George St. Pierre Get UFC Title Shot

Author: Raymond Burton


Matt Serra is out with a injury for the Dec 29 fight against
Matt Hughes (the most dominant welter weight in UFC history).

Hughes is a machine. He has won 41 fights with the same
wrestling style over his career which says something for the
guy. Most fighters with one style get picked apart early in
their career but Matt has proven he can over come almost anyone.
He's a strong, hard working, tough farm kid with a "Must Win"
mentality. And all the power to him! He had a ton of fans prior
to the UFC's Ultimate Fighter series where he coached and then
came off as cocky and a bully. Call him what you will, anyone
with wins over BJ Penn, Carlos Newton, Georges St Pierre &
Hayato Sakurai is a machine. No matter what happens in the
future he is a champion and a role model for MMA fighters. His
work ethic and ability to find a way to win are incredible and
as a competitor you just have to respect the guy.

However..

He has also lost to BJ and GSP and the win against Newton, well,
that's tough call as he was asleep at the same time he slammed
Carlos to the mat. The win could be argued either way.

In no way shape or form am I taking away from his abilities
because I have watched him from early in his career and all I
can say is "Wow", but the power of the media has him beat. When
a guy wins 41 fights most of them are televised which hurts him.
Your style is known and your best moves you use to win are
visible. Enter BJ Penn and George St Pierre.

BJ beat him the first time they fought (and I was there!). BJ
had lost the title fight at 155lbs to Jens Pulver. He was ticked
off. So BJ, being BJ, said I'm moving up a weight category to
win the 170lb title. Unheard of at the time. Hughes called him
disrespectful for it. But BJ was able to rattle Hughes with a
punch to the head while he was on top and then grab him from
behind in a rear naked choke. Matt could have got out but he was
still dummied from the punch and had to tap out. Wow. NO ONE saw
that coming. Side note, I got a photo with BJ that night, it was
amazing. This was before UFC got to where it was today. Myself
and a buddy met him outside of Mandalay Bay by himself waiting
for a cab. How times have changed. BJ ended up leaving UFC due
to "reason unknown". A lot issues with himself and UFC and the
title got vacated. Hughes recaptures it after that.

An up and comer in George St Pierre is tearing up the
competition and gets a title fight. GSP dominates the first 2:55
of the fight against Hughes. But GSP frees an arm and Matt (when
did he learn BJJ? ) grabs an arm bar and GSP taps with 1 second
left in the first round. That is a mistake on GSP's part and
more importantly his corner. No way should he have tapped like
that. Suffice, he lost.

Rematch.

Guess who was there! George controls the whole fight. Has an
answer to everything Matt throws at him. Now, here's where the
idea of the televised fights comes in. GSP knew every move Matt
had from studying video and it was obvious. He controlled the
whole fight and beat him 3X in my opinion. 1 - leg kick that
Matt claimed was a groin kick and got a time out 2) End of round
1 Matt is out but saved by the bell 3) GSP gets the TKO. WOW!

GSP dominates. Now he has huge crowd support.

Enter Matt Serra.

Always liked him but never thought he'd make it far. Low and
behold he wins ultimate fighter series of 'has beens". Proved to
be a great team mate and a coach. Good on him. Well done Serra.
He wins the series and a chance at GSP. I missed the fight
aginst GSP as I was in Thailand but was surprised when I heard
he won by TKO. Congrats to the millionaires who bet on him cause
the odds were nuts!

Enter Politics. GSP deserved an immediate title fight / rematch.
But Dana White wrapped up Matt and Matt to coach the Ultimate
fighter series and fight for the title as a wrap up for the TV
show on Dec 29. Lots of animosity on the show between the two.
Built up a good fight that had Hughes being the favorite.
However Serra is now hurt.

Dana picks up the phone and GSP says "Yes" on short notice and
we have a blockbuster on our hands. Great rubber match!

Reality check, limited time for GSP to train for a real fight.
And Hughes has done his homework for sure as he hates to lose.

There is question as to George's mental stability when it comes
to big fights. He blew it against Hughes the first time and
Serra 2 fights ago (he dominated Josh Koschek whom I refuse to
chat about cause I think he's over rated). Both were pressure
fights for different reasons. Question is, can he over come the
mental barrier?

Now if you think cage fighting is just a "fight", go to a gym
with a cage. Walk in and close the door. That alone will freak
you out. Now pretend there are 20k people watching, a few
million on TV and a guy who wants to smash you 20' away. Not
easy and GSP has a few things to control in his head when the
added pressure of a title is involved.

Hughes will be ready for Dec 29. Guaranteed. He's mentally tough
and a warrior. Will George?

Mack's bet? I am a betting man and I like George St Pierre!

About the author:
Mack Kay And Ray Burton Are Owners Of
http://www.FasterLeanerStronger.com Perform like a machine.
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