I kno the UFC is hyping the fight but ppl really believe that.

I personally thought aside from the non past prime Matt Hughes that Fitch would be tougher then Alves and Fitch (although it was some time ago) completely STREAMROLLED Thiago Alves.

The only arguement that I can see is that Alves has one punch/knee/kick ko power while Fitch is a grinder

Do you guys think Alves is really GSP's toughest fight?

I hope it is.

Alves has a very good standing game compared to some of the past fighters GSP has faced(minus BJ).

I kno the UFC is hyping the fight but ppl really believe that.

I personally thought aside from the non past prime Matt Hughes that Fitch would be tougher then Alves and Fitch (although it was some time ago) completely STREAMROLLED Thiago Alves.

The only arguement that I can see is that Alves has one punch/knee/kick ko power while Fitch is a grinder

Do you guys think Alves is really GSP's toughest fight?

No. I still believe Jon Fitch was his toughest test to date. Thiago hasn't proven to me that he is the toughest he has faced. Beating an overrated Karo, a gatekeeper in Lytle, battering the shell of a former great who was already on the slide and beating a guy in Koscheck who for whatever reason decided to stand with Thiago the entire time doesn't prove anything to me. Thiago's style reminds me of Pete Spratt whom GSP beat up like he owed him money.

I hope he is.

GSP has pretty much gone through his opponents fairly effortlessly so far. I never thought much about BJ Penn as a threat because he loses almost all of his biggest fights, but we all thought that Jon Fitch would be his biggest test since he is a bigger guy, a great wrestler, and undefeated in 6 years or something like that... GSP just ruined his ****. I'd like to see Fitch eventually get another shot, because I don't think he ever really recovered from the first round. I don't know how the **** he made it the entire 5 rounds.



Now to Alves... He's a big ****ing guy. He's the first guy, in my opinion, who will be stronger than Georges. Thiago also trains with American Top Team who is the best MMA gym out there right now and I'm more than sure they'll have him ready. He definitely has the power to knock GSP out, and if GSP gets caught flush he'll go down.

Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes were both great wrestlers and neither came close to taking Alves down... He ****ed them both up worse than GSP too...

I don't know... It goes without saying that Georges is the more well rounded fighter, but Alves is definitely a big big threat.

I am picking Alves to crack GSP and make it an upset

Matt Hughe's actually got a takedown against Thiago but let slip because he was already on the downward slope. Koscheck just didn't bother going for takedowns enough and when he did he didn't set them up properly which allowed Thiago to sprawl out of them. GSP is a better wrestler than both Koscheck and Hughes, and for that matter anyone in the 170lb division. I think he takes Thiago down when he wants.

I think a big part of it is promo probably 80% but then again GSPability to absorb strikes is questionable. Alve will be kicking the **** out of GSP's legs and this will affect GSP's ability to shoot (big trouble). The old GSP would gladly stand with this dude but the post Serra GSP might not be as confident.

If GSP is only training wrestling he will have a lot of trouble with Alves if GSP is back on his stand up game it will be an awesome fight either way it goes.

This is just another day at the office for GSP guys. The pressure is on Alves cause he has never been to the big show before and I do not see Alves lasting the entire 25 minutes. The stress and anxiety will get to Alves and he will GAS out.

I think a big part of it is promo probably 80% but then again GSPability to absorb strikes is questionable. Alve will be kicking the **** out of GSP's legs and this will affect GSP's ability to shoot (big trouble). The old GSP would gladly stand with this dude but the post Serra GSP might not be as confident.

If GSP is only training wrestling he will have a lot of trouble with Alves if GSP is back on his stand up game it will be an awesome fight either way it goes.

GSP has never been a stand up fighter, he's always been a wrestler. Look at his fights in TKO and the majority of his fights n the UFC. He can strike but he picks his moments. He always looks for takedowns and puncihes you once he has control. I think people overrate Thiago's stand up skills. He's never faced anyone with good stand up, GSP will be his best. Some would say Lytle but Lytle only knows how to swing wide and has a good chin which gets him through. Thiago was still getting tagged by Lytle prior to the cut and even Koscheck was doing OK in the exchanges. Thiago throws the same combos and pulls off the same moves over and over again. It's either a one, two followed by a right low kick, or it's a flying knee. His lack of variety and one dimensional fighting style will be his downfall.

This is just another day at the office for GSP guys. The pressure is on Alves cause he has never been to the big show before and I do not see Alves lasting the entire 25 minutes. The stress and anxiety will get to Alves and he will GAS out.

Agreed.

WThiago is hungry for the belt so no matter what this fight is going to be great. GSP all the way though!

Alves is a good stand-up fighter will good sprawl.

But here is the problem with Alves.

Alves is a notoriously slow starter. GSP sets a pace and establishes his riddum early. This could be a problem for Thiago. If Thiago doesn't set the pace from the opening bell he won't win this fight

Alves Leg Kicks are a pention for getting countered and taken down. I doubt he will throw very many.

Alves has a significant reach disadvantage and he's going to have a hard time getting in close to do damage because St. Pierre is great at controlling the distance.

Last but not least, this is the first time in Thiago's career that he is fighting a guy with very respectable stand-up. St. Pierre is no slouch on his feet and he is a lot more technical and has a speed advatage. However this will also be the first time Georges is fighting a good striker. So I can't see how people are saying he's outclassed on the feet

If Georges plays this smart. Sticks to striking from a distance the stand-up can be very even. But once Thiago gets flat footed or is the slightest bit off balance, he's getting taken down. St. Pierre's wrestling is that good.

I see a 3rd round TKO or sub for GSP

LMAO @ GSP's "riddum" :rofl::rofl:

LMAO @ GSP's "riddum" :rofl::rofl:

The Riddum is no laughing matter. Just ask any of the UFC WW's

Alves is probably the biggest guy GSP has fought and while that does not mean he is stronger, or even as strong as the champ, the primary reason GSP has been so dominant in the division has been his physical superiority over his opponents. The Pitbull is on an impressive winning streak, not quite as impressive as Fitch's was but he has more or less cleaned out the rest of the division and has done so emphatically.

I kno the UFC is hyping the fight but ppl really believe that.

I personally thought aside from the non past prime Matt Hughes that Fitch would be tougher then Alves and Fitch (although it was some time ago) completely STREAMROLLED Thiago Alves.

The only arguement that I can see is that Alves has one punch/knee/kick ko power while Fitch is a grinder

Do you guys think Alves is really GSP's toughest fight?

Alves is GSP's biggest stand up test to date.

Everyone else on GSP's resume is a WRESTLER. Fitch is a boring ass decision fighter that no one had ever heard of so UFC was hyping him up like he was something great. When Fitch is just a decent fighter with no specialty but great stamina.

Alves is GSP's biggest stand up test to date.

GSP is also Alves' biggest stand-up test to date.

Everyone else on GSP's resume is a WRESTLER.

And who is the hell has Alves beat besides Wrestlers and Grapplers?

Tony Desouza - Grappler
Kuniyoshi Hironaka- Grappler
Karo Parisyan- Grappler
Jon Fitch- Wrestler
Koscheck- Wreslter
Matt Hughes Wrestler
Jon Alessio- Grappler

It's not like Alves has been fighting tougher fighters. They're pretty much the same. St. Pierre just beats them at there own game which is more impressive than just knocking out someone who is incompetant standing up.

No. I still believe Jon Fitch was his toughest test to date. Thiago hasn't proven to me that he is the toughest he has faced. Beating an overrated Karo, a gatekeeper in Lytle, battering the shell of a former great who was already on the slide and beating a guy in Koscheck who for whatever reason decided to stand with Thiago the entire time doesn't prove anything to me. Thiago's style reminds me of Pete Spratt whom GSP beat up like he owed him money.

Alves is definitely no Spratt. And how in the world do you think Fitch was GSP's toughest fight. Fitch is a decent fighter but not world class. And in his 8 fight win streak the names on that list were far from impressive aside from Alves who was 22 years old and Sanchez whos now at LW. Not to mention Fitch is like a few years removed from getting his ass kicked by Jeff Joslin.

Fitch had NOTHING for GSP, nothing because the only thing Fitch is good at, GSP is better.

Alves is definitely no Spratt. And how in the world do you think Fitch was GSP's toughest fight. Fitch is a decent fighter but not world class. And in his 8 fight win streak the names on that list were far from impressive aside from Alves who was 22 years old and Sanchez whos now at LW. Not to mention Fitch is like a few years removed from getting his ass kicked by Jeff Joslin.

Fitch had NOTHING for GSP, nothing because the only thing Fitch is good at, GSP is better.

I didn't mean he was a carbon copy of Spratt. He's shown more talent than Spratt ever did, but like Pete Spratt he is a standup fighter with glaring weaknesses in his game. Like Pete Spratt, Alves doesn't do well under pressure and can be broken mentally. Like Pete Spratt if things don't go his way he looks for the nearest exit. These are things which can be exploited by GSP much like they were exploited by Fitch.

Fitch is his toughest test to date. He went the most rounds with him and posed threats in the strength department. Fitch started out as a 205lb'er and is naturally a bigger and stronger guy on paper. It was only when they got into the cage that we saw how amazing GSP is. And at not one point during that fight did Fitch slow down or gas out even with all the punishment he took. He was there every step of the way and came back after every damaging blow looking for something. GSP is just the better fighter.

Alve's has one route and that is going for the KO. He's a wide open target and can be hit very easily. Chris Lytle did it with his sloppy wild swings and with GSP's more precise and straightforward approach, coupled with his superior ground skills and conditioning he can push Thiago to a pace that he has never dealt with before and more than likely won't be able to deal with. In turn sapping his gas tank and breaking his spirit.