Palma
10-16-2008, 12:37 PM
Saturday, October 11, 2008
GEORGES ST. PIERRE READY FOR PENN
GEORGES ST. PIERRE READY FOR PENN; IS SILVA NEXT?
Saturday, October 11, 2008 - by Tom Hamlin - MMAWeekly.com
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre won his fight with UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn by a razor's edge.
Their UFC 58 battle was another example in a running debate amongst mixed martial arts fans – should the most damaged fighter be declared the loser? St. Pierre definitely lost in that department – he spent a night in a Las Vegas hospital, badly banged up – but two judges ruled he had come out ahead on points, giving him the 29-28 nod.
Two-and-a-half years removed from that important bout, St. Pierre wants to eliminate all the "what ifs." In a recent video interview with MMAWeekly.com, he spoke about fighting Penn for a second time.
"I'm a different fighter than I used to be," he said. "And he is as well. This time, I want to take him out. I don't want to go to a decision. I want to finish him."
The fight is not signed yet, but St. Pierre thinks it will be sometime in the next week.
He left for Albuquerque, N.M. to get some training in with Greg Jackson's camp. Right now, he's gathering information from a variety of sources before putting it all together in an MMA-only environment.
St. Pierre's countryman and teammate, Patrick Cote, is neck deep in his preparation for Anderson Silva at UFC 90. The fight poses an interesting question for St. Pierre's future. He has previously said he would be open to going up a weight division to face Silva. Given he won't fight his teammate, would another Penn victory push him towards the middleweight champion?
"A lot of people have been challenging me so far," he said. "I have a lot of friends at 185. To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of challenging nobody at 185. I'm very confident in myself.
"I think I can do pretty well (against Silva). I think I'm a different fighter than all the guys who have fought him in the past. There's only one way to find out."
These are the questions for three champions dominant in their respective weight groups.
St. Pierre says a lot of stars would have to be in alignment for a Silva fight to happen, and Penn is more than enough for now. If and when they square off on the 31st of January, St. Pierre wants to be the one doing the most damage.
"It's a fight that everybody wants to see, including myself," he said.
GEORGES ST. PIERRE READY FOR PENN
GEORGES ST. PIERRE READY FOR PENN; IS SILVA NEXT?
Saturday, October 11, 2008 - by Tom Hamlin - MMAWeekly.com
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre won his fight with UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn by a razor's edge.
Their UFC 58 battle was another example in a running debate amongst mixed martial arts fans – should the most damaged fighter be declared the loser? St. Pierre definitely lost in that department – he spent a night in a Las Vegas hospital, badly banged up – but two judges ruled he had come out ahead on points, giving him the 29-28 nod.
Two-and-a-half years removed from that important bout, St. Pierre wants to eliminate all the "what ifs." In a recent video interview with MMAWeekly.com, he spoke about fighting Penn for a second time.
"I'm a different fighter than I used to be," he said. "And he is as well. This time, I want to take him out. I don't want to go to a decision. I want to finish him."
The fight is not signed yet, but St. Pierre thinks it will be sometime in the next week.
He left for Albuquerque, N.M. to get some training in with Greg Jackson's camp. Right now, he's gathering information from a variety of sources before putting it all together in an MMA-only environment.
St. Pierre's countryman and teammate, Patrick Cote, is neck deep in his preparation for Anderson Silva at UFC 90. The fight poses an interesting question for St. Pierre's future. He has previously said he would be open to going up a weight division to face Silva. Given he won't fight his teammate, would another Penn victory push him towards the middleweight champion?
"A lot of people have been challenging me so far," he said. "I have a lot of friends at 185. To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of challenging nobody at 185. I'm very confident in myself.
"I think I can do pretty well (against Silva). I think I'm a different fighter than all the guys who have fought him in the past. There's only one way to find out."
These are the questions for three champions dominant in their respective weight groups.
St. Pierre says a lot of stars would have to be in alignment for a Silva fight to happen, and Penn is more than enough for now. If and when they square off on the 31st of January, St. Pierre wants to be the one doing the most damage.
"It's a fight that everybody wants to see, including myself," he said.