it is the fastest they’ve ever seen. I’ll be training full out in July and hopefully I’ll have a chance to fight in front of my Canadian fans in November.”

And should he make a full recovery, St-Pierre is expected to face newly-crowned interim UFC titleholder Carlos Condit in a unification title bout.

The UFC announced today that Montreal, along with two other Canadian cities, will play host to three UFC events later this year, with Montreal headlining UFC 154 on November 17.

St-Pierre said he is aware that the decision to perform in front of his hometown crowd is not entirely up to him.

The champion also commented on the fact that a possible super-fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is not far out of reach either, but it depends on several factors for it to occur.

“If everything goes well, like stars are aligned and everything, maybe we’ll see one day in the near future about what’s going to happen,” he said. 

But until then, the biggest fight St-Pierre will need to prepare for is his overall health, a bout that is much more significant than with Condit or Silva.

“When you get an injury like I have and you’re off for a long period of time, the only thing you wish is to get back fast as possible,” he said.

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UFC Calgary Press Conference: Silva vs. Sonnen Rematch Slated for Soccer Stadium in Rio, Aldo Defends Belt in July + More

(Full press conference video, via YouTube.com/UFC. Man, Nick Ring is like a *god* in that town.)

Today’s UFC press conference in Calgary resulted in a tidal wave of major announcements, highlighted by two title-fight bookings and confirmations of three Canadian events in 2012. Here’s what we’re looking at…

– The middleweight championship rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will take place at an 80,000-seat soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, not Sao Paulo as originally reported. [Ed. note: R.I.P., Chael.] The exact venue hasn’t been confirmed yet, and the event is expected to take place at UFC 147 on either June 16th or June 23rd. It will be the third time in 10 months that Rio will host a UFC event. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for this guy.

– For the third year in a row, the UFC will hold three events in Canada this year: UFC 149 in Calgary (7/21), UFC 152 in Toronto (9/22), and UFC 154 in Montreal (11/17). No matchups have been scheduled for the Toronto and Montreal shows, although welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre said he’d like to compete at UFC 154 if his knee-surgery recovery allows it.


(Full press conference video, via YouTube.com/UFC. Man, Nick Ring is like a *god* in that town.)

Today’s UFC press conference in Calgary resulted in a tidal wave of major announcements, highlighted by two title-fight bookings and confirmations of three Canadian events in 2012. Here’s what we’re looking at…

– The middleweight championship rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will take place at an 80,000-seat soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, not Sao Paulo as originally reported. [Ed. note: R.I.P., Chael.] The exact venue hasn’t been confirmed yet, and the event is expected to take place at UFC 147 on either June 16th or June 23rd. It will be the third time in 10 months that Rio will host a UFC event. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for this guy.

– For the third year in a row, the UFC will hold three events in Canada this year: UFC 149 in Calgary (7/21), UFC 152 in Toronto (9/22), and UFC 154 in Montreal (11/17). No matchups have been scheduled for the Toronto and Montreal shows, although welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre said he’d like to compete at UFC 154 if his knee-surgery recovery allows it.

– The Calgary event will be headlined by Jose Aldo defending his title against a challenger to be named later. It will be the UFC’s first official visit to Alberta, although the WEC previously held their “Varner vs. Shalorus” event in Alberta in June 2010. Aldo is coming off his first-round knockout of Chad Mendes at UFC 142; his next opponent is rumored to be Hatsu Hioki.

Jason MacDonald is already scheduled to face Tom Lawlor at UFC on FUEL 3 (May 15th; Fairfax, VA), but the Calgary native hopes to have his UFC retirement fight at UFC 149.