(“First off, I’d like to thank my brother, Thor, for if he hadn’t transmitted the power of his hammer into my left hand, none of this would have been possible.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)
In either case, we figured we would dedicate one post as the official battlegrounds for this debate, with you, the most distinguished and intelligent audience an MMA blog could ever ask for. So join us after the jump to vote on the poll that dares to ask: Who should Georges St. Pierre fight next now that he has successfully put the kibosh on this whole interim champ/actual champ nonsense? After you’ve finished voting, make your case in the comments section, using as much profane language, personal attacks, and outright trolling attempts as possible. Seriously, we kind of miss that stuff, so don’t get soft on us Taters.
(“First off, I’d like to thank my brother, Thor, for if he hadn’t transmitted the power of his hammer into my left hand, none of this would have been possible.” Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)
In either case, we figured we would dedicate one post as the official battlegrounds for this debate, with you, the most distinguished and intelligent audience an MMA blog could ever ask for. So join us after the jump to vote on the poll that dares to ask: Who should Georges St. Pierre fight next now that he has successfully put the kibosh on this whole interim champ/actual champ nonsense? After you’ve finished voting, make your case in the comments section, using as much profane language, personal attacks, and outright trolling attempts as possible. Seriously, we kind of miss that stuff, so don’t get soft on us Taters.
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The welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit was a fantastic fight that really went above and beyond the expectations of most fight fans. In looking at a full-fight technical breakdown, it is easy to notice how well the…
The welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit was a fantastic fight that really went above and beyond the expectations of most fight fans.
In looking at a full-fight technical breakdown, it is easy to notice how well these two men matched up. Even though St-Pierre came out with a clean sweep on two of the judge’s scorecards, it really was a great fight.
The first round saw GSP work his strikes from the outside before establishing an often-seen game plan. That game plan put Condit on his back.
GSP went between half guard and full guard, landing some ground-and-pound while Condit fished for a couple of armbar attempts. After they got up, they went right back down and GSP opened up a nice cut over Condit‘s eye.
It was an easy 10-9 round for GSP.
In the second, GSP established his jab again, proving to be a top weapon for the champion. A failed leg kick attempt by Condit turned into a takedown by GSP.
More of the same this round, as GSP continued to carve up Condit. Easily a 10-9 round for the Canadian again.
The third round was the only one I scored for Condit. Early on in the round, Condit dropped GSP with a head kick which looked as if it could turn the tide of the fight.
GSP would earn a takedown after the knockdown. He dropped ground-and-pound while Condit continued to be aggressive with submission attempts off his back.
Just based off the damaging head kick, I gave Condit a 10-9 there.
The final two rounds were about the same. GSP won both rounds in my account using his jab and relentless takedowns.
In looking at this fight, wrestling and ground striking were the difference maker for GSP. Condit put on an admirable performance that saw him with his usual aggressive standup and submissions, in combination with his toughness.
Had I been a judge, 49-46 would have been my score. The head kick by Condit was probably the closest the fight was to being stopped, so that is a feather in his cap.
Nobody in the world thought going into Saturday night that, skill for skill, Carlos Condit was better than Georges St-Pierre. His potential success hinged on things like scrappiness and willingness to make it ugly, or on the fact that St-Pierre was out…
Nobody in the world thought going into Saturday night that, skill for skill, Carlos Condit was better than Georges St-Pierre.
His potential success hinged on things like scrappiness and willingness to make it ugly, or on the fact that St-Pierre was out for a year and a half and might very well have been returning on one good leg.
But you know what? Thanks to one crafty strike and some narrow misses in the follow-up exchange that could have gone either way, Carlos Condit could very well be somewhere in the world right now looking at his brand new world title.
The fact is that, in every measurable way and in some ways that can’t be measured, Condit did everything he could against St-Pierre.
He brought the fight to him.
He defended takedowns as well as he could have hoped.
He drove GSP crazy with his furious, active guard.
He never once, not one time, gave any thought to going away.
He fought.
Sometimes that’s not enough though, and it wasn’t for Condit at UFC 154.
He, like many, is now left to wonder what he could have done differently. The answer? Not much.
He fought a Carlos Condit fight—that is to say, he was smartly aggressive, ruthless when he had his opportunities and quirky enough in all facets to give the true champion fits. Sometimes you’re just not better than the other guy. In this case, that’s very much true.
About the only things that The Natural Born Killer could have done differently against St-Pierre would have been to target his repaired knee more intently with strikes—something that was likely avoided out of fear of the takedown—and land a few more of those shots when he had GSP hurt, something that, given Condit’s 93 percent career finishing rate, probably speaks more to St-Pierre’s defense than to Condit’s lack of killer instinct.
Again, sometimes it’s just not about you, not about what you did or didn’t do. Sometimes you’re the second-best guy in the cage that night. When the first-best is one of the greatest fighters to ever live, that’s not so bad.
And so it’s back to the drawing board for Condit. He’ll be back, particularly because he’s so young and is coming off giving GSP the best fight he’s had in years. He’s a nasty guy, someone who isn’t likely to fall out of the welterweight top five for the next five years or more, and he knows what it takes to be the champion now.
Things might very well be different the next time.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre convincingly defeated a very game Carlos Condit at UFC 154, but for a moment, it looked like Condit may have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. “The Natural Born Killer” dropped GSP with a head ki…
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre convincingly defeated a very game Carlos Condit at UFC 154, but for a moment, it looked like Condit may have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
“The Natural Born Killer” dropped GSP with a head kick in the middle of Round 3, swarming him with punches and elbows from the top position.
However, “Rush” showed the heart of a champion and persevered, using his exceptional grappling skills to go on and win a unanimous decision.
At the UFC 154 post-fight presser (via MMA Mania), the French-Canadian explained that his UFC 69 TKO loss to Matt Serra in April 2007 taught him how to strategically survive hard shots in the cage.
Yes it was a similar experience [to the Serra fight]. When I got hit hard, sometimes before I was very proud guy, I try to give it back right away but the experience I gained from a lot of all my fight allowed me to recompose, defend myself and when I got back I come back stronger. It’s that experience that allowed me to survive, you know, and come back from that kick that I got hit with.
The victory marked St-Pierre’s seventh consecutive title defense and extended his UFC win streak to 10.
Both UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and welterweight contender Johny Hendricks, who knocked out Martin Kampmann in just 46 seconds on Saturday, have expressed their desire to be GSP‘s next opponent.
St-Pierre remains non-committal on whether or not he plans to accept the heavily anticipated superfight or if he will continue to take on any and all challengers at welterweight.
After all the injuries, suspensions and other issues this year, the UFC has a bit of good news.Despite the fact that heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem is currently on suspension, the Nevada State Athletic Commission is allowing the UFC to promote …
After all the injuries, suspensions and other issues this year, the UFC has a bit of good news.
Despite the fact that heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem is currently on suspension, the Nevada State Athletic Commission is allowing the UFC to promote a February 2013 fight between “The Demolition Man” and Antonio Silva.
Of course, the match ultimately depends on whether Overeem is licensed again in time for the fight. Dana White seems optimistic, though, as he told the press at the UFC 154 post-fight press conference:
We asked the commission, “Can we start setting up a fight for him?” But [Overeem’s] still got to go before the commission.
I think Alistair has been doing the right thing as far as the commission is concerned and doing all the things that he needs to do to get back in their good graces. It’s looking positive and optimistic because he’s been doing what he’s supposed to do.
However, Dana White confirmed that Nick Diaz would not be promoted while on suspension for fighting with traces of marijuana metabolites in his system.
Diaz will be able to reapply for a fighter’s license in February, but is currently in the midst of a lawsuit against the NSAC.
Unlike Overeem’s last intended appearance on a UFC card, the main event doesn’t rest on the Dutchman’s massive shoulders. Barring injuries, UFC 156 will supposedly be headlined with a featherweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo, with Overeem vs. “Bigfoot” Silva likely serving as the co-main event.
Overeem was initially set to face reigning UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos for his UFC title last May, but was removed from the card after testing positive for high levels of testosterone.
After attending a hearing with the NSAC, Overeem was able to reduce his suspension to nine months instead of a standard year, dating back from his March 27 drug test.
Well, it’s pretty much upon us. The Superfight. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre. The fight everyone wanted to see. In 2009. Better late than never, I suppose. It looks like 2013 will be the year that the eternal debate will finally be settle…
Well, it’s pretty much upon us.
The Superfight.
Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre.
The fight everyone wanted to see.
In 2009.
Better late than never, I suppose. It looks like 2013 will be the year that the eternal debate will finally be settled: “Will a bigger, meaner, more skilled man beat a smaller, nicer, less skilled man in unarmed combat?”
I, for one, can’t wait to plunk down my $60 to find out.
In the midst of all the pre-fight posturing from Dana White and Silva, the two men with the most to gain, it seems a forgone conclusion that St-Pierre will agree to fight. Although it’s pretty obvious he does not want to, St-Pierre is a good guy, a company man, and will make millions with an affirmative answer. He’s likely in.
But, do you know what’s going to happen to GSP if he agrees to fight Anderson Silva? He’ll be ruined. He’ll never be the same again.
Saturday night at UFC 154 the world got the closest its ever going to get to seeing the old Georges St-Pierre. The man who rose through the welterweight ranks in the mid-2000s like he was shot out of a cannon.
He was not the same flashy, exciting kid he was then—there was too much endorsement money at play for that. But he came to fight, got into an honest-to-goodness war, and came out the other end as the champion.
He proved to himself that getting hit was not the end of the world, and that he could still win a fight after being knocked down and having a lump on his head. Not every fight where you take a punch ends as his first meeting with Matt Serra did.
And what an epiphany that could prove to be for St-Pierre. Armed with the knowledge that he can withstand a fight against the closest thing to a real-life serial killer that MMA can produce in Carlos Condit, St-Pierre could go on quite a run at 170lbs.
Confidence in his abilities and faith in his technique could see St-Pierre produce good results in the coming year against Johny Hendricks and Nick Diaz. Fans have been dying to see that matchup since Diaz was still marauding through Strikeforce.
Instead, St-Pierre is going to fight Silva.
And St-Pierre is going to be knocked out.
Silva has proven he can beat wrestlers who are bigger and/or on steroids. He’s won fights against mammoth light heavyweights as well. His striking is in another stratosphere when compared to anyone else in MMA, and he’s an expert in more martial arts than most people have even heard of.
Silva’s also bigger, meaner, and more skilled. Not to mention more ruthless. Man is he more ruthless.
While all the talk is that the stars have aligned like never before on the way to making this fight a reality, consider for a minute that they have not. Like, not at all.
The middleweight division is actually more competitive than it’s ever been under Silva’s reign. Depending on who you ask, there are four to six guys out there that are viable contenders.
Ditto for welterweight, which is full of young, hungry guys that have been waiting all year to see who would walk out of Montreal as the champion. Plus, of course, the fact that St-Pierre is returning from nearly two years on the shelf and is now being asked to jump up in weight to fight Silva after just one fight.
That’s a digression, but the point remains the same: this is not the time to ruin the welterweight champion by feeding him to Anderson Silva’s legacy.
St-Pierre is fresh off an injury, just fought the toughest fight he’s had in years, and doesn’t even seem to want the fight that’s being offered to—nay, forced upon—him. He finally, finally gave fans a fight to remember at UFC 154, a fight that showed he has the spirit to match his substantial skill set, and now the promotion wants to throw it away.
The last time there was any sense of a fearless GSP, Serra shocked the world and, by extension, killed that incarnation of the champion.
That’s Matt Serra. Imagine what Anderson Silva would do.
To the UFC—don’t make the fight. There’s no need. Everyone knows how it’s going to end, and you’re going to ruin the second-greatest champion you’ve ever had in the process.
Let’s all just appreciate two great champions for what they are and leave it at that.
The welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Carlos 