The Canadian Who Saved Christmas

By Thomas Gerbasi

Thanksgiving. A time for celebration and to get away from it all for at least a day or two.

Not for Dana White though. Instead, the UFC President got hit with the worst possible news on Thursday night – the main event on the organization’s big year-end show on December 29th – a welterweight title bout between champion Matt Serra and former 170-pound boss Matt Hughes – was off after Serra suffered a herniated disc in his back last Monday night.

“I was on suicide watch for about five hours,” joked White during a media teleconference Monday. “But you’ve got to bounce back and we started working on what we could do.”

The next day, ironically the huge shopping day known as Black Friday, the UFC started shopping for a replacement, not even sure if Hughes would agree to fight another high level opponent on short notice and risk his guaranteed title shot at Serra. Soon, Hughes made it known that he wanted to fight. Then another call came in from a fighter looking to give White and UFC fans an early Christmas present – former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, who eagerly tossed his name in the hat for consideration in the UFC 79 sweepstakes.

By Saturday night, Hughes was in, GSP was in, and the UFC had a main event rubber match possibly even bigger than the fight it replaced. And no one was happier than the 26-year old from Montreal, who couldn’t contain his joy when told the news that night.

“I’m so excited to get this fight,” said St-Pierre, who broke off between sentences to shout to his friends about the impending bout. “I’m fighting Matt Hughes for the interim title right now, and then after that I’m going to go after Serra. I’ve wanted that rematch against Serra, and this is the best scenario that can happen.”

Monday with reporters, two days after the interim welterweight title bout was announced, St-Pierre was a little more subdued, but no less excited, not only because he will be fighting a man in Hughes he stopped in two rounds in November of 2006, but that a win will give him the chance to redeem his upset loss to Serra from last April. But St-Pierre isn’t about to take Hughes – who handed him his first pro loss in 2004 – lightly.

“I’m not overconfident at all,” said St-Pierre (14-2). “I remember that Matt beat me once and I beat him once. Now it’s equal. We’re both going to be different fighters this time. We both grew up from our wins and losses and it’s going to be a totally different match.”

Both fights between the two were vastly different, with Hughes winning the first via submission, and St-Pierre evening the score with a dominating two round stoppage. It was after GSP’s huge win that everything got a little cloudy for “Rush”.

Expected to dominate the division for as long as he wanted to after his one-sided win over Hughes (which was preceded by big wins over Jason Miller, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, and BJ Penn), St-Pierre was a heavy favorite against Serra in their UFC 69 bout in Houston. Instead, Serra blitzed St-Pierre via a first round TKO to send the 26-year old crashing back to Earth. It was a costly lesson for St-Pierre, who later admitted to a number of outside distractions in the lead up to his first title defense.

“I faced the greatest honor by winning the world title before, and I also faced the humiliation,” said St-Pierre. “I know what I want and what I don’t want right now. This loss to Matt Serra was probably the best thing that ever happened for my career. I don’t want to give any excuses. If you look at any sport, for example baseball, it’s not always the best team that wins the game. The team who is the most well-prepared and who plays the best wins the game. It’s the same thing in fighting. It’s not always the best fighter who wins the fight, but the fighter who is the most well-prepared and who fights the best. I will come very-prepared and my mental game can not be better than it is right now.”

Many questioned St-Pierre’s place among the welterweight elite after the upset loss to Serra, but in August, he silenced the critics who questioned his mental toughness under fire with a lopsided three round decision win over highly-regarded Josh Koscheck that not only got him back in the win column, it got him a measure of confidence back.

“I went through a lot of things in my life, a lot of personal issues, and I just had the worst time in my life,” said St-Pierre of his past. “But right now it’s behind me, and I just look up to the future. This win (over Koscheck) made me a way better fighter, and I’m the type of guy who won’t make the same mistake twice. I learned from it (the loss to Serra), I grew up from it, and what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

So when the opportunity to face a fighter like Hughes on short notice came up, St-Pierre didn’t shy away. In fact, he asked for it.

“I’m at the top of my game right now, and I’m in great shape,” he said. “I’ve been training with Rashad Evans to get him ready for his fight, and the only thing I was doing wrong was not eating as well as I should have. I just have to change this and keep training like I was doing.”

It’s the mark of a champion, just like Hughes’ acceptance of the fight marks him as one of the greats to ever grace the Octagon. Now, what it all comes down to is training, gameplan, and execution. They’ve each won one fight each. Who will break the tie?

Georges St-Pierre has some ideas.

“I have a lot of respect for Matt Hughes, but that night when I put my shorts on, and my gloves, I’m gonna come out with my killer instinct,” he said. “I have a job to do and my job is to destroy my opponent.”

(Source: www.UFC.com)

St. Pierre to take on Hughes for third time, with title shot on the line

Matt Hughes welcomed Canadian Georges St. Pierre as his next opponent Monday, while regretting the fact he won't able to take out his anger on injured champion Matt Serra next month at UFC 79 in Las Vegas.

Serra, who has dumped on rival coach Hughes regularly during Season 6 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show, was forced to withdraw from the Dec. 29 mixed martial arts fight because of two herniated disks suffered while teaching a jiu-jitsu class last week.

"It will be a pleasure to face Georges St. Pierre, a standup character like he is, as opposed to somebody like Matt Serra who's just running his mouth," Hughes told a conference call Monday.

St. Pierre (13-2) was slated to meet the winner of the Serra-Hughes fight for the 170-pound title next year. Now the 26-year-old from Montreal will face Hughes (43-5) at the Mandalay Bay in a five-round bout between former champions for the interim title, with Serra waiting in the wings.

The 34-year-old Hughes and St. Pierre, considered the cream of the 170-pound crop, split their first two bouts.

"I'm glad to fight Matt Hughes," St. Pierre said. "I consider him as the best welterweight on the planet right now and it's going to be a great match."

Hughes, while relishing the chance at a rubber match with St. Pierre, acknowledged he would miss the immediate shot at Serra.

"I would much rather fight Matt Serra, just for my buildup anger that I've kind of got right now with what he's said and he's done," said Hughes.

"Georges is one of those guys where he's always going to be around the sport. He's just that good. Matt Serra's not, in my eyes. If he loses his next fight, he'll probably lose his fight after that and be out of the UFC."

The three fighters are intertwined in the 170-pound division. St. Pierre took the title from longtime champion Hughes at UFC 65 then promptly lost it to 10-1 underdog Serra in his first title defence at UFC 69.

St. Pierre's decision to step up and Hughes' decision to accept the revised UFC 79 main event turned a disaster into something positive for UFC president Dana White, who had essentially put the welterweight title on hold during the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter" to take advantage of the Hughes-Serra coaching rivalry.

"I was on suicide watch for about five hours," said White.

"Nobody's knocking the door down on short notice to fight Matt Hughes except Georges St. Pierre," he added.

St. Pierre has less than five weeks to prepare, but says he got a good fitness base from helping Rashad Evans train for his UFC 78 win over Michael Bisping. He said Vancouver's Denis Kang and Nate Marquardt - like Evans a teammate at Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, N.M. - will help him prepare in the final weeks.

St. Pierre had a poor training camp prior to the Serra fight, citing injuries and family problems. This time is different despite the short leadup time, he stressed.

"It's a total different scenario," he said. "I have no injuries. I'm in great shape. My life is in order and I've been training really hard. The only thing I was not doing is I was not eating as well as I should.

"But genetically I'm lucky. I don't get fat. I don't have any health problems. I'm in the best shape in my life now. I'm sharp in training."

St. Pierre and Hughes have history.

Hughes handed a 23-year-old St. Pierre his first loss in their first meeting, at UFC 50 in October 2004, slapping on an armbar with one second remaining in the first round.

St. Pierre said later he showed too much respect to Hughes, one of his fighting idols, and couldn't even meet his eyes during the pre-fight staredown.

The Canadian was all business when they met two years later at UFC 65 in Sacramento, Calif. St. Pierre effectively mixed jabs with high and low kicks and, when Hughes bent to try a takedown, felled the champion with a shin to the head. The challenger finished the dazed Hughes with a flurry of punches and elbows at 1:25 of the second round.

The bout was not short on pre-fight hype.

St. Pierre angered Hughes by coming into the cage after the champion's win over B.J. Penn at UFC 63 in September 2006 and saying he was unimpressed by Hughes' performance. St. Pierre later said he had only said that because he had erroneously thought Hughes had called him out in his own post-fight comments. He later went to Hughes' dressing room to apologize.

Hughes, a smart fighter who has been known to get under opponents' skin, fuelled the fire with some comments on Canada's lack of warrior spirit prior to UFC 65.

When Serra shocked St. Pierre at UFC 69 in April, Hughes was seen smiling and saying: "I love it" from his ringside seat.

Hughes said Monday his reaction was one of "pure amazement" and happiness because the upset meant he would actually have a shot at Serra, whom he said was already dissing him.

This time Serra will be watching from the stands.

"I can't believe the position this puts me in," he told ufc.com. "I'm actually rooting for Matt Hughes so I can beat his ass."

Hughes is thinking another direction.

"Now my motivation is if I can beat Georges St. Pierre twice and only have him beat me one, that's a heck of a milestone," said Hughes. "Because I just really think him and I make up this welterweight division. I think Georges and I are far distant from anybody else the UFC has in that weight."

(Source: The Canadian Press)

It's on! - GSP vs Hughes 3

St-Pierre Steps in for Serra, Faces Hughes for Interim Title at UFC 79
In the UFC, when one door closes, another opens, and on December 29th, that adage will ring true once against when Matt Hughes battles Georges St-Pierre for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship in the main event of UFC 79: Nemesis, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

St-Pierre replaces UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra, who was forced to withdraw from his bout with Hughes last week due to a herniated disc in his back.

“Obviously, the loss of Matt Serra was brutal, but the great thing about the UFC is that we can put together great fights like Hughes-St-Pierre at a moment’s notice and bounce right back,” said UFC President Dana White. “I have the utmost respect for both Hughes and St-Pierre for stepping up for this fight, and not only are the fans going to see two of the greatest welterweights of all-time settle their score in a rubber match, but they're going to do it in a five round interim title fight, and the winner is going to face off next year against Matt Serra for the undisputed title.”

(Full article)

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Fight re-caps....

GSP Vs Hughes - 1


GSP Vs Hughes - 2

MMA Weekly GSP Interview

UPDATE:
"December's UFC 79 card was dealt a major blow today with the news that welterweight champion Matt Serra is injured and will not be able to fight Matt Hughes."

UFC announced on its official web site that Serra suffered a herniated disc in his back during routine training on Monday.

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GEORGES ST-PIERRE ON THE ROAD BACK TO THE BELT
Monday, November 19, 2007 - by Ken Pishna

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre has been out of action for three months now and it appears likely he won’t be returning to the Octagon for at least three more, but it’s not without good cause.

St-Pierre, after losing his championship to Matt Serra this past April, returned to form in his most recent fight with fellow contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 in August. He beat Koscheck at his own game, outwrestling the four-time NCAA All-American, en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Serra and Matt Hughes, the only two fighters to defeat St-Pierre, face each other on Dec. 29 for the UFC welterweight championship that Serra currently holds. St-Pierre sits waiting in the wings, as he is next in line for a shot at the winner.

“I don't know when. I don't know where,” he said of his pending title shot. “I just know that it is going to happen.”

As he waits, he gave MMAWeekly.com some of his thoughts on the fight.

“If I would have to pick, on paper, Matt Hughes I think is a better fighter,” said St-Pierre. “But that night it is not the better fighter who is going to win the fight, it is the guy who fights the best. There are a lot of factors that can influence that.”

That’s not to say that he would prefer that Hughes win the bout, especially since Serra took the belt he once possessed.

“It's pretty hard to pick, but like said, on paper, I think Matt Hughes is the better fighter. But I would like to fight Serra more than Hughes.”

While he waits, St-Pierre has had plenty of time to reflect on his rise to the top and subsequent fall from grace.

“I think that loss I had against Matt Serra is the best thing that ever happened to me,” he philosophized. “You're going to see a new Georges St-Pierre ... somebody who is stronger mentally, physically, and somebody who is a way better fighter than he was before.”

For a long time, he has been considered “the next evolution” in the sport of mixed martial arts, a representative of the new breed of fighter that doesn’t come from one discipline and then add the other elements necessary to become a complete fighter, but trains in everything equally.

St-Pierre is constantly working on advancing his skills, especially during these down times, when he feels he can make some necessary improvements to his game.

“When I'm not training for a fight, I'm training to improve on my weaknesses. For me it's great because I have a lot of time between fights, so I can work and become a better version of what I was before.”

The only thing he can’t work on during these in-between times is what he considers his primary weakness at this point in his career.

“(My main weakness) is my experience,” said the affable Canadian. “I don't have as much experience as guys like Matt Hughes, Serra, guys at my level. But I think I have a hedge on the athletic part and my skills.”

That’s not to say that he can promise a win every time out. Despite his constant improvement, St-Pierre has no qualms that this is a complex sport and any fighter, including him, can lose on any given day. But he does promise not to make the same mistake twice.

“I don't tell my fans that I will never lose again, nobody can promise such a thing. But I can promise everybody that I will never lose a fight for the same reason that I've lost before. Some guys, when they lose, they go down. Some guys, when they lose, they come back up. I am the second type of guy.”

At just 26-years-of-age, he seems very mature, but as he says, maybe that is due to the trials that he has already faced.

“I felt the ultimate glory by becoming a world champion, but I also felt the ultimate humiliation by losing the fight that everybody was expecting me to win ... I think it was important for me, maybe it was meant to be ... to make me somebody with more maturity and better.”

As he waits, St-Pierre knows that it is no easy road back to that ultimate glory that he touched on if ever so briefly. But he will wait and he will work back towards that glory, his ultimate goal.

“It's always been a tough division and I think it is always going to be a tough division. I don't know what is going to happen in the future, but my plan is to get back to the title.”

(Source: MMA Weekly)

Ryo Chonan: The man who beat Anderson Silva!

It's been a very slow month(s) for any GSP news so here's a fight video to wet your appetite for UFC 78. Ryo Chonan will be fighting.