Tag: Yoel Romero

Following years of hope and hype, MMA legend Georges St-Pierre will finally return to the octagon, as the UFC announced earlier today that ‘Rush’ will return in the second half of this year to face middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the 185-pound strap in his first fight at the weight class.

The illustrious former welterweight champion, who is regarded as one of – if not the – finest martial artists to ever fight inside a cage, will return to fighting with several question marks on his shoulders, namely just what kind of fight shape he will be in after more than three years off following his incredibly close and controversial split decision victory over Johny Hendricks, a fighter who has faded significantly since their still-discussed bout at UFC 167 in 2013. St-Pierre also tore his ACL, his second such injury, shortly after he vacated his long-held 170-pound belt in December of that year.

But apparently the ring rust, injuries, and uncertainty don’t mean much for the prospects of his return, as multiple sources have him rated as the early betting favorite to topple “The Count” when they meet. First, independent odds consultant Joey Odessa, also known as @MMAOdds on Twitter, put St-Pierre as a small -125 favorite over +105 underdog Bisping (via MMA Junkie).

Early speculation cited St-Pierre being the favorite was because of a few main reasons; one, the fact that eight of St-Pierre’s nine welterweight title defenses went to a decision, coupled with Bisping’s tendency to do the same, seem to favor ‘Rush’ and his more one-sided history of wins. The second reason was the Canadian’s age, which may be a factor against younger fighters, is not as much of a deciding element against the 37-year-old Brit.

Odessa discussed the bout and his reasoning for favoring ‘GSP’ due to the decision factor involved:

“On paper, this is the easiest title fight and the biggest money fight for both guys for the UFC to make in 2017,” Odessa told MMAjunkie. “Statistics? Inactivity? Striking? Takedowns? Takedown defense? Twleve of their last 15 combined fights have gone to the scorecards. You wanna study the fight? Study what the judges won’t see that night.”

Another oddsmaker put St-Pierre as a more sizable favorite with Nick Kalikas of MMAOddsbreaker.com (via ESPN) rating ‘Rush’ a -170 favorite over +140 Bisping.

The brash Bisping has certainly been outwrestled by standouts like Chael Sonnen and Tim Kennedy in prior fights, and St-Pierre is certainly rated as an even more effective MMA wrestler than those two names, albeit in a lower weight class. The odds are also a bit surprising considering the run Bisping has been on the past two years, outlasting legendary former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a controversy-filled match before knocking out Luke Rockhold to shock the world and win the belt, and then turning around to defend the title in another close call versus rival Dan Henderson.

But even despite those wins, oddsmakers have St-Pierre as the favorite to win the pivotal pay-per-view main event. Do you agree with them?

The post Early GSP vs. Bisping Odds May Or May Not Surprise You appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Earlier this morning (Wed., March 1, 2017), the mixed martial arts (MMA) universe was shaken to the core when it was officially announced that longtime former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would finally make his long-awaited return against current middleweight champ Michael Bisping at a yet-to-be-named event in the second half of 2017.

It wasn’t the most jaw-dropping announcement given the 185-pound title fight had been talked about as a clear option for months, with discussion ramping up since St-Pierre made his comeback official 12 days ago on February 17. ‘GSP’ obviously spent several grinding years as a dominant champion, but he also brings what will be nearly a four-year layoff to the octagon against Bisping, and w have to be honest – his last bout versus Johny Hendricks was one of his least dominant performances, and he escaped with a very controversial split decision.

Because of that run at welterweight, St-Pierre wants to return to big-money super fights, and outside of a mega bout versus Conor McGregor – a match UFC President Dana White said wasn’t even close to being signed – this is probably the biggest fight ‘GSP’ can return to. Yes, there were fights like his long-rumored dream match with Anderson Silva and a rematch with Nick Diaz, but those fights can still happen.

And they can happen for much higher stakes if St-Pierre does beat Bisping and join McGregor, Randy Couture, and BJ Penn as one of MMA’s few heralded multi-division champions in the UFC.

Yet there’s the backlash I’ve seen many fans speaking of online, that of the fact clear No. 1 middleweight contender Yoel Romero was denied his title shot at Bisping, something White had seemingly promised ‘Soldier of God’ recently. Those type of promises are shaky at best, we’ve come to realize, and now a middleweight division that was already in a state of disarray after Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold on short notice last year and his first title defense against No. 13 Dan Henderson last October.

It seems there’s a cloud around St-Pierre’s return, a fog that echoes a sentiment all the best fighters at 185 pounds are getting passed over for a man, who while no doubt being a great, has never fought at middleweight and also has not competed for over three years. Romero will wait, Jacare Souza will just have to keep dominating whoever is next, Luke Rockhold will have to fae one of them in his return eventually, and the Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi co-main event at next month’s UFC 210, which will feature No. 4 vs. No. 5, will do little to project the winner into a title shot despite it obviously being a huge victory on paper.

So hence the mixed feelings about St-Pierre vs. Bisping. If ‘GSP’ wins as many are expecting him to, then he probably won’t face Romero or Souza in his first title defense. He’d have to face Silva or Diaz because the opportunities would both be too huge to pass up, and they’d certainly be several times bigger than St-Pierre vs. any one of the top middleweights in terms of rankings. The UFC’s new ownership needs attraction-level fights and fast, and these fit that billing like few other bouts could.

I for one think St-Pierre vs. Bisping will be a fun fight with a great backstory. I just can’t help but feel the already messy middleweight division got a whole lot muddier in the process. What are your thoughts on the unexpected title fight?

The post Are You Happy With St-Pierre vs. Bisping? appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.