Georges St. Pierre is somewhat of a rarity in the sport of mixed martial arts these days. As its popularity has grown there are less and less true martial artists left in a sport that is being overrun with "athletes who fight". GSP not only epitomizes what being a true martial artist is, he also happens to be the best fighter in the world. And he might go down as the greatest mixed martial artist in the history of the sport once his amazing career winds down and he decides to hang up the gloves. Thankfully, that's a long way off. As fans, we still get to watch this living legend in action. Only a few names can even come up in a debate on this topic. Actually, very few, as in no more than three. GSP is in very rare company, and incredibly, is just now entering the prime of his career.
Amazingly, Georges just keeps getting better and better at his chosen craft. Its incredible to see athletes like him who stay motivated, even though they are the absolute best in the world at what they do. You shook your head when you saw Wayne Gretsky score several hundred goals and win multiple Stanley Cups, making it look as easy as changing a pair of socks.You shook your head when you saw Michael Jordan win ring after ring after already having more money in the bank than he can spend in 10 lifetimes. You shook your head when you saw Tiger Woods change his golf swing after winning the Masters by 12 strokes. You shake your head when you see Tom Brady this season, already an owner of multiple Super Bowl rings, dragging a mediocre team to a level of play and a record that they have no business being anywhere near. And you shake your head now when you watch George St. Pierre dominate opponent after opponent, defending his coveted championship belt, and do so with relative ease. GSP is rubbing shoulders with the most dominating, elite athletes in their respective sports of the last few decades. He is just that damn good!
On Saturday night, in front of his hometown Montreal crowd of 23,000 screaming fanatics, GSP put on a virtual MMA clinic. Josh Koscheck, a perennial, shit talking loudmouth, was so outclassed, you have to wonder in he even deserved to be in the cage with Georges in the first place. As far as human beings go, he definitely didn't, and as far as fighters go, he really didn't either. That yappin' fool wasn't in that fight for even 1 of the 25 minutes it lasted. He was thoroughly dominated from the first minute to the last. If he deserves any credit at all, its for surviving with literally a broken face (pictured above). Georges broke that punk's orbital bone early in the first round. After all the bullshit drivel that spewed out of that douchebag's mouth, he actually got off easy. Georges didn't bother to entertain any of Kos' verbal shenanigans prior to the fight, he just let his "budo" do his talking for him in the octagon. That's not to say Georges won't tell you he is going to kick his opponent's ass all over the cage. He has and he will again. That's just a confident man telling you what he believes in his heart will happen. It has nothing to do with bragging, its just saying it like it is, nothing more, nothing less. He was a total class act with regard to how he dealt with Koscheck before brutalizing him in the cage on fight night.
If there's any knock on St. Pierre, its that he plays it a little safe sometimes and doesn't finish some of his opponents. While that may be true, its also proof of how smart a fighter he is and how cerebral his approach to fighting is. In the fight game, its best to keep yourself in safe positions and its best to put your opponent in uncomfortable, unsafe positions. That's exactly what GSP does and does extremely well. To knock him for that is ridiculous. And if that is his one flaw, he is doing pretty damn good for himself. You don't have to be a fan of his or like his style but you do have to respect and recognize his greatness.
When you look at what the future holds for GSP, it couldn't really be any brighter. From a competitive standpoint, there really aren't any opponents down the road that are scary for him. Former Strikeforce champion, Jake Shields, is up next. That's certainly not a match-up that people will look at and think is any threat to Georges' strap. No doubt, Jake is a very talented, solid fighter, but he's not GSP, not even close. Georges is better at everything, except maybe jiu-jitsu, but even that is relatively close. After Jake, there isn't any fighter waiting in the wings that will have GSP or his mega fan base shaking in their boots. There are three potential rematches down the road that might be interesting and should somewhat test GSP but nothing that will have him shook. Those are Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and BJ Penn. A fight with BJ would actually be their third fight. GSP is leading the series 2-0, winning a close decision in the first and destroying him in the second. It will take a lot to convince the MMA world that BJ deserves a third crack at GSP but stranger things have happened in the money driven world of Zuffa. Actually deserving a fight isn't as important as if the fight can make money. Just check out Brock Lesnar's career as an introspective into that reality. Of those three, a highly motivated, in shape, Thiago Silva, has the best chance at victory against GSP. Its not a great chance but its better than either Fitch's or BJ's. Styles make fights and Thiago's style is the worst match-up for Georges of the three. If BJ brings his A+ game, he also has a chance, but again, its hard to even justify a third fight anytime soon. Plus, we still have to see how the upcoming fight between BJ and Fitch plays out.
Interestingly, Georges has shown his humility by recently stating that he does indeed get scared and nervous before every fight. Something tells me his greatest fears are the fear of losing and the fear of not fulfilling his immense potential. He doesn't fear getting hurt or fear his opponents. That's the humility that a true martial artist understands and will admit to. Several years ago I asked Georges what his early karate training meant to his success as a mixed martial artist. His response was, "everything". He said his traditional training not only built his whole foundation but its also what's made him as tough, competitive and determined as he has been throughout his career. Its also what keeps him humble and what taught him about having the utmost respect for his opponents, even when that opponent is a trash talking piece of shit like Josh Koscheck. Kos deserved a hell of a lot worse than a broken face. I think GSP showed pity on him and let him slide. That's the kind of fighter Georges is. In as violent a sport as MMA is, he brings compassion to the game. That's a rare thing. He could have also torn the shit out of Dan Hardy's shoulder with that nasty kimura he had him in. He chose not to. Some call that a lack of killer instinct. Wrong, that's a confident martial artist letting a fellow fighter avoid surgery and a year of rehabilitation, knowing full well that he has the fight well in hand. Kos wasn't as lucky. He needs surgery to repair his busted grill. That conversation happened well before Georges became "GSP, the MMA mega-superstar". At that time, I told Georges that he wasn't only the future of the welterweight division but was the future of the entire sport. Its great to see that that has actually come to fruition and that all the success that he's had hasn't changed him. He's stayed true to his core martial arts beliefs. Georges St. Pierre is a true martial artist, down to his marrow, who exemplifies everything that is right about this phenomenal sport. If there was ever a fighter who should be an ambassador for MMA and represent the sport in its best possible light, its GSP. He still has a long career ahead of him and will continue to carve out his legacy with the blood, sweat and tears of his beloved labor.
Will he go down in history as the best ever? If he doesn't, the fix was in!
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