Written By MATT STEIN of Bleacher Report
UFC 167 headliner Georges St-Pierre knows what fans are thinking. That he's gone soft. That he fights safe. That he's willing to trade excitement for routine. That the man once known as "Rush" never bothers to shift out of second gear anymore.
That he never finishes a fight.
He's heard all the whispers. And the normally soft-spoken French Canadian welterweight champion isn't happy about it.
"Sometimes an opponent breaks mentally and he's not fighting to win anymore. He's fighting not to lose," St-Pierre told Bleacher Report. "He's not taking as many risks and he's only thinking about his well-being and not getting hurt. It's very hard to finish an opponent in these conditions.
"There are two kinds of finishes. Sometimes it happens spontaneously. Bang! It can be a submission. You see it—bang! You've got it. Jab. Cross. Boom! He falls down. It happens fast. You don't even see it coming," St-Pierre continued, with his voice rising to punctuate the bangs and the boom.
He's more animated than I've heard him before.
"There's another finish where you see your opponent breaking mentally. This happens more than the spontaneous finish. You see your opponent failing mentally. He starts to fight, not to win anymore but to survive."
While St-Pierre is adamant that nothing has changed about the way he fights, others aren't so sure. They see a fighter and a team so intent on minimizing risk that they've forgotten what made the sport—and St-Pierre—such a revelation in the first place.
"The young GSP was one of the most exciting fighters in the history of MMA, capable of tremendous and unpredictable violence. Unfortunately in the last four-and-a-half years, GSP hasn't finished a single opponent and his fights have become utterly predictable," Nate Wilcox, editor of BloodyElbow.com, MMA's top hardcore fansite, said. "It's a simple game plan, as effective as it is tedious. First GSP will outpoint his opponent on the feet with jabs and leg kicks. Then he'll get a takedown and happily remain in the opponent's guard while he throws just enough strikes to not force a stand-up for lack of action.
"The fans have noticed and GSP's reputation has taken a beating among the hardcore fans who cheered his rise. Coaches Greg Jackson and Firas Zahabi must take some of the blame, but ultimately the fault lies with GSP, a man who is committed to not losing his title, even at the cost of losing his reputation."
Ludicrous. That's what GSP coach and strategist Greg Jackson calls the growing wave of criticism. All too often these days, Jackson finds himself fighting back against harsh words—not just fan outcry, mind you, but pointed criticism from the likes of UFC president Dana White. St-Pierre is often at the center of that storm.
"We're not in love with any technique or strategy. We've fallen in love with victory," Jackson said. "Our style is whatever works...We do always try to finish the fight. The safest way to end a fight is to make sure the other guy isn't conscious any more. If you fight to play it safe, you're giving him every opportunity in the world to take the initiative back and beat you. But if he's unconscious, if you've choked him out or knocked him out, he obviously can't win the fight."
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UFC 167 headliner Georges St-Pierre knows what fans are thinking. That he's gone soft. That he fights safe. That he's willing to trade excitement for routine. That the man once known as "Rush" never bothers to shift out of second gear anymore.
That he never finishes a fight.
He's heard all the whispers. And the normally soft-spoken French Canadian welterweight champion isn't happy about it.
"Sometimes an opponent breaks mentally and he's not fighting to win anymore. He's fighting not to lose," St-Pierre told Bleacher Report. "He's not taking as many risks and he's only thinking about his well-being and not getting hurt. It's very hard to finish an opponent in these conditions.
"There are two kinds of finishes. Sometimes it happens spontaneously. Bang! It can be a submission. You see it—bang! You've got it. Jab. Cross. Boom! He falls down. It happens fast. You don't even see it coming," St-Pierre continued, with his voice rising to punctuate the bangs and the boom.
He's more animated than I've heard him before.
"There's another finish where you see your opponent breaking mentally. This happens more than the spontaneous finish. You see your opponent failing mentally. He starts to fight, not to win anymore but to survive."
While St-Pierre is adamant that nothing has changed about the way he fights, others aren't so sure. They see a fighter and a team so intent on minimizing risk that they've forgotten what made the sport—and St-Pierre—such a revelation in the first place.
"The young GSP was one of the most exciting fighters in the history of MMA, capable of tremendous and unpredictable violence. Unfortunately in the last four-and-a-half years, GSP hasn't finished a single opponent and his fights have become utterly predictable," Nate Wilcox, editor of BloodyElbow.com, MMA's top hardcore fansite, said. "It's a simple game plan, as effective as it is tedious. First GSP will outpoint his opponent on the feet with jabs and leg kicks. Then he'll get a takedown and happily remain in the opponent's guard while he throws just enough strikes to not force a stand-up for lack of action.
"The fans have noticed and GSP's reputation has taken a beating among the hardcore fans who cheered his rise. Coaches Greg Jackson and Firas Zahabi must take some of the blame, but ultimately the fault lies with GSP, a man who is committed to not losing his title, even at the cost of losing his reputation."
Ludicrous. That's what GSP coach and strategist Greg Jackson calls the growing wave of criticism. All too often these days, Jackson finds himself fighting back against harsh words—not just fan outcry, mind you, but pointed criticism from the likes of UFC president Dana White. St-Pierre is often at the center of that storm.
"We're not in love with any technique or strategy. We've fallen in love with victory," Jackson said. "Our style is whatever works...We do always try to finish the fight. The safest way to end a fight is to make sure the other guy isn't conscious any more. If you fight to play it safe, you're giving him every opportunity in the world to take the initiative back and beat you. But if he's unconscious, if you've choked him out or knocked him out, he obviously can't win the fight."
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