UFC 100 Preview: Georges St Pierre, the Michael Jordan of MMA
by Nate Wilcox on Jun 30, 2009 10:41 PM EDT
in MMA News
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David K. of Bleacher Report stakes the claim:
In comparison to his pound-for-pound contemporaries, Georges St-Pierre is widely viewed as the prototypical fighter. MMA legend Frank Shamrock perhaps said it best, in an Apr. 2009 interview with BleacherReport.com's Brian Oswald.
"We are in the midst of an evolution in the sport...Georges St-Pierre is the perfect example. The evolution of the athlete and the evolution of the art go hand in hand."
...
Shortly after a Best Fighter nomination for the ESPY Awards last summer, the Canadian star was the first mixed martial artist to sign with CAA Sports-an agency that represents the likes of Derek Jeter, David Beckham, and LeBron James-in October of last year.
The implications of this strategic alliance could be monumental for St-Pierre-and mixed martial arts as a whole-specifically in terms of endorsement deals and general exposure.
...
One of St-Pierre's most relatable attributes may be his perceived vulnerability. In fact, his uncharacteristic attempts at showmanship-i.e. "I am not impressed by your performance."-often resemble scenes from a casting tape. Fittingly so perhaps, as the image-conscious athlete is, at times, reminiscent of what his childhood idol, Jean-Claude Van Damme, has failed to remain: a Hollywood star.
There's a tiny bit of truth to this analogy in that GSP is the MMA fighter who has had the most success in cutting major marketing deals -- CAA, Gatorade, THQ, etc.
But there's one huge difference. When Michael Jordan cut his legendary Nike deal, the NBA was already the most popular sports league in the U.S. Jordan was a rare combination of charisma and athletic ability, but he also had the great good fortune to come into the sport in the wake of a unique generation of superstars who had guaranteed a mass audience for Jordan. GSP may be the closest we've come to a Michael Jordan of MMA, but without a Magic Johnson, a Larry Bird, a Kareem Abdul Jabar and Isiah Thomas to come along and build a massive popular audience, it's just not the same.
We're still in the early days of MMA. As Josh Gross points out, we haven't yet seen the first true MMA superstar:
It really comes down to the stars of the sport, and not the manufactured kind. At some point, fighters will emerge out of the pack. For a variety of reasons the public will come to accept and root for them. They'll be tremendous competitors, embodying everything that's wonderful to watch about MMA.
Moreover, they'll represent something larger than themselves. A struggling town. A cause. A group of people. A period in time. Whatever it is, MMA hasn't experienced this yet, but when it does -- and it will -- you'll know.
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Fedro= Connie Hawkins. the best player nobody ever heard of b/c he played in the ABA and not the big leagues, the NBA. coulda been a HUGE star in the NBA if he would have been allowed to (wrongfully banned). eventually he did play a little in the NBA but was way past his prime. still made it to the HOF.
Fedro, don’t let this happen to you! :)
by bdw on Jul 1, 2009 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Barnett could fit this discription as well, if he wasn’t so overated unlike Hawkins. ;-)
by bdw on Jul 1, 2009 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions
As I diehard Celtics fan, I find this insulting to the great Bill Russell.
by a tommy point on Jul 1, 2009 7:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Young, Talented, Pulls off stuff from youtube, Ludicrous reach......actually you're right.
Jon Jones = Dwight Howard
the things you mentioned describe Josh Smith more than lebron or dwight..
Jones has the potential but they are not as dominant as Lebron or Dwight..
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 30, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
did lee murray rape someone? hahaha. ;)
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 30, 2009 11:10 PM EDT up reply actions
tito WAS good.. now he sits on a chair and talks a lot of smack.. Just like barkley..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Barkley was a much better player than Tito was a fighter. He is also a much better shit talker than Tito..
I dislike Matt Hughes and Twidder.
i don't like the guy, and you obviously dont too,
but one thing we can’t deny is that he was one of the most dominant champions in UFC history.. Barkley didn’t even get a sniff of the title..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 2:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Also he managed to be a dominant champion by being big before anyone else was cutting that kind of weight. Going back and watching his fights a few months ago I was left less impressed by his wins than I had been.
I dislike Matt Hughes and Twidder.
wilt chamberlain was also big before anyone else in the nba was like that..
you still can’t take away all his achievements..
if Lebron played one on one with Jordan, Jordan would lose.. But you can’t take away jordan’s achievements cause he’s the one that revolutionized the sport and Lebron is as good as he is cause of Jordan..
or if you don’t agree with that analogy, think Shaq/Dwight going against the old school centers..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 3:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Its true the center size analogy makes sense. However huge players can still dominate in the NBA due to sheer size. The gap has closed much like in MMA.
However Jordan in his prime would be the best player in the league now or in any other era. Obviously the scoring is comparable, thought Jordan’s numbers were higher. The elite defenders of today are quite similar to the ones in his era. Jordan was the ultimate clutch athlete. He won defensive player of the year and was on the first team all defensive team like 9 times or something.
I dislike Matt Hughes and Twidder.
yeah, but i think guys like kobe and lebron can take him..
he’d have a very hard time dealing with bron’s size, and zone being allowed now.. sure handchecks were allowed before, but if you camped inside and had several double teams waiting for you, he’d have a hard time..
that is why even if i hate kobe, i still give him props for his 80+ points against that kind of defense.
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 3:41 AM EDT up reply actions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WmNHGA5jh8
I don’t think it matters what kind of D you use when someone can do this kind of stuff.
All this said I really hope we get to see Kobe v Lebron+1 next year in the finals.
I dislike Matt Hughes and Twidder.
maybe..
but imagine kobe playing with the illegal defense rule.. No one camping.. It’s either single or double coverage.. No one can wait for him then double only when he makes a move to the basket..
i wouldnt be surprised if he scored 80+ more than once there.. but anyway, this is non MMA talk already so ill keep it at that..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 3:54 AM EDT up reply actions
But Barkley was never a champion. His commentary on TNT is turrible as well. Just plain turrible.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, growing up as a child Kimbo Slice was never given any bread with his meals. This is why he insists people... give him his bread."
by xFenixKnightx on Jul 1, 2009 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
In the worlds of Barkley, this analogy is turrible, just turrible.
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 1, 2009 2:33 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
in the words of tito
"Wow! That’s all I got to say. Vitor at 185 pounds. I don’t know. I see him beating the, uh, what was it, Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart because you have two great boxers, and, man, that was amazing. That was the old Vitor Belfort that we all want to see. Him at 131 years old. He’s back for vengeance."
I dislike Matt Hughes and Twidder.
a better comparison would be to LeBron James
Lebron is young, has a different kind of athleticism, he’s the MVP and arguably the best NBA player right now..
GSP is young, has a different kind of athleticism, he holds a belt and arguably the best MMA fighter right now..
but jordan is the best NBA player in history.. Lebron can be the next one, just like GSP can..
.
.
.
Poll: Am i right? and is that the best analogy available?
o Yes ofcourse i am.
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 30, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
plus Jordan wasnt the prototypical athlete that GSP is..
that is Lebron James.. He revolutionized what NBA body means, someone that big, that fast, that athletic, can pass, score, and play several positions…
Much like GSP being the start of the very athletic and very versatile, well rounded fighters that we may be seeing more of in the future..
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 30, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Huh? Jordan was an amazing athlete. From a size, strength speed comparison Brock is much closer to LeBron than GSP.
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
Jordan was an amazing athlete, just not as amazing an athlete as Lebron..
and no.. Dwight is closer to Brock.. Veryyyy big, his game is centered on size and strength a lot, but also quick on his toes for a big man.
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Jordan wasn’t as big as LeBron for sure which makes his athleticism more impressive. Still I agree that LeBron is simply a freak of nature which is why I compared him physically to Brock.
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
yeah, but i was comparing it not only cause of his athletecism
Lebron is young, has a different kind of athleticism, he’s the MVP and arguably the best NBA player right now..
GSP is young, has a different kind of athleticism, he holds a belt and arguably the best MMA fighter right now..
but jordan is the best NBA player in history.. Lebron can be the next one, just like GSP can..
Plus GSP is well rounded fighter, much like LBJ..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 1:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Michael Jordon was the NBA’s biggest draw. GSP isn’t UFC’s biggest draw.
by bignerd on Jun 30, 2009 11:05 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
chuck liddell
isnt he the first superstar of the sport? i mean, he was on music videos, on TV, in movies, small parts sure, but he was/is the only one doing it.
good luck in life!
When Michael Jordan cut his legendary Nike deal, the NBA was already the most popular sports league in the U.S.
Has the NBA ever been more popular than the NFL or MLB? I wasn’t aware of that.
http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com
in the US, i dont think they are..
Around the world? no one cares about NFL and MLB..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 1, 2009 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions
You are CORRECT. NBA is the only league that matter in europe for exemple. I’ve never seen one kid playing baseball with his dad, EVER.
Around the world? no one cares about NFL and MLB
Except for the Super Bowl, when like, a billion people watch.
And the NBA has never sniffed being the most popular sport in the US, I couldn’t really get past that in the article.
by Mocha Shaka Khan on Jul 1, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Michael Jordan was also a level above everyone else in the sport. Sure, Anderson Silva has fallen on hard times recently, but between him, GSP, Machida and Fedor, I can’t honestly say who is the best fighter.
Josh Gross sounds like he’s recruiting Barack Obama to have an MMA career (hell, he’s only a couple of years older than Randy).
All-American, 2 time NBA champ and married to Gwendolyn Osbourne? Hard to do much better than that.
by jebushchrist on Jul 1, 2009 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey now, Kenny Smith rocks!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, growing up as a child Kimbo Slice was never given any bread with his meals. This is why he insists people... give him his bread."
by xFenixKnightx on Jul 1, 2009 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
BJ Penn=Isaiah Thomas
BJ trying to bring GSP down similar to how Isaiah tried to bring Jordan down when he first started. Lol
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 1, 2009 7:59 AM EDT reply actions
In all seriousness, I would say GSP has the talent, athletic ability, and competitive spirit to dominate the sport for a long time similar to what Jordan did in the NBA, but he has long ways to go before reaching that status to become a global icon similar to Jordan.
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 1, 2009 8:08 AM EDT reply actions
Judging from that pic GSP is making a run at Sexyamas title as well. LOL
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, growing up as a child Kimbo Slice was never given any bread with his meals. This is why he insists people... give him his bread."
“Yeah, so YEAH, SO!!!”
:P
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, growing up as a child Kimbo Slice was never given any bread with his meals. This is why he insists people... give him his bread."
by xFenixKnightx on Jul 1, 2009 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
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