COMMENTARY - Georges St. Pierre & UFC 83

With UFC 83 fast approaching, I bring to you the reason why 22,000 screaming MMA fans will be packing themselves into the Bell Centre in Montreal this Saturday. That reason, the UFC World Welterweight Title fight between now UFC 170-pound champ Matt "The Terror" Serra and Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. UFC.com’s Thomas Gerbasi spoke with St. Pierre today and was able to get some great quotes from the former UFC welterweight champ.

If one were to look at or listen to Georges St. Pierre outside the cage, most wouldn't figure him to be a professional mixed martial artist. In a world of broken noses, missing teeth, and scarred faces, St. Pierre stands out with his smooth as silk looks and equally smooth demeanour. Where as many enter the cage taking about their desire to hurt or kill their opponent, St. Pierre always remains respectful and humble. Even in the midst of the pre-fight hype when combatants are slinging their trash-talk to sell the fight, St. Pierre can rarely be heard saying anything negative.

His technique in the cage is equally smooth, St. Pierre is a naturally gifted athlete. Many MMA fighters are blessed with natural ability and athleticism like GSP, but unlike some others he is also an intelligent fighter. He knows that his natural abilities can only take him so far.

"There is something to have the skill, but I think you have to have more because skill is not enough,” he said. “You need to be ready to sacrifice. I think that’s what helped me – I was very skilled and athletic, but I’m also ready to make the sacrifices that it takes to reach the top,” says St. Pierre.

Sacrifice can come in my forms, going to the gym when all your friends are going out to clubs, eating the baked chicken and vegetables when you would much rather have the all you can eat buffet.

"I’m in the prime of my life, and normally people my age go out a lot, they drink, and a lot of them take drugs, I’m not gonna lie,” he said. “I know that’s not something good for me. When I’m training for a fight and my friends are calling me to go out, I have to stay home. That’s one of the sacrifices I have to make and it’s pretty hard sometimes.”

Growing up, St. Pierre idolized the likes of Jean Claude Van Damme and dreamed of being a martial arts champion like the character Van Damme portrayed in the movie Bloodsport. He started karate at the age of 7 and was very gifted even early on.

St. Pierre made his MMA pro debut in 2002 at the age of 20, at a time when the sport was considered an outlaw barbaric spectacle. Living in Canada made it even more difficult, Canada was yet to experience the beginnings of mainstream acceptance that US fans and fighters were beginning to enjoy.

"Back in the day, people thought I was crazy,” said St-Pierre. “Now, people know that it’s a real sport and that I’m training just as much as somebody who’s training for the Olympic Games or any other professional sport. I always knew that it was only a matter of time. And I don’t blame those people because I understand it. I can put myself in their position and try to see my sport from the outside. I know it’s violent, but when you don’t understand it, it makes it look even worse.”

Thankfully times have changed since those lean early days and fighters and fans alike are enjoying the benefits of the meteoric rise of Mixed Martial Arts. St. Pierre is considered by most as the face of MMA in Canada, but you'd never hear that statement come from his mouth.

Since entering the UFC, St. Pierre has put together a very respectable 7-1 record, with victories over some very dangerous opponents like BJ Penn, Karo Parisyan, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, and Jason Miller. His only loss came at the hands of the UFC's legendary welterweight, Matt Hughes in 2004, a loss he avenged in dominant fashion at UFC 65 in 2006.

But like most who manage to reach the summit, a fall is almost inevitable. That fall came on April 7th, 2007 at the hands of UFC veteran and TUF winner Matt Serra in a fight that virtually no one gave Serra a snowball's chance in hell to win. It's been said the St. Pierre came into the fight with personal issues that took away from his usual focus.

"After my loss with Serra I’ve been accused of not being mentally tough, but a lot of things happened to me, and it’s really personal stuff,” said St-Pierre, who gracefully addressed perhaps the most asked question of him these days. “People read some stuff, but they have no idea what happened to me. The reason why I don’t want to talk about it is because a lot of it concerns people in my family. I have a public life because I’m a professional fighter and I accept the fact that people talk about my personal life. But I don’t want people to talk about the personal lives of people in my family who don’t have a public life, who don’t ask to have their personal lives written about. I think if any person went through what I went through last time, it would affect them. But I will never let that happen again.”

And once again GSP is showing his gentleman-like ways leading up to this fight with Serra. "After the fight, no matter what happens, I’m gonna shake Matt Serra’s hand,” he said. “A lot of things have been said, some stuff crossed the line a little bit, but I think Matt Serra is a good person and I want to fight the best Matt Serra for my honor. I want to be the real champion, and I want to beat the champion when he’s at his best, and I’m sure it’s the same thing for him. After the fight, win, lose, no matter, I’m gonna shake his hand and maybe we can have a drink together.”

Much like loss in 2004 to Hughes, St. Pierre will have a chance to avenge that loss to Serra at UFC 83. Will GSP show up and do what most have come to expect, or will it be yet another dramatic UFC upset?