St-Pierre vows to rock Bell Centre

RANDY PHILLIPS
The Gazette
Thursday, March 27, 2008

Ultimate fighter Georges St-Pierre is a mama's boy, but only when it comes to his stomach.

"My favourite food is tourtière, a French-Canadian meal," St-Pierre said. "My mother makes the best tourtière in the world." Tourtière is one thing St-Pierre, 26, has had to put on the back burner as he gears up for the fight of his career.

On April 19 at the Bell Centre, the Montreal native, nicknamed Rush, will face American Matt (Terror) Serra in Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2 to determine the undisputed champion in the 170-pound welterweight division.

The rematch between titleholder Serra and St-Pierre - the "interim champion" because Serra was unable to defend his title before the end of last year after suffering a back injury - will highlight the first UFC event in Canada. With a sellout crowd in excess of 21,000, it will be the largest live audience in UFC history.

St-Pierre said the opportunity to fight in front of a hometown crowd was the best scenario he could have wished for and vowed to take full advantage.

"I'm at my best when I'm fighting under pressure because it keeps in mind what is on the line," he said. "It keeps me sharp. I will be at the top of my game, better than I was for my last fight. My training partners will tell you that. I'm getting more skills and more tools." St-Pierre, working out at the Tristar Montreal MMA Club yesterday, gave the media a chance to see what training is like for a professional in mixed martial arts - a violent and sometimes bloody sport even he knows isn't for everyone.

At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, St-Pierre is ripped after countless hours training for a fighting style that makes use of techniques from boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai - also known as "the art of the eight limbs" which demands strikes using eight points of contact, as opposed to two points (hands) in boxing, or four (hands and feet) as in traditional martial arts.

"I'm always working to elevate the skills for each discipline," St-Pierre said.

The Gazette (Montreal) 2008