Having fun in Vegas!

LAS VEGAS - DECEMBER 30
(Photo by Chris Weeks/WireImage)
UFC fighter Georges St. Pierre attends LAX Nightclub on December 30, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

'Nuff Said!

Download from Rapidshare (flv video file & player):
GSP vs Hughes 3

Georges St.-Pierre Beats Matt Hughes

by Michael David Smith

Round 1: This fight is underway, and they touch gloves to get it started. Hughes tried a takedown, GSP tried a high kick, neither was effective. GSP misses with another kick, and then they go to the ground briefly, but GSP gets out of it and gets back on his feet. Then GSP takes Hughes down and has him on his back. GSP is landing strikes with Hughes on his back, and GSP is in total control early. GSP has landed some hard right hands. GSP absolutely controls the first round from the ground. The first round goes to St.-Pierre, 10-9.

Round 2: GSP gets the early takedown, and Hughes is on his back again. For GSP to take Hughes down so easily spells trouble. Hughes is trying to land some punches from the bottom, but St.-Pierre is in control. Hughes is trying to get out, but St.-Pierre is still in control and they're on the ground against the cage. Finally Hughes does something, grabbing GSP's legs. They stand back up, and then it's an absolutely beautiful takedown by GSP. GSP is going for the submission. And it's over! Hughes taps out! Georges St.-Pierre beats Matt Hughes by verbal submission with an arm bar.

------------

At UFC 79 tonight, Georges St.-Pierre dominated Matt Hughes from the start, punishing him for all of the first round and most of the second before Hughes finally tapped out.

The win makes St.-Pierre the interim UFC welterweight title holder, and guarantees that he'll fight former champion Matt Serra, who had been scheduled to take on Hughes tonight until an injury canceled that fight. Serra has been guaranteed a title shot. After the fight, St.-Pierre took off his title belt and said, "The real champion is Matt Serra," and that he will only consider himself the real champ when and if he beats Serra.

The win is a bit of an embarrassment for Hughes, who was totally outclassed throughout and looked somewhat unprepared, even though Hughes is the one who had more time to prepare for the fight. But Hughes, who verbally tapped out in the second round when St.-Pierre got him in an arm bar, said it best afterward: "Georges is just the better fighter."

(Source: AOL Sports)

Press Conference - GSP vs Hughes

GSP Training for UFC 79

New chapter in St. Pierre-Hughes thriller

By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
December 24, 2007

When Matt Hughes was given a series of options over Thanksgiving weekend for his next move after a back injury put Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion Matt Serra on the shelf, he chose the toughest opponent, Georges St. Pierre, who is generally considered the most talented fighter in the world at his weight.

Of course, there was a method to his madness. Hughes, the two-time former champion, figured St. Pierre, who wasn't expected to fight again until April, wouldn't be in top shape. He also pushed for, and got the match as an interim title match on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas for UFC's final – and arguably biggest – pay-per-view event of 2007. The title stipulation meant five rounds instead of three, where conditioning would play more of a factor.

But in talking with St. Pierre, you get the indication the usually well-calculated Hughes' attempt to play the percentages may not pay off.

"I had the best training camp of my life," said St. Pierre, 26, who tries to regain the title he lost to Serra on April 7 in Houston, in arguably the biggest surprise in a year full of surprises in the UFC. "Even though I took the fight on short notice, I will be the best Georges St. Pierre ever, the sharpest ever and the strongest ever."

St. Pierre trained with the top wrestlers in Canada, who were peaking for their Olympic trials, two championship-level boxers, as well as bringing people like Rashad Evans and trainer Greg Jackson into his hometown of Montreal for the past few weeks.

Hughes figured St. Pierre would have been resting and taking time off from heavy training, but St. Pierre had been working with Evans to get him ready for his Nov. 17 fight with Michael Bisping, and was in the most intense wrestling training of his life.

St. Pierre said in the back of his mind he was thinking Hughes or Serra could get hurt, and he'd be called to step in, and he was actually training for competition. St. Pierre was seriously considering entering the Canadian Olympic wrestling trials, that took place Dec. 13-16 in Etobicoke, Ont.

In his wrestling training, St. Pierre’s partners had been encouraging him to give the Olympics a go, particularly after he outwrestled Josh Koscheck, a former NCAA Division 1 champion, in his last MMA match on Aug. 25 in Las Vegas, winning a decision. St. Pierre has never competed in wrestling, but has used his wrestling to dominate the takedown aspect of the game with strong wrestlers like Koscheck, Sean Sherk and Frank Trigg in UFC competition. He grew up doing Kyokushin karate, and didn't start wrestling until 2001 when he started switching his attention to MMA, which had a strong local promotion, the UCC (now called TKO), which operated out of Montreal.

In his November 18, 2006, title win over Hughes in Sacramento, Calif., Hughes, a two-time All-American wrestler who has used wrestling as his base to be generally considered the best MMA welterweight fighter in history, was unable to take St. Pierre down. Hughes was dominated standing, en route to be being stopped with a head kick at 1:25 of the second round.

"Everyone underestimates my wrestling ability," St. Pierre said. "I'm not saying I would have won (the Olympic trials), but I think I would have done well in it."

In fact, in the buildup for the Koscheck match, people were in disbelief when St. Pierre claimed ahead of time he was the better wrestler of the two and would prove it in the fight. Based not just on credentials, but on his takedown ability shown in prior fights, Koscheck was considered the best wrestler in the UFC. But St. Pierre exploded with a first-round takedown that shocked almost everyone. And it was winning what was essentially a third-round wrestling battle that clinched his winning the decision that put him next in line after Hughes for the shot at Serra's title. When the fight was over, Koscheck, still in disbelief, said the lesson he learned was that he had to work harder on his wrestling.

"I wasn't that surprised," said Hughes about St. Pierre outwrestling Koscheck in that match. "If they were to go on the mat in a wrestling match, Josh would kill him. But this is mixing of sports and Georges does that very well, and Josh doesn't do it as well."

There has been very little bad blood between the two leading up to the fight, a 180-degree contrast to the previously planned Hughes vs. Serra match.

Given Hughes' combative and competitive personality, that's something of a surprise in the third meeting between the two, with each holding a decisive and relatively quick win.

If there was anything Hughes has said that St. Pierre wanted to respond to, it was the statement that Koscheck would kill him in a wrestling match, as he felt Hughes is one of those people not giving his wrestling the credit it deserves. St. Pierre noted he wouldn't be afraid at all to face Koscheck in a pure wrestling match.

Although he had not discussed the idea with UFC President Dana White, St. Pierre envisioned that if he qualified for the Olympic team, he'd have told White how this publicity could help UFC during an Olympic year. But he said his job and primary goal is being a fighter. When he learned of Serra's injury, he immediately contacted UFC, which was actually thinking in a different direction, figuring St. Pierre wouldn't take the fight on short notice with his guaranteed title shot tentatively scheduled for April.

White had been trying to arrange a show at the Bell Centre in Montreal for more than a year, as St. Pierre headlining the first UFC event in Montreal was the perfect scenario for the first live event in Canada. A St. Pierre vs. Hughes rematch in Montreal was the plan for last spring or summer, but St. Pierre's shocking loss to Serra derailed it.

There was even a plan to do a live HBO special in January from Montreal, which would have been a show without St. Pierre, but that fell through when HBO pulled out of negotiations. Now they are hoping for April, but that debut being a huge success rides on St. Pierre winning on Saturday, as well as the timing of Serra's recovery, as the winner of Saturday's fight will face Serra in a match to determine the outright champion.

A small taste of the Montreal show is likely in the cards for Saturday. Even if everything doesn't go as hoped for, St. Pierre's popularity is such that if UFC doesn't come to Montreal, Montreal is expected this week to come to UFC. At his last fight in Las Vegas, it appeared thousands of fans had made the trek, with St. Pierre getting a reception at the same level as Randy Couture, who was the company's most popular American fighter. There were Canadian flags all over the crowd.

A similar scene is expected this week, as the Mandalay Bay Events Center is already sold out, and a closed-circuit broadcast will take place on site at Mandalay Bay to handle the overflow. The gate is expected to approach $4 million, the third biggest in UFC history, with this match and the long-awaited Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell match sharing top billing.

Hughes and St. Pierre have been understandably quiet about their strategy. Both claim it will be a different fight than in Sacramento, where Hughes, 43-5, seemed to have no answer for the riddle of what to do with someone who he couldn't trade with, and couldn't take down.

But on paper, if Hughes can't take St. Pierre down, Hughes' chances are limited to landing a big punch, which can happen, but it's a game that greatly favors St. Pierre, or hoping he can win in the later rounds if St. Pierre's conditioning isn't there.

But what St. Pierre will let out is that he's anything but worried about conditioning. He said his goal is to push the pace hard from the start, because he's supremely confident in his ability to go five rounds, and in the later rounds, that will pay off in his favor.

St. Pierre, 14-2, was unbeaten as a 23-year-old when he faced Hughes for the welterweight title on October 22, 2004, in Atlantic City. St. Pierre, in hindsight, admits he was probably beaten before the match started. Hughes was his personal idol, and when in the cage, questioned whether he even belonged in with him. St. Pierre actually got the first takedown, and cut Hughes open above his left eye. The finish saw Hughes on top with ground and pound, and St. Pierre from the bottom went for a Kimura.

Hughes escaped and spun quickly into an armbar. St. Pierre, not realizing the time, tapped. He actually tapped just three-tenths of a second before the horn sounded to end round one. It was in evaluating the fight that St. Pierre realized he not only belonged in the cage with Hughes, but was capable of beating him.

But even with a win, St. Pierre doesn't envision this as their last rodeo.

"Hughes is sharper than ever and better than he's ever been," he said. "We may meet for a fourth or fifth time. I think we'll both be around."

Hughes, now 34, isn't so sure.

"I don't know if I'll continue or not (after a loss)," said Hughes, who is opening up a 13,500-square foot gym, called Hughes Intensive Training, in Granite City, Ill., just outside St. Louis, in a few weeks, although he said the pressure of getting a new business off the ground has not affected his training. "I'm playing it by ear. I've got a 17-month old girl at home and two boys. I want to spend time with them. I've been smart enough with my money that I don't have to fight 20 more fights. I don't know. I don't want to say two big wins will keep me in the sport, or two losses in a row will make me get out of the sport. I'm concentrating on GSP, not thinking about retirement or anything after."

(Source: Yahoo Sports)

Gold Rush: Exclusive GSP Interview

Georges “Rush” St. Pierre is a happy French Canadian. Starting with his bout against Matt Hughes on December 29 in Vegas, the Montreal native gets a chance to kick, punch and choke his two biggest rivals into oblivion over the span of the next few months-something most fighters wait years for.

If you’re not up on UFC lore, here’s a little history. St. Pierre took the UFC welterweight belt from Hughes a little over a year ago only to lose the title in his first defense, an upset loss against Matt Serra. Hughes, a legend in the sport, was set to fight Serra for the belt this December until Serra blew out a disc in his back during training camp.

Now St. Pierre has stepped up for a chance to notch a second victory over Hughes (their personal record is 1-1) in a match for the interim welterweight title and the first shot at Matt Serra when he gets healthy. Starting to sound like a soap opera love triangle? It kind of is, only no shirts and there’s a hell of a lot more blood.

We caught up with GSP during one of his last tune-up visits to train at Wat, New York City’s premiere Muay Thai gym. Check out what he had to say about his upcoming fight, avenging his losses and the best strip clubs in Montreal. Hey, there are always things to talk about other than fighting.

By Seth Kelly
Photography by Jared Ryder

Complex: What went through your mind when you heard about Matt Serra’s injury?
Georges St. Pierre: Even before I learned the news my manager knew that if one of these guys got hurt I was ready to jump in. It was not something special. My manager called the UFC and told them I was ready to step up. The UFC called us back and said the fight was on. They were surprised a little bit [that I wanted the fight] because of the championship and fighting Matt Hughes on short notice. But I was ready, you know?

C: A victory over Matt Hughes guarantees your rematch against Matt Serra. Does that provide more motivation or is it just another day at the office?
Georges St. Pierre: Absolutely. It gives me more motivation. Now Serra will not eliminate Hughes and Hughes will not eliminate Serra. Now I get to fight both. It is perfect. I got the best scenario. I cannot be more happy than I am right now.

C: It will be a little more than a year since you faced Matt Hughes. How have you changed as a fighter?
Georges St. Pierre: We’re both different fighters so it’s going to be a different fight, defense and strategy… I changed a lot of my training when I found out I would not be fighting Serra so I am ready for war.

C: You handled Josh Koscheck, a world-class wrestler, in your last fight. Matt Hughes has a similar background. Was that the perfect tune-up fight for you?
Georges St. Pierre: They are both different fighters. I think Hughes has more tools than Koscheck and will be a tougher fight for me. I’m going to need to come in stronger, better and even more well prepared than I was against Koscheck.

C: Do you see any differences in Hughes’ game?
Georges St. Pierre: I think he’s a better striker, and better at submissions. It’s going to be a different game. The last time he didn’t try to stand and strike with me, he tried to take me down, just not enough. I don’t know what he’s going to do to me. I focus on what I’m going to do to him.

C: Did you watch the current season of TUF to try and learn anything about either of your opponents or not at all?
Georges St. Pierre: Not much. I didn’t really watch it.

C: Not a fan of reality television?
Georges St. Pierre: Well, I’ve been training pretty hard and it just didn’t fit into my schedule you know?

C: How did you end up training at Wat in New York City?
Georges St. Pierre: I’ve been training there almost a year. Everybody in the MMA scene talks about it. And they said, “You have to see this guy, Phil Nurse. He’s unbelievable. He does stuff that you never seen before,” and I just went there one time to see how it was. I loved his style and the way he sees UFC fighting, his point of view and his techniques.

C: What kind of toll does it take to travel between Montreal, New York and Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico?
Georges St. Pierre: It’s tough but it’s a sacrifice that I have to make if I want to stay on top. Eighty percent of my training is in Montreal. I would say 10% is in New Mexico and 10% is in New York. In New Mexico, I work mostly on mixed martial art technique. Greg Jackson is my head coach regarding MMA, you know, he’s the guy. Phil Nurse is my striking coach and Greg Jackson is my main MMA coach.

C: As an MMA coach, does Jackson set your game plan?
Georges St. Pierre: He’s more like…like lets say for my last fight I fought Koscheck, I had the idea that to put him on his back was probably the best thing to do. But I asked Greg like before the fight, like what do you think about this? Do you think it’s a good idea and he told me, he give me the blessing. [Laughs]

C: Talking trash seems like a strategy for some guys, but it’s something you have avoided. Do you think it’s worth it for some guys?
Georges St. Pierre: The funny thing is, most of my favorite fighters are trash talkers (laughs). They are my favorite fighters to watch. I like Tito Ortiz, Phil Baroni. They make the fight exciting. It’s not my style, but we need both type of guy. We need gentlemen and guys who are more like characters in the sport. It’s like Muhammad Ali used to say, “Love me, hate me, but don’t ignore me.” And I think that’s what the sport needs. You know, we don’t play hopscotch you know, it’s fighting so, it makes the fight more exciting.

C: Does trash talk work?
Georges St. Pierre: A lot of people try to make it personal with me, saying stuff like “Freakin’ Frenchy” and stuff like that. Even though it’s bad comments and could insult a lot of people, I just try to keep it out of my mind and when the fight is over, it’s over. I shake hands and that’s it. I never let things get personal.

C: Some guys seem to even use MySpace for talking shop and calling out other fighters.
Georges St. Pierre: On MySpace there’s a guy who pretends he’s me, but he’s a fake. It’s not me. It’s even got some picture of me walking down the street. I don’t know how these guys do this stuff. Maybe it’s somebody that used to be in my entourage? I don’t even know. To be honest, I’m more like a pre-historic guy. I should have been born in the Middle Ages, because I didn’t know how to use that stuff too much [laughs]. I just got used to it right now. I just opened up a Facebook account, so it’s brand new, and my first official web site, GSPFightclub.com.

C: Coming off the TKO loss to Serra did you have any nerves in your first fight back?
Georges St. Pierre: I always rebound very well after a loss and I always came back stronger. I’m that type of guy who never made the same mistake two times. I’m a human being and I’m gonna lose some of my fights. That’s what I told my fans. I cannot promise my fans I will never lose again. Nobody can do it. Nobody is invincible. But what I can promise my fans is that I will never show up in a fight where I’m not 100% mentally and physically and where my head is somewhere else. It will never, never happen again.

C: So you think you were sort of out of sorts against Serra?
Georges St. Pierre: I had some problems like some people died in my family; some people had health problems, problems with management. I got, like you say in English, I got screwed big time, and I learned from it. I learned what it takes to be a champion and to stay a champion. I learned how to make the bridge between my personal life, my career, and my fighting career. I learned how to make the connection better and how to, when it’s time to do business, go strictly business.

C: Speaking of business, what’s the best strip club in Montreal?
Georges St. Pierre: [Laughs] I think it’s probably Parée, Chez Parée or Wanda’s maybe. I never been there, but I’ve heard it’s pretty good [Laughs]. Wanda’s is nice too. There’s a lot. I can’t really tell you, but I think Parée is the most well known.

C: What are UFC fans supposed to do when they hit town for the rumored fight in Montreal?
Georges St. Pierre: Yes. Hopefully I will have the chance to fight in 2008 in Montreal. That would be my dream. The best thing to do I would say is the club scene in Montreal. It’s pretty good. The nightlife, it’s very well known for that. There are a lot of people coming from all around the world to Montreal because studying in Quebec is not expensive at all. So people are coming from all around the world that live there. So by having a lot of students at the University and college, it’s made the city have a little party vibe.

C: Is fighting in front of a home crowd kind of a handicap? Do you think it affects a fighters’ nerves or concentration?
Georges St. Pierre: It doesn’t matter where I’m fighting. I’m always going to come with my top game. The UFC could put me wherever they want and I’m going to be at my best. It would be a pleasure to fight in front of my hometown crowd.

C: A Montreal audience might contain a few members that you’ve dealt with before. Ever miss your job as a bouncer?
Georges St. Pierre: A long time ago before my career went to another level and I got serious, I was a bouncer in a club. I was working at Fuzzy Brossard every Thursday night, hip-hop night, which is probably the worst night. They had a lot of problems with gangs and stuff like that, so I always doing it. I had a hard job. [Laughs]

C: What was it like?
Georges St. Pierre: I never had any problems, you know? To be a bouncer at this place, I was probably one of the smallest guys, so I had to use my brain. In the street you can be as strong as you want, but nobody’s faster than a bullet. Being a bouncer, according to me, it’s more being able to talk and being able to use words instead of your arms to do the job. One time I had a problem with somebody and I was like “Hey come outside. I need to talk you. The music is too loud.” And once we were outside, “Sorry my friend. You hit on every girl, you make trouble, you grab the girls’ asses. Tonight you’re finished. You can come back tomorrow, I don’t mind. It’s nothing personal, but tonight is over.” (imitating club-goer) “Oh you have no right to kick me out you motherfucker!” and I just said, “Bye-bye, have a good night.”

C: Sounds like you used Road House as a training video.
Georges St. Pierre: That’s all you have to do. If I start fighting the guy inside it’s gonna make me a lot of problems. I try to make everybody’s job easier, which is not the case with some of the guys that I used to work with. They were all opposites. They were all in the arm and nothing in the head. [Laughs]

C: What’s the one thought you’ll take into the Octagon against Matt Hughes?
Georges St. Pierre: I’m going to take my A-game and I have a job to do. My job is to destroy my opponent, to go for the finish. And that’s what I’m going to do.


(Source: Complex.com)