MMA Spotlight 8.28.08: Georges St. Pierre Doesn’t Have to Fight B.J. Penn

Posted by Reuel Mante on 08.28.2008

We have been informed left and right that B.J. will fight GSP in December or later ever since Penn defended the lightweight championship against Sean Sherk. Does that really need to happen? I don’t think so.





Since B.J. Penn called out GSP in May, internet posts have been firing off left and right about two particular opinions. One opinion is that this fight would be a huge superfight for the UFC: Two champions in different weight classes going at it to decide who the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC. The other opinion is that to have this fight go down freezes up both men's weight classes until several months later when both men are healthy to defend their titles. For about four months now, I've read over and over about how every reader and writer on this website feels one way or another. I think it's about time I cash in my thoughts.

To start off, I don't care either way. On one hand, the first fight did end in controversy. GSP winning a split decision in a fight that saw Penn looking untouched at the end of fifteen minutes while St. Pierre was a complete mess didn't look right to some. B.J. has vehemently denied losing and maintains that he was robbed. A rematch would definitely decide who the better man is.

On the other hand, neither Penn nor St. Pierre has cleaned out their respective divisions the way Anderson Silva has in the middleweight division. There are plenty of viable contenders to both belts that are just waiting for their day in the sun. Today, I will focus on GSP's top contenders for the welterweight title.

1. Jon Fitch- I know he just lost his title shot two and a half weeks ago but keep in mind, "Rush" could not finish him on many occasions during the twenty-five minute limit. Fitch took the best that the champ could dish out and still hung on. With the loss, Jon joined an exclusive club. He is now the sixth man to go to a decision with GSP and the first man to last twenty-five minutes. To put more numbers in the equation, Georges finishes 70% of all of his wins. That's a pretty impressive number considering Chuck Liddell has a 71% finish rate and Anderson Silva has a 77% finish rate. To satisfy your curiosity, Wanderlei Silva sports an 81% finish rate. With these numbers, St. Pierre shows how dominant he can be and Fitch hung on strong. Give him a few more wins and a little training to work on his strikes and I guarantee the next time these two fight, GSP might lose.

2. Diego Sanchez- the Ultimate Fighter season one winner was on the cusp of a welterweight title shot two years ago until he met up with Josh Koscheck. Staph infection and training gym transfers aside, he lost that fight. He would then lose again to another AKA fighter in Jon Fitch. Now sporting a two fight win streak and taking on de facto number one contender Thiago Alves at UFC 90, Sanchez is on the upswing. If he were to face GSP, there's only one thing I can see causing the champ any problems is Diego's jiu-jitsu. It's fast and explosive and the pace that Sanchez keeps can wear out anyone. Look for "Nightmare" to have a title shot in the near future.

3. Thiago Alves- as previously mentioned, he's the de facto number one contender now that Jon Fitch has been defeated. Since losing to Fitch in 2006, he has been on a six-fight win streak including victories over Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, and Matt Hughes. His Muay Thai has been top notch as he has (T)KO'd ten out of his fifteen wins. The Pitbull is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. On this list, Thiago poses the biggest threat to GSP. With a victory over Sanchez in October, you can bet that the next title defense for St. Pierre in 2009 will be Alves.

4. Akihiro Gono- DJ GOZMA may be the dark horse of the entire welterweight division. This Japanese "Magic Man" is extremely skillful with submissions and is exceptionally quick. Giving up only two inches to GSP will lend itself to his elusive fighting style. I consider Gono to be like a snake. He waits for the right time to strike and when he does, it's usually with quick, painful accuracy. His counter striking could be useful if caught in a striking game with the champ. Sure, he doesn't have the best record but he debuted in the UFC with flying colors. A second round armbar submission on Tamdan McCrory and he was in the books. Not long after that, people started clamoring for a Fitch/Gono fight to decide the number one contender spot. Unfortunately, that didn't happen but watch out for this guy. He's not that far out of sight when deciding a new championship contender.

5. Marcus Davis- I don't care if he just lost to Mike Swick. This guy can fight. A former boxer with dynamite in both hands, he has become a true student of the game. The Irish Hand Grenade has developed a ground game that is still underrated. Prior to his loss to Swick, Davis was sporting an eleven-fight win streak that not many in the welterweight division can claim. This well-rounded fighter would cause problems for GSP on the feet and the ground.

So that's it. Five guys who are, in my opinion, ready for a title shot. All of these fights carry some kind of intrigue as to how would Georges St. Pierre overcome the obstacles leading to a victory. Are they money fights like with B.J. Penn? Maybe not. But shouldn't we still get to see the best welterweights go at it? Wouldn't any of these fighters become more than what they already are? That's up to the UFC to make them big time contenders.

The closer it gets to the winter, the more and more it looks like Penn/St. Pierre 2 will happen in December or January. For any five of these guys to get their shot at glory, we'll just have to wait until next year.

Until next time, folks.