-
The Pound-for-Pound Debate Continues
By: Jake Rossen
Jose Aldo file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Jose Aldo making an ER patient out of Manny Gamburyan last Thursday reignited the most inexhaustible conversation in this sport: who can be called the best “pound-for-pound” fighter around. (The idea being of, if weight were no issue, who possesses the best set of skills -- though skills can often depend on one’s weight/physicality. My head is already hurting.)
Aldo is a terror in the featherweight division, no question. He’s taken eight straight in the WEC and holds an 18-1 record overall. But the men he’s defeated (save for Urijah Faber) don’t have the same depth of accomplishments as fighters in higher weight divisions. Aldo is up there, but the real argument comes when you begin comparing Georges St. Pierre to Anderson Silva.
St. Pierre is the more complete fighter: he can strike, wrestle, and submit. Silva is sensational off his back and on his feet, but has little ability to force fights where he wants them. He also looked lethargic against Demian Maia, Thales Leites, and Patrick Cote; St. Pierre played very conservative games against Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy. If you wanted to explain the appeal of either man to a friend, it’s not likely you’d show them any of that footage. Read more -
Thursday Overnights: ‘Ultimate Fighter 12’
By: Jake Rossen
Josh Koscheck file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
I maintain that Spike’s immortal “Ultimate Fighter” franchise represents the best that reality television has to offer: namely, regular and sustained beatings of contestants. If only we could observe “The Situation” being peeled off a mat and wheeled into an ambulance at the end of every episode.
Because they’ve never strayed from that formula, it’s unlikely the show will ever become worn out. Wednesday’s premiere of the series’ 12th season had no surprises: You’ve got the likable coach (Georges St. Pierre, so polished he could be a pharmaceutical rep), the heel (Josh Koscheck, who realizes his paycheck depends on stroking a handlebar mustache) and a pile of ambitious fighters who will eventually reveal disparate and conflicting personalities as time goes on.
Oddly, the UFC has in the past several seasons adopted a policy of chopping up preliminary bouts for the first episode or two due to their volume. It’s a lot of action without a whole lot of substance that contrasts with the series’ usual insistence on presenting unedited bouts. (“The Contender,” an NBC series about aspiring boxers that predated “TUF,” dug its grave in part by cutting up footage, destroying any natural rhythm.) On the other hand, viewers tuning into the UFC probably need and expect immediate bashing. You can also view unedited fights on the show’s website. Synergy.
This being Spike, the premiere wouldn’t have been complete without a shot of a contender puking in the bushes -- we got three shots, actually, a generous helping. Between the urine hilarity of past seasons, the frequent dehydration and now vomit, the show is running dangerously low on bodily fluids. Of all the reasons to have concern for people on the show, I reserve most of my sympathy for their housekeeper. Read more -
St. Pierre, Edgar Nominated for ESPYs
By: Brian Knapp
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight titleholder Frankie Edgar have received nominations for ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards.
Read more
The 29-year-old St. Pierre was nominated along with boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao for “Best Fighter.” Mayweather (2007-08) and Pacquiao (2009) have each won the award.
Arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in mixed martial arts, St. Pierre has not lost a round in nearly three years. The Montreal-based welterweight has rattled off seven consecutive victories since his stunning technical knockout loss to Matt Serra -- a defeat he later avenged -- at UFC 69 in April 2007. St. Pierre carries with him one of the sport’s most impressive resumes, including a pair of wins over UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes and former two-division champion B.J. Penn. He last fought in March, when he cruised to a unanimous decision over the world-ranked Dan Hardy at UFC 111.
Edgar, 28, was nominated in the “Best Upset” category after he stunned Penn to capture the UFC lightweight crown in April. Other nominees are the University of Hawaii fast-pitch softball team (victory over top-ranked Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional), Northern Iowa men’s basketball team (toppled top-seeded Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament) and professional golfer Y.E. Yang (came from behind to defeat Tiger Woods in the 2009 United States Open).
The once-beaten Edgar used his speed and movement to outpoint Penn in a unanimous decision at UFC 112. He will defend his belt in a rematch with the Hawaiian at UFC 118 on Aug. 28 at the TD Garden in Boston.
Emanating from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the 2010 ESPY Awards will air live on ESPN on July 14. The show has become a fixture of the sporting landscape since its debut in 1993. -
White: Silva vs. St. Pierre Still an Option
By: Jake Rossen
There are times when I feel the UFC has their business as organized and premeditated as possible, and then there are times when they seem to completely miss the point.
Read more
Case evidence: Dana White’s comments to MMAJunkie.com regarding a possible Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre “superfight,” something White says he’s “shocked” that fans keep demanding. -
GSP Has a Little Captain in Him?
"Captain Morgan" and the "Morganettes" joined UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre on the red carpet before the 2010 Spike Guys Choice Awards on Saturday June 5 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Casey Rodgers/AP Images for Captain MorganRead more -
GSP Takes Hockey Enforcer’s Challenge
By: Sherdog.com Staff
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has accepted the challenge of former Montreal Canadiens hockey enforcer George Laraque to face off in a grappling match at the Tristar gym in Montreal, reports TSN.ca.
Read more
Laraque issued the friendly challenge to the French Canadian MMA superstar Wednesday on TSN’s “Off The Record with Michael Landsberg.”
The match, which was taped Wednesday night, will air on Landsberg’s show Friday at 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST on TSN. In the meantime, pictures and video updates from Landsberg can be found at www.facebook.com/heylandsberg. -
GSP Re-Ups with Gatorade
By: Mike Fridley
Gatorade Canada has released a new spot to commemorate UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre title defense this weekend against Dan Hardy at UFC 111.
GSP has also resigned with the popular beverage outfit, according to a press release sent to the media on Friday by Gatorade Canada.
“Georges St-Pierre truly embodies the spirit of athleticism for Canada, from his gruelling behind-the-scenes training regimen to his championship fights in front of the world,” said Dale Hooper, VP Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada, the makers of Gatorade. “We’re very proud to be associated with an athlete like GSP who is such a motivation to any Canadian who sweats.”
Read more -
Primer: UFC 111
By: Jake Rossen
Dan Hardy (center) file photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Georges St. Pierre will defend his welterweight title for the first time in over eight months against a motor-mouthed Dan Hardy; Frank Mir will contest for an interim title against Shane Carwin. (Yes, interim: Champion Brock Lesnar is healthy, and this fight seems unlikely to make it past even one round, let alone five, but there you go.)
For St. Pierre, it will be an opportunity to score a fourth consecutive title defense. For Hardy, it could mean making a lot of underdog gamblers very wealthy.
What: UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy, a 10-bout card from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
When: Saturday, March 27 at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view, with a live preliminary special on Spike at 9 p.m. ET
Why You Should Care: Because Frank Mir has a serious deficit when it comes to defending himself with his back on the mat, and Shane Carwin will be delighted to see if he’s made improvements; because 6-1 underdog Dan Hardy might be the biggest statistical anomaly in recent UFC headliner history since Matt Serra, and we know what happened there; because Ben Saunders has to be respected for his rabid petitioning to face Jon Fitch at the last minute; and because Renzo Gracie product Ricardo Almeida might find renewed life at 170 pounds -- so long as he doesn’t look like James Irvin. Read more -
Daley/Koscheck On for 5/8
By: Jake Rossen
The UFC announced Tuesday that standout striker Paul Daley will meet Josh Koscheck in a welterweight eliminator at UFC 113 on May 8; the fight follows a Jon Fitch/Thiago Alves rematch scheduled for March 27. It’s likely that a winner emerging from either fight could face Georges St. Pierre after he defends against Dan Hardy on the same night. (I’ve come to accept that as a statement of fact. Apologies to Hardy fans.)
Read more
Yet St. Pierre has already defeated Fitch, Alves, and Koscheck, all in somewhat one-sided decision festivals. Daley’s striking could certainly present problems, but there may not be much to stop St. Pierre from grinding out an NCAA-style win that’s quickly becoming his trademark.
So why are we even looking at such a mundane 2010 for the champion? St. Pierre has put on 10 pounds of mass since altering his diet and his trainers indicate he can only be pushed in training when paired against larger men like Rashad Evans. Providing he beats Hardy, the interest in seeing any of those three possible rematches pales in comparison to a bout with Anderson Silva or another quality middleweight.
For St. Pierre, 170 is yesterday’s mail. -
St. Pierre Not Impressed with Himself
By: Jake Rossen
D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Take any athlete of any skill in any era and you’ll find extremists arguing both sides of their reputation. For some, Randy Couture’s title-laden career is modern-day mythology; for others, he’s an overrated smother artist with a crippled 17-10 record. You can’t argue facts, but you can argue how they’re interpreted.
Georges St. Pierre might be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, with a dizzying array of skills, but there are those who think his inability to finish fights is handicapping his reputation. (Anderson Silva has gone the distance only once in his UFC career; St. Pierre, six.)
That chorus has now added an unlikely voice: St. Pierre himself.
“I’m not satisfied about my ratio of knockouts. I have knockouts, but I want to bring my ratio up,” he told Tapology.com. “I’m more powerful than I was, and by being more powerful I’m faster as well. Power is strength and speed together.”
In recent months, St. Pierre has recruited a nutritionist to correct dietary deficiencies brought on by a love of McDonald’s. (Corporate sponsors: how do you not love this guy?) He’s added weight and power, something that Lyoto Machida credits with helping him move away from the decision-fighter stigma in 2009. When Machida began lifting weights, his technique found the fuel it needed to hurt people.
I’m not of the mind that fighters who don’t finish bouts are lesser competitors: a lot of athletes in this sport are just incredibly hard to stop. But as talented as St. Pierre is, stoppages are within his wheelhouse and would be proof of his maturation as a fighter. It’s the difference between being respected and being feared. Read more
