The Appeal of Georges St. Pierre Demands a Move to Middleweight
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 9:22 PM EDT
in MMA News
Email
Print
There's something special about Georges St. Pierre. Every time he fights, I'm left in awe by his performance. Last night he fought a 200 pound man who Josh Koscheck could not take down. Mohammed Lawal, an excellent wrestler in his own right, did not think St. Pierre would be able to take Alves down. He was wrong. St. Pierre was able to take him down almost at will, and did it even with a bad groin injury in the last two rounds.
St. Pierre's run has been filled with fights that raised doubts. Would he crack under the pressure against Serra? Could he handle Fitch's tenacity and wrestling ability? Could he deal with Penn's quicker boxing and legendary jiu-jitsu? Could he take down a guy nobody else could, and if not how could he deal with a superior striker on paper? Since his loss to Matt Serra, he's answered every question with a resounding yes.
Now that he's cleared the division, St. Pierre now has a number of options at 170 that raise no doubts except for how he will win. This is not to take away from Mike Swick, Martin Kampmann, or Jake Shields, but these fights are all blowouts waiting to happen. I worry that without challenges to motivate him, St. Pierre will get overconfident and stop training the way he does, and we could lose out on seeing him achieve everything he can.
A number of interesting fights call out to fans at middleweight. Fights with Demian Maia, Michael Bisping, Dan Henderson, Yushin Okami, and Wanderlei Silva all raise unique issues for St. Pierre. Oh, and there's one other fight at 185 pounds that people might be interested in. I know I am.
I love watching St. Pierre because he amazes me. His work ethic and ability is an inspiration. He is arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport, and he's just entering his prime. The UFC should put him in a position to erase the "arguably" and continue inspiring fans. He might lose, and if he finds that the weight is too high he can always go back to welterweight. But deciding against fights because one guy might lose is a recipe for never making interesting fights.
77 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
The appeal of Georges St. Pierre demands nothing but our a) acceptance of whatever he decides to do and b) our gratitude for getting to watch this guy fight.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 5:41 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Obviously if he doesn’t want to, then that’s a whole different story. I’m pretty sure he does, both from public statements and things I’ve heard privately.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I just don’t want him to get any shit for staying at 170 and utterly dominating the weight class. Don’t we give BJ shit for not staying put?
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
The difference there was that when BJ moved up, both GSP and BJ had very viable contenders in their own weight classes. The argument for GSP moving up is that Swick and Kampmann are hardly as compelling as Alves and Florian.
I wouldn’t fault GSP for staying put, but it’s a pretty different situation from the one Penn had earlier this year.
by George Lucas on Jul 12, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
St. Pierre does have a pretty good point though that he’s walking around at close to 185. He would not be a very big middleweight. I don’t mean the comparison to reflect skill so much as size but it would be like Bisping fighting in the light heavyweight division. Although St. Pierre’s rather incredible strength and wrestling could solve alot of those problems, he’d be routinely giving up size and weight to other fighters.
I have no interest in seeing GSP get manhandled by bigger MW’s instead of fighting top 170 pounders in the deepest division in the UFC. There are plenty of guys that GSP has yet to face and as long as the UFC keeps presenting him top flight fighters i’ll be happy seeing him do what he does best and that’s dominate in the cage.
Who at middleweight do you think would “manhandle” St. Pierre? Marquardt and Hendo maybe? Who else?
And he trains with Marquardt so that just leaves Henderson. Which would be an awesome fight.
by George Lucas on Jul 12, 2009 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
The MW division offers fresh and compelling fights. There will always be the story of GSP, the natural welterweight, coming up and challenging these naturally larger fighters. Will his skill be able to overcome the difference in size? There will be a natural storyline for all of these fights.
As the article puts it well, none of the up and coming WWs provide a legitimate challenge to the monster that is GSP. He’s just ahead of his time, and nobody at WW provides a threat. He’s practically cleared out the division already.
Moving him to MW gives him compelling match-ups that fans will eat up, while also reinvigorating the WW division as fighters clamor for the vacated title. The only downside is fans might see the new WW champ as just a placeholder for the true champ in GSP.
GSP has nothing for the Sex and Pound
by a tommy point on Jul 12, 2009 5:50 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I'd pay to watch that as the main event of a PPV
But I do wish they’d widen the aisles at UFC shows so Akiyama can hold hands with his cornermen on the walk down.
Sergio Non,
MMA writer, USA TODAY
http://mma.usatoday.com
i dont agree that a fight with Shields would be a walk in the park..
do you think GSP beats Jake on his feet?? and just control him on the ground?
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
Shields looks completely uncomfortable on the feet. GSP would pick him apart in the stand-up game, and control him on the ground if he ever decided to take it there. Shields doesn’t have the wrestling to take him down. Nobody does.
jake can be beat on his feet(no one has in over 4 years or so, but Jake clearly isnt a strong striker), but the key is keeping it standing with jake… and that is very hard.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
GSP would absolutely destroy Jake Shields
They are on a different level. There is no way the Jake Shields could submit GSP….
so you think GSP can lay on top on Jake and GNP for 5 rounds? or more like a Jon Fitch type of fight?
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
GSP @ Middleweight
I think it’s the next logical step, he says he wants to challenge himself and this would be it, there are no more challenges left at welterweight. He has plowed through everyone, in fact, since the serra loss, I dont think he has lost a round. He beat Kos 3 round to 0, beat Hughes 2 rounds to 0, Serra 2 round to 0, Fitch 5 rounds to 0, Penn 4 rounds to 0, and Alves 5 rounds to 0!!! If his groin needs time to heal, this might be a good time for him to bulk up while laying off the cardio a bit and set up that superfight with Silva, timing couldn’t be better, the only bad thing is we wouldn’t see GSP fight for a while!
GSP really has no reason to move up.
There are still several fights at WW (Kampmann-Swick winner, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit even) and he is clearly the best at 170lbs. so why move up and risk the brand he is building.
After all, how many MMA fighters have sponsorship deals with Gatorade?
watchkalibrun.com
“Could he take down a guy nobody else could, and if not how could he deal with a superior striker on paper?”
Matt Hughes took Thiago down, and I’m sure Jon Fitch did as well.
Forgot about the Hughes one, though it was more like Thiago nailed him with a knee and then tripped up. Basically Hughes couldn’t do jack wrestling with him.
Fitch…well, not to get into this, but this is a different Thiago Alves now in more ways than one.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d still pick Fitch in a rematch.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d pick Alves, I don’t think Fitch would get him down.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
It would be a great fight.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Fitch could probably beat him again too. Although it would be far less impressively than GSP. Fitch is basically GSP-lite.
My thoughts exactly.
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Fitch’s standup is nowhere near on par with with GSP. Because of this, he is nowhere near as unpredictable with his takedowns and overall transitions between all facets of mma. I like Fitch. I was very impressed with his heart against GSP. However, he is far from GSP-lite.
Also, totally different Thiago since they last fought. If Fitch could take him down, he would have a hell of a time keeping him down.
I’m pretty sure the – lite, means he isn’t as good.
by CliChe Guevara on Jul 12, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I may catch some shit from y’all for saying this, but….
I’ve been kind of bored watching GSP lately. As stated before, he hasn’t seemed to lose a round in his last four outings, and I’m thinking that has a lot to do with it. He’s very dominant, and wonderfully skilled at what he does, and it could be that there’s no one to compete with him at 170, but I also think—-and talk all the shit you want—-that he’s predictable and lacking a certain killer instinct. During the Buffer intros, I argued with my boys that Georges would immediately take Alves down and grind him out for five rounds. They all argued the opposite, that G would outstrike Alves and knock him out. And we know how that turned out.
I’m not saying that he isn’t one of the top 5 fighters in the world, because I know he is. I know about his eight (T)KO’s and four subs. I understand his dominance, and the beauty in his method, the intelligence of always playing to his strengths. I really can’t commit to one concrete reason why I find myself getting bored watching him, it’s just the way it is.
Anyone else feel this way?
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 7:10 PM EDT reply actions
I really chalk it up to the quality of his last two opponents. Fitch is an absolute beast that was touted as the future of the sport before that fight, and the fact that he wasn’t finished says a lot more about him than GSP. Alves is, similarly, very tough and will probably go back to mauling the rest of the division. If they truly hate Paulo Thiago, they’ll feed him to Alves next.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I am. You’re right. Say what you want, but nonetheless a very game opponent. And that fight technically ended in a TKO.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions
I can understand why
you would be bored watching him. For me, and I’m sure for many other fans who post here, watching a fight isn’t just about the visceral excitement of the experience, it’s about the technical components and watching a gameplan get executed. I’m not saying you don’t appreciate those things, but if the more important part of the experience is excitement and riding the back-and-forth, then GSP can be a bit deflating. In a similar fashion to Machida, I suppose.
The thing that make me disregard this part is that he does routinely finish fights. Machida, during his rise to the top, didn’t finish any of his fights until the final two (Silva and Evans KO’s), and that made the experience somewhat diminished for me. I knew I was going to see a masterful performance, and that he was going to be technically superb, but it came down a notch since I didn’t feel like I had to keep my eyes glued to the screen in anticipation of that one exchange which could end the fight.
So I think I understand where you’re coming from. And I’m sure Georges knows it is something to be concerned with. I wouldn’t get down on him. He’s at the top of his game, and sometimes fighters aren’t all that exciting once they’ve reached the summit. Pulling for the young, hungry underdog is always thrilling, but it gets different once they’ve proven how dominant they are.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
See, it’s funny because I love watching Machida fight. He’s one of my favorites. There’s always such unpredictability in his game, and knowing he has that BJJ blackbelt just gives us something new to look forward to, when he eventually is forced to use it.
It’s just, whenever I watch Georges fight, I know what’s going to happen, and how it’s going to happen (except for the Serra fight of course). I appreciate watching G do his thing, it’s just…
OK, it’s like (for me anyways) listening to a beautiful classical piece of music vs. listening to a good improvised jazz solo. I will listen to, enjoy and appreciate the classical piece, but I don’t feel as involved as I do when listening to a good jazz solo.
Strange comparison, I know, but it is what it is. :)
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions
you’re forgetting an arm triangle W against Soko
by CliChe Guevara on Jul 12, 2009 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not bored, I’m amazed by what he does. But yes, repeated one-sided drubbings can get boring. Going to 185 would change this I’m sure.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s definitely amazing, and I can appreciate the level of commitment, intelligence and hard work he puts in to be so dominant. But you hit it on the head Michael, one sided drubbings can get boring.
Can’t wait for 185 GSP. Matter of fact, I’m going to make a t-shirt, with big block letters :
GSP
185
Rush vs. Spider? Yes please! :)
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions
i get very bored with GSP fights… but they are safe and they win… much like recent Anderson Silva fights.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
True that, ekc.
And for that reason, I hope he doesn’t change a thing. I’d rather be a bit bored and watch him continue on his legacy. I really dig GSP, and the way he represents our sport, and wish all the best to him.
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions
The difference between the two is...
GSP leaves no doubt that he is the best in his weight because he beats the BEST in his weight, I’m sorry but I never considered Leites or Cote, the #1 ranked Middleweights, And Irvin was the 27th ranked LHW at the time, hardly a challenge, The quality of Pierres opponents should rank him miles ahead of Silva in the P4P world, That being said-GSP is too small to fight Anderson-who should move up anyway, If he’s 215lbs normally then he should be at LHW now, instead he’s fought far too long at Middle admiring his own press I think, (He wouldn’t have all those wins in a row against the top Light heavys) Let GSP stay at WW for at least 3-4 more fights, I keep hearing Johnson would be a formidable opponent, and Swick, maybe Shields, Again I think Silva is just too big, and I don’t want to see some mismatch that would ruin Pierres legacy.
Doesn't anybody think before they speak/post anymore?
by Big Boob Lover on Jul 12, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
The problem with your boys argument is that is is contradictory to the way that GSP now fights. To suggest he is predictable is crazy. Part of his dominance is his unpredictability. Thiago clearly had no idea when the takedown was coming, and therefore had a hell of time stopping it.
I truly think he may have stopped Thiago in round 4 or 5 if he didn’t pull his groin. His top game was impressive. He was doing a great deal of damage when he was in Thiago’s full guard. Controlling Thiago’s choulders with his forearms as he postured up…it was fantastic.
By predictable, I meant that I knew exactly what he was going to do. And he did. Still love the guy, but yeah.
Perfectly timed takedowns, excellent base, hardcore GnP. That’s our Georges! :)
He didn’t do anything in the Alves fight that made me think, “wow, I didn’t expect that!”
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m almost more impressed when a guy comes in with an obvious gameplan and still executes the shit out of it.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions
He knocked Alves down striking
I watched the fight at a ridiculous hour here in the UK, but I’m sure I didn’t dream that, did I?
Didn’t expect that. Nearly pounded him out too, but Alves is strong as an Ox and managed to hold his arms long enough to shake out the cobwebs.
by Well Read Idiot on Jul 13, 2009 7:28 AM EDT up reply actions
I respect your comments and your opinions, but just to state my own opinion, I like watching guys dominate, I liked watching Jordan dominate, I like watching Tiger dominate and Federer dominate, Lebron dominate, it’s a great thing to see a guy destroy all the top competition thrown his way. I understand what you mean as far as the style in which he fights, but for me I thought the Serra fight, Hughes fight, Penn fight and Fitch fight were all exciting, yes he didn’t finish them, but these guys don’t always get finished, they are the best of the best!
Brother, I love the dominating fighters too! I never miss a Fedor, Anderson, Machida, Torres, Lesnar, BJ, etc. fight. Georges is amazing at what he does, and I never miss his fights either.
I’m not saying that I’m not a fan of the guy, on the contrary, he’s one of my favorites. When I find time to train, the two guys I try to emulate are GSP & Lyoto Machida, because they are the least likely to sustain damage, share similar stylistic backgrounds, and one excels at the standup while the other shines on the ground. They’re perfect counterpoints to base a style off of (imo).
GSP has one of the greatest fighting styles in the world. To me, it just hasn’t been that exciting to watch. But I say, fuck it. If it were me in that cage, I could only wish do what he does. Win conclusively while taking minimal damage.
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Jul 12, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I want to stop and point out another hilarious “business” article over at MMA Payout on the same topic. First it points out the UFC put themselves in this position by refusing to co- promote. This is the same website that predicted Zuffa would be forced into co-promotion by the MMA market’s demand for big fights, so in lieu of the fact that they have been proven so clearly wrong, they point out that the problem at 170 is the UFC’s refusal to counter promote. This on the night they probably did over a million buys. Whatever. Mike Swick title shot out draws any co promoted fight at 170 right now anyway.
In terms of money at 185, there’s a ton to be made. Anderson, Wanderlei, Dan Henderson, Demian Maia (who is on his way to being a star), Michael Bisping, even Rich Franklin once he inevitably returns to middleweight. All of these are great money fights, not to mention the strong rumors that when Liddell returns in a year he is considering doing it at 185. Point being there are plenty of money options at that weight if you think about it for more than two minutes, the question is whether or not St. Pierre wants to go up in weight or thinks he can handle it.
Just about every “business” post at MMA Payout since Adam Swift left is pretty short sighted.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 7:53 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
That's just disappointing from a human standpoint
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 7:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Rob Joyner
If the UFC moves him up a division and he loses, the GSP brand is the one that is sullied, not the UFC’s, which the way Zuffa does business, isn’t such a horrible thing.
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 12, 2009 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
He actually was a moderately intelligent poster here for a while, now he is like Ivan Trembow.
by Michael Rome on Jul 12, 2009 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree. Also, Ivan strikes again with his latest two post
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 12, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Ha, I just read those.
I suspect if UFC 100 does 1.5 million buys, Ivan will blast Dana for not doing a backflip off Mandalay Bay like he promised he would. What a liar!
by Michael Rome on Jul 13, 2009 5:13 AM EDT up reply actions
I actually think he has somewhat of a point here. GSP has stated he wants to build a legacy of being the best fighter of all time. The path to that legacy is through the MW division, and it comes with risks. He’ll be taking on naturally larger opponents. If he does this, it’s going to be GSP’s decision though, and I’m sure he understands the risk of losing. The opportunity to build this legacy is what he wants though, and it’s going to come at the risk of losses.
He could stick around and continue dominating the WW division, but that won’t be as compelling, and won’t be as strong an argument as attaining that MW title.
Rob’s entirely wrong on the co-promotion point though – the UFC already has practically all of the top WWs minus Shields, who’s too one dimensional. And as pointed out, there are many compelling money fights awaiting him in MW.
Does Swift still run the site or oversees it even though he is over at HDNet?
by The Bronzeville Bully on Jul 12, 2009 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m disappointed that comments aren’t enabled. It’s like a big red flag for a news/analysis blog. Or any kind of blog, really.
by An Old Friend on Jul 12, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed. Some of their articles and analysis are off base, but they can never be called on it. If you have confidence in your writing, allow comments.
Their articles do provide some insight once in awhile though, but it’s a bit hit or miss with them. Not only that, but their writing can be pretty boring. That’s just a taste thing though.
I should note that this was Adam Swift’s policy as well, and it sucked then, too. And I agree with everyone else about Swift-era vs. Joyner-era MMA Payout.
by An Old Friend on Jul 13, 2009 5:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Hopefully not
GSP can build a legacy as a long-time champ in the proper weight class—170 pounds.
Just because a fighter wins does not mandate that a change in class is warranted—in GSP’s case, it isn’t. GSP isn’t even big for a WW, let alone MW.
Putting on weight? Where, on GSP’s frame, is additional lean body mass warranted? He has filled his frame to its optimal size already—he isn’t growing, he doesn’t have a large frame to support additional weight etc.
Calls for GSP-Silva, I hope, are left in the realms of pure speculation. The size difference, reach advantage, weight, strength, etc. would be enormous.
LOL
And my goodness, I always thought it is wise for the wolf to at least try to hide its fangs.
Personal attacks on other writers? isn’t that against this blog’s rules? Were you “adding” to the discourse with your potshots Rome?
There’s nothing personal, I just think the site is awful now and filled with biased ranting as opposed to meaningful analysis of any kind, which is a tragedy compared to what it used to be. It’s like the Lou Dobbs show of MMA business analysis now.
by Michael Rome on Jul 13, 2009 5:17 AM EDT up reply actions
GSP is so talented, and always strives to be the best...
Which is why I think he owes it to himself to at least test the waters at middleweight. I know he has a lot of friends in the higher weight classes, but there is no challenge at 170 now. Does anybody really want to see GSP pound out Fitch, Alves, Hughes, Koscheck again?
If he does end up going to MW, I believe he should forsake the WW belt for the sake of the division. He said it himself that he’s the champ now so he doesn’t fight for the belt, but for the challenges.
I love me some Sexyama!
GSP proves again one thing
GSP proved that he is the best at taking fighters down and not letting them get up.
Alves got up several times.
He’s a hugely explosive guy, and he didn’t seem to have much trouble getting up after GSP took him down.
But that didn’t stop GSP from doing it again and again.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
I’m not sure moving GSP up to middleweight makes sense unless we suddenly develop the technology to give him another growth spurt so he gains a couple inches in height and his shoulders broader further. He’d be giving up alot of reach and weight in a middleweight fight against Silva. Its one of those hypothetical “wouldn’t it be neat to see what happened?” things that probably wouldn’t be nearly as great as one would expect. You’d probably actually see Anderson dancing away from him to avoid take downs and trying to lab punches from a distance using his reach. Why? Because its probably how he’d win the fight and Silva has shown lately he’s all about winning as opposed to fireworks.
I want to see the best GSP fighting, and at 185, we won’t be seeing the best GSP. I agree with Joyner here — the UFC gains by forcing GSP’s hand, while GSP brand risks too much. Do we think that St. Pierre’s chin can withstand the middleweight heavy hitters? If not, why would it be wrong for GSP to stay put, and concentrate on developing into the best fighter he could be?
I see no reason to believe he develops into the best fighter he can be by fighting guys multiple levels below him. We basically are looking at at least 18 months to two years of completely uncompetitive fights, not just in the Octagon, but on paper. That makes it two or three divisions entering that state, it’s a serious problem for the UFC.
by Michael Rome on Jul 13, 2009 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Just to add one other thing—we already have an example of what happens in this kind of situation, and it isn’t good. Is GSP supposed to focus on getting better the same way Anderson Silva did over the last 17 months since he beat Dan Henderson? Have you been enamored by the thrilling run against James Irvin, Patrick Cote, and Thales Leites? These guys thrive on a combination of competition, fear, and ambition.
As much as I look forward to seeing whatever bogus reason the UFC finds to do a Matt Serra trilogy, it’s really not that appealing.
by Michael Rome on Jul 13, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not persuaded.
Anderson Silva never turned down any fights or any opponents. He moved up a weight class, on short notice, to help counterprogram Affliction. He’s got a fight scheduled against the former Light Heavyweight Champion.
If the UFC can’t find people in his weight class that offer challenges for him, that’s on them. If they can’t properly build up an opponent for him, that’s also on them. The middleweight division in the UFC was thought to be weak, and Silva crushing all the top tier guys (with the exception of the last guy to beat him, Okami) put them in a tough spot. If the same thing happens to Georges St. Pierre, Brock Lesnar, and Lyoto Machida, then Zuffa will have to prove their mettle as master promoters, rather than have what happened to BJ Penn happen to their dominant champions. If Silva loses to Forrest, his aura of invincibility — his marketing “hook” — goes away.
For a promoter that is so afraid to see the sport turn into boxing, I’d say that having champions jump weight classes is somewhat ironic. But if the UFC ends up pressuring GSP to fight when he isn’t ready, just because they happen to be out of ideas for challengers, then that’s not something I want to endorse.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
