Props: BloodyElbow.com
Quoteworthy:
“The last time I defended my title, I didn’t approach it the right way” (Serra). “[I] trained to fight an army and there is no way one man can stop me if many cannot.”
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre appeared focused and serious today during the public press conference at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn., to promote UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy,” which is slated for the Target Center Saturday, August 9. “Rush” will look to retain the 170-pound strap for the first time since winning it back from Matt Serra when he takes on number on contender, Jon Fitch, in the main event of the evening.
Special thanks to Tracy Lee over at CombatLifestyle.com for the great pics, including shots of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson who appeared on the dais along with UFC President Dana White and the fighters set to headline the pay-per-view (PPV) event. To check out the whole gallery click HERE.
85 Comments »
OOOOOOO He sounds like he is ready to go on a tear. Can’t wait
yeah sounds like he’s gonna tear Fitch a new one
Yeah that’s what an angry Diego thought too… If Fitch can weather the GSP storm for the 1st round, it will be smooth sailing to a 5th round GnP victory for Fitch.
This is going to be a WAr.. for those who feel it will end quickly.. watch 08.09 and see. IF it does end quick..IMO its GSP on the canvas.. with Fitch giving the crowd his demonic look. I feel this fight will be decided in the later rounds. I’m not much of a gambling man.. but I like Fitch for the upset.
Phil: I wont be surprised if Fitch were to win. He is a WARRIOR and he is still underrated!
Its going to be a war for sure. I see it lasting at least 4 rounds but most likely ending up in a hard fought decision!
If it goes to a decision which is high possibility.. and it’s close.. but not as close as Page/Forrest.. I see GSP getting the nod. If Fitch dominantes at least 3 out of the 5 rounds.. then Fitch will win.. I just pray I don’t exprience another UFC85.
I feel in the pic of GSP and Fitch…Dana is not too sure about GSP. GSP is back to his first title defense. where is today 0-1.
I like to have what you guys are smoking GSP is going to walk through this guy, I don’t even expect it go pass the first round even though I want to see GSP beat this guy for five rounds.
Phil: I am with you, but u meant to say UFC 86! 85 was alves by flying decapitation! lol
I think Fitch has a great chance of winning this fight. He is a grinder and even on the countdown last night GSP and his camp admitted that GSP’;s gameplans are to fight withiout taking any damage. which is a great IDEA, you Know but we havent really seen GSP in too many wars. If Fitch can turn it in to an UGLY, grueling fight, the fight will be in Fitch’s world and GSP may be out of his element giving Fitch a chance!
If GSP wins this fight, in convincing fashion then I think he has clearly matured as a fighter and turned the corner in his career, truly achieving TOP FIGHTER status.
GSP needs this win in my eyes to solidify that he has reached the next level. THis is a very important fight for him. He needs a title defense on his resume badly. GSP really has to beat Fitch. He doesnt have to beat Penn because Penn is on that next level and loosing to BJ would be understandable. BUT GSP really has to beat Fitch!
thanks for the correction. 86 made me sick!
Fitch definitely is underrated. As JOe Rogan puts it back then, “Jon Fitch may be the best fighter you’ve never heard of…”…This could be true in this case.
Phil: NOt only did 86 make me sick, it hurt me financially, and even bored me out of my mind. Just a terrible night in General!
Hopefully UFC 87 makes up for it, because that UFN event was nothing special either!
I have been watching film on these 2 all week and one conclusion that I am absolutely sure of is that this fight will not end in any kind of SUBMISSION. Neither fighter will be able to submit the other fighter. AS good as their submission games are both of their sub defense are even better!
Fitch has been caught in sub attempts by all his opponents and has NEVER even came close to tapping. AS he said in the countdown last night, he often gives up sub attempts to increase his position. I wouldnt recomend tat against GSP and I really dont think Fitch would even bother trying that. GSP has only been submitted by Hughes when he was a young puppy he was star struck by Matt and got caught in a silly, basic submission counter. Since then top ground wizrd like Mayhem and BJ Penn couldnt submit GSP so no matter how good Fitch is in that are, I doubt he will win the title via submission.
Only possible ways of winning this fight or KO standing, TKO ground n pound, or via decision! Both fighters can forget all about the submission of the night award!
GSP is gonna dominate Fitch. It will be a pure, clean, dominating performance by one of the best in all of MMA. Eye of the tiger baby….
John, I think some of that stuff Jon Fitch said about giving submissions to gain better positioning could be said on purpose to keep GSP guessing.
Fighters watch all the interviews, they read the comments their opponent makes in the media. GSP is a thinker. At times he may ‘overthink’ situations. Fitch giving GSP this information on purpose may have GSP second guessing in the fight.
watch his fights, I actually think that he does bait people with submissions.
this is gony be a great fight and a grrrrrreat card
GSP is going to be too powerfull for Fitch. I don’t think he’ll be ready regardless of his training with Koscheck. Hopfeully we see a knockout from GSP and not a decision.
Wait for the weigh in pics and you see the difference in size between Fitch and GSP. Fitch is bigger and looks stronger. Kos taking GSP to decision was the best thing for Fitch; mainly because Fitch knows he is much better then Kos.
Fitch isn’t even in the same league as Kos in the wrestling department - whether it be takedowns or TD defense.
I wasn’t specifing a department, I was stating that if Fitch fought Kos it would end with Kos loosing.
I agree - and I hate Kos so that helps too.
Fitch beating Kos (very debatable) doesn’t help Fitch’s matchup against GSP, however. It’s not relevant. Kos is a tougher matchup for GSP on paper.
In addition, Fitch is not much bigger than GSP, and he won’t be stronger.
Wow…That’s a pretty wicked quote.
I think that GSP has the striking advantage, whereas Fitch has the submission advantage having been awarded his Jiu Jitzu black belt. The overall advantage probably goes to GSP with his strength, speed and striking, but both fighters have had very few losses, so this promises to be an exciting match-up.
Fitch has the submission advantage? i dont think so..
I don’t think so either, for one we haven’t seen how much GSP improved by going to Brazil and mark my words, he will have improved a lot. Fitch may have the black belt,but he doesn’t have the speed and fluidity that GSP has to transition from one move to another. Also GSP doesn’t get caught in nowhere near the amount of subs Fitch gets caught in. Granted Fitch has been able to get out of them ,but do guys like Diego have the strength to lock it on and hold it like GSP does. I don’t think so. GSP looks more confident then ever. Fitch is in big trouble.
Fitch isn’t in trouble. Fitch is a BJJ Black Belt under Dave Camarillo. He baits guys to attempt submissions to get better positioning. He gave Thiago Alves an attempted guillotine, and Thiago burnt his arms out and then got KO’d.
I hope Fitch does to GSP’s face as BJ Penn did. I like how Fitch is quoted in saying that he wants it to be a messy, bloody fight because all of GSP’s wins were too clean.
“I hope Fitch does to GSP’s face as BJ Penn did”
Lol like what poke him in the eye?
LOL, you beat me to the eye poke remark.
Or, broke GSP’s nose???
Hmmmm ????
Fitch better not think that by giving GSP his neck, or an attempt at a submission, that he’ll gain better positioning, otherwise he may never walk again. NOT a smart strategy against a monster.
youtube search: Post UFC 58 GSP Interview
GSP’s nose was broken against Penn. Fitch is a grinder. He made Thiago Alves’ face look like lunch meat. And he has the ability to do that to GSP.
I like GSP, don’t get me wrong. But, do you think Matt Serra had a better chance of betting GSP than Fitch? If so, you haven’t been paying attention. Even GSP respects Fitch - calling him his most toughest, well rounded opponent.
There are a lot of fighters GSP would dominate and walk right through. It ain’t happening with Jon Fitch.
Yes, I do think Serra had a better chance of beating GSP.
Serra had weapons to threaten GSP - heavy hands on the feet, absolutely unafraid to stand and trade, and short limbs giving him the advantage of striking in close.
On the ground, Serra had much better grappling credentials, and is more adept of his back than Fitch.
Then Hardcharger, my friend, you aren’t paying much attention.
Striking - Fitch is faster, taller, longer and hits with elbows, knees, kicks vs. Serra that hits just with punches. Of Serra’s 11 UFC fights, he’s only had one TKO. And that was to GSP.
Grappling - Both Fitch and Serra are BJJ Black Belts. But if you think Serra has better grappling credentials, I like you’re buying wayyyy too much into the UFC hype machine. Yes, Serra is a BJJ teacher and has numerous BJJ tournament matches, but did you know out of Serra’s 11 UFC fights, ONLY 1 fight was won by submission?
Jon Fitch on the other hand is was an all american wrestler at Purdue Univ, trains with Koscheck another all american. But here’s the most impressive stat - of Fitch’s 8 UFC fights, 3 fights were won by submission. 2 of which were against American Top Team BJJ black belts Roan Carneiro and Luigi Fioravanti. Fitch is the real deal.
The only advantage Serra had over GSP that night was that GSP admittingly looked passed Serra. But no way was Serra a bigger threat to GSP than Fitch.
Lets see, Fitch was able to not get sub’ed by Roan, Diego, Alves, and the list continues. It takes a lot of energy to try and submit someone, I think Fitch uses that to his advantage. After tomorrow night Fitch will have two things to be proud of; WW title belt and most UFC undefeated wins.
it also takes a lot of energy and endurance to endure the submission. I had a friend of mine trying a guillotine choke on me just for fun and I successfully got out of it, but I was already spent.
but then again, I’m not Fitch. Maybe he shouldn’t try to bait GSP especially in a 5 round fight. 5 round is a marathon itself.
I guess you should watch Fight Masters 123boogie. In that show, Randy Couture teaches us not to use all the muscles all together. Hence, your “spent state”…
if fitch tries to bait gsp into a sub to wear him down, he will get subbed for sure. im betting he wont try this with gsp though.
I think GSP has an advantage in every aspect. The only thing that makes me have a little doubt is KOS saying that Fitch is actually a little bigger and a little stronger. I think he is actually a little taller but I have my doubts that he is stronger. KOS is probably lying and just trying to boost Fitsh’s confidence. Go GSP! I hope this is a competive fight (I think it will be) but I would like to see GSP be able to stop him in the 4th or 5th round so it doesn’t have to go to a dec.
If I remember correctly, Kos used word like might be or maybe stronger or close to the same strength. Since fitch is his friend he had to say something positive. This is Kos we are talking about. If Fitch was stronger, Kos would have made it clear that Fitch would maul GSP with his strength. I can remember where I see it, but it was a video of GSP picking up a HW and and slamming him efforlessly. That boy knows how to use leverage to his advantage.
Fitch doesn’t have any advantage other than the fact that he is totally game. And that counts for something. Back when this fight was announced or even speculated about, I thought GSP would wreck him. I don’t think that will happen anymore.
I think Fitch is going to have the fight of his life and he’s going to push GSP very, very hard in a losing effort. Fitch’s stock will rise because he’s going to show how much heart he has.
No way GSP rolls through him like Serra 2. Look at Fitch in this picture. He looks like it’s Christmas morning and GSP is his present.
It’s going to be a great fight. But GSP has to win so he can fight BJ Penn.
“Christmas morning and GSP is his present” perfect word choice.
But I do disagree about one thing… Fitch won’t be beat.
LOL, this picture and GSP’s demeanor yesterday gave every impression that he’s about to wreck whoever is in front of him. Unfortunately for Fitch, this time it’s him.
Totally agree… GSP is on the verge of doing to the WW division what Anderson has done to the MW. GSP is GSP and Fitch is the best of the rest. GSP is ready and is going to steamroll right through Fitch.
Hahaha!! MErry Christmas on Sat nite!!
i love dana’s faces in all the stare-down photos. it’s like he’s psychoanalyzing the fighters.
he only see’s money, he’s thinking if only i found you in ‘tuf’
Hahaahhahaha, great comment clayton - very true.
I think GSP has the edge in every category.
GSP may become a dangerous force.
As Fedor says, anyone can win and you have to respect every opponent but right now it seems like anyone GSP fights he will beat 9 of 10 times.
This is going to be awesome. Saturday night is going to be crazy!
gsp is da man. but i don’t seem him walking through fitch. i think fitch is legit
GSP does not beat BJ Penn 9 times out of 10.
But I would like to see GSP looking invincible when the two of them meet, so that everyone can see just how good Penn is.
After that fight a lot of people are going to jump on the Penn bandwagon, saying they always knew he was the better fighter. But right now, and most likely after the Fitch fight, the vast majority are going to say that GSP will crush him.
Nope. BJ will submit GSP. But it will be one of the best fights of all time.
how about 1 time out of one. maybe i like the taste of my bung hole but i think bj won. maybe i’m biaesd but i think he is one of those duedes who can handle himself at what ever weight.
Rev I feel the same way about Fitch, after this weekends fight everone will know how good Fitch is… Hopefully GSP isn’t thinking of Silva or Penn, of course he’ll have a flash amount of time to do that half way through the 5th round.
Why do you guys always mention BJ Penn on this thread? We all know what he can do. Worry about him for the future I say…
I am a huge GSP fan and think that he will win late in the first or early in the second round by strikes, then a GNP stoppage or a sub to finish the fight.
However, I got to say I like Fitch, he is for real and is a great fighter. I love his attitude and after seeing more of him on TV I think its hard not to like the guy. I just think he will run into a very well prepared George at the top of his game. It’s a brick wall that will stop Fitches run, but he will be back and come back better becasue he seems like that kind of guy…a tough mother who loves what he does. I got to give him respect, but Saturday night is all GSP.
im a big fitch fan and i think it will go the distance but i still think it might go to gsp but my fingers are crossed for my boy fitch!!!
im gonna go with a gsp decision.but like ive said before gsps greatest assets are his explosive power and athleticism.he can always rely on these to get out of trouble.but eye poke aside bj owned him till he ran out of gas and has a better all round skill set.a fit bj beats gsp 9 times out of ten.and im not a bj nuthugger just going by what i see.
You can’t put the eye poke aside, because that is the only reason BJ was getting the better of him. Once GSP got his vision back he was winning the REST of the fight. Everything BJ did was in the first 2 minutes of that fight. I find it hard to believe BJ gassed in 2 minutes. I say GSP wins 3 out of 3, because that will be all the chances Dana will give him.
G.S.P. winner by murder!
GSP 08′
It’s weird to see GSP’s opponent bigger than he is. Scary!!
thats what im thinking as well. it will be interesting to see gsp face to face with someone who is taller and bigger than him. wether that translates into fitch being stronger i dont know for sure. gsp is more explosive and a better overall athlete. how well fitch fights off his back is going to be the biggest question imo, cuz thats where he’s gonna be most of the fight.
Everybody keeps saying how Fitch trains with Kos, and is bigger and more powerful than Kos (which is true), but I think people constantly forget that GSP trains with bigger guys like Cote (former LHW), Marquardt, and two former HW’s in Jardine and Evans. He also trains with bigger guys on the Canadian Olympic wrestling team. GSP has less raw strength than those guys, and possibly less raw strength than Fitch, but his explosiveness, his acceleration makes him literally a very hard force to stop.
True! GSP might look at Fitch as just “1 of his smaller training partners…”
Yep, GSP trains with a 220 lb OLIMPIC wrestler, Fitch isn’t goint to surprise him one bit in the strength department. Matt Hughes could probably bench press more than GSP, but GSP threw him around like a rag doll. Leverage is the key and GSP has that mastered.
If you weren’t an MMA fan and saw Anderson Silva standing next to Rich Franklin, you’d swear Rich would be able to throw around Anderson.
Nice example there Pat!
GSP - UD
Florian - UD
Maia - 2nd, Choke of some sort
Take these picks to the BANK!!!
GSP by MURDER!!!!
Agreed!
Georges St. Pierre will win this fight.
gsp by 3 rnd gnp! a good fight up till then.
and another thing. some people are saying that gsp is gonna be surprised at how strong fitch is, wich may be true, but georges is also the strongest, best all-around fighter that fitch has ever faced, so fitch is gonna be in for a surprise or 2 himself. anyway i think both fighters are ready and well prepaired. both believe they are the better man and niehter can visualize themselves losing, so somehting’s gotta give.
Like GSP said ,”No way one guy does, what an army can’t do”. He has fresh guys (MW’s and LHW’s) coming at him every round and they CAN’T beat him. GSP’s cardio is on another level from any WW. I know Fitch has great cardio, but it won’t look so great after 10 minutes of GSP’s relentless pace.
GSP didn’t think he’d get KTFO by Serra either.
And nobody thought Tyson would get KTFO’d by Buster Douglas either. What’s your point? Upsets happen, we know. Fitch CAN beat GSP, but it’s more likely he’ll lose.
That’s like going all in with a shitty hand in poker just because you’ve seen someone do it before.
My point is GSP can’t fight an army, and CAN get taken out by one guy. Fitch definitely has the credentials to do it.
Does anybody know what Rampage said up at the podium and what Dana White said about him? There are pictures of him talking and then of White speaking with Page behind him and him kinda gesturing at Quinton.
If anyone could share that, that would be great.
I’d like to see what happens if GSP gets caught with strike and has to come back. Fitch needs to connect with something pretty big to have any shot at softening GSP up for the win. As GSP has shown in the past, the first round is your best chance at doing damage to him. After that he just seems to get stronger and stronger.
Fitch says he will pressure him. He’s going to have to throw everything and the kitchen sink right out of the gate, IMO, before GSP gets into his riddum, if he’s going to have any shot
jon fitch knock this frog out
The only chance that Fitch has is to put GSP on his back or a miracle punch. Is there a possibility….yes….highly unlikely….absolutely. Now I’ve seen some comments about Fitch having a chance making it a grueling battle and punishing St. Pierre, well let’s examine that..BJ Penn vs. GSP I. Broken nose in the first couple of shots of the fight. Now if that doesn’t want to make you quit nothing will but GSP battled and showed his heart. He was in deep water and He beat one of many consider the best pfp fighter ever. What people aren’t realizing here is that Yes, Fitch is very talented, Yes he is a grinder, No he isn’t flashy, Yes he has top tier skills, will he knock you out, probably not. Now compare a top tier guy and compare it to GSP. Not even the same category. St. Pierre’s athletic ability will take him to a TKO in the second or third unless a JF Miracle happens. I think this fight could go the distance if GSP wasn’t in condition or his head wasn’t right, but this guy is on track, if there is one thing that can be learned and many welterweights in the UFC should know this, is that when GSP makes a mistake and climbs the ladder to get back to that position, he never makes the same mistake twice. Now that’s the safest bet I’ve ever seen. I’m putting the house on GSP, you can guarantee that.
All these contradictory and opposing comments are giving me deja vu back to UFC 83 (with all the deluded Mat Serra nut huggers claiming Serra was gonna overpower GSP, that Serra was just too strong, too game, too…ahh, you get the picture).
WTF people? Wake up! This is GSP we’re talking about… Anything can happen, and Fitch is certainly waaaaay better than Serra (and more deserving), but if anyone is going to receive a rude reality check tomorrow, it will be “John-boy” Fitch.
While perhaps GSP won’t walk through Fitch like Fedor did to Tim Sylvia, he will certainly put on a clinic like he did to Serra, and show why he’s the best, pound for pound.
Either way, this is a war, and may the best man win!
Have a great time watching what promises to be an amazing contest and an amazing fight.