This weekend, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre faces Johny Hendricks, but his true fight might be against his reputation. Dan Steadman writes.
Fight fans have always argued about who the greatest pound for pound fighter is; whether it’s boxing fans pitting Mayweather against Tyson in his prime, or even action film fans arguing if Bruce Lee was a better fighter than Jean-Claude Van Damme.
But for fans of mixed martial arts, the pound for pound debate has centred on two men for a few years now – middleweight Anderson Silva and welterweight Georges St-Pierre.
Both have impressive records, and both were long-time UFC champions, but when Silva shockingly lost his championship to Chris Weidman in July, it seemed the consensus was that the Canadian St-Pierre could claim the unofficial pound for pound crown. But life is rarely that simple.
Firstly, Silva shouldn’t have lost to Weidman – he was caught by a good punch while showboating and sticking his chin out by a foot. Not an atypical strategy for the cocky Brazilian, but it was always a risky one, and Weidman was the first fighter talented enough to capitalise. But Silva was a champion for almost eight years for a reason – he’s that damn good. When Weidman and Silva meet again in December, it’d be a brave man to bet against Silva reminding everyone just how good he is.
You also have a rapidly rising third contender – Jon “Bones” Jones might only be completing his second year as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but he’s been so dominant in his victories, many critics and publications are already ranking him as the current pound for pound champion. It’s no longer a two-horse race for that claim anymore.
But perhaps the biggest stumbling block for St-Pierre is the way he fights. He’s totally dominant in his fights, yet he hasn’t finished a fight in almost five years – his last six fights have all been decision wins. Unanimous decisions, but decisions all the same. He’s notched up six-and-a-half years in his second reign as the undisputed welterweight champ, but has only finished his fights twice in that time.
So, while there’s not much doubt that GSP will defeat Johny Hendricks this weekend at UFC 167 (and that’s taking nothing away from Hendricks – he’s a good fighter, but he’s probably not the one to beat St-Pierre), he needs to show the world just what he can do. He needs to be unsatisfied with just doing enough to win; he needs to decisively beat Hendricks by his own hands, not the hands of the judges.
Doing so will cement his place as a true pound for pound contender; not doing so may just peg him as a great fighter, but one who lacks the killer instinct combat sports truly requires. The stage is set for a masterful display by GSP at UFC 167 – it’s up to him to deliver.
