MMA-NEWS.NET POUND-FOR-POUND TOP TEN
By John Gagne
BJ Penn, Frank Mir, MMA News, MMA Rankings, Miguel Torres, Mike Brown, UFC, fedor emelianenko, georges st pierre, mma
Champion Vs. Champion
By John Gagne
The fight between GSP and BJ Penn is the biggest in MMA history. Not only is there a huge rivalry between the two combatants. They are both champions in there respected weight classes. We have seen the best versions of each man over their last few fights. I do have to say; I believe that BJ has improved more than GSP has.
This fight is going to be a chess match. Both men know each others strengths and weaknesses. We saw in their first fight. That GSP virtually took BJ down at will. While BJ threw Georges off of his game with his jab and improved boxing. I personally thought if BJ trained a little more serious; he would have won that fight. BJ was too cocky back then. His ego definitely got the best of him in that fight. Now that he is taking this fight serious there may be a different outcome. I will analyze this fight and break down what each man will need to do to be victorious.
GSP will need to take BJ down, and hold him there. Even though BJ is great off his back. A guy as good as GSP should be able to avoid the submission attempts. While progressing to a better position and landing strikes. He will also need to use his reach and his kicks. Training with Kru Phil Nurse has allowed GSP’s Muay Thai to grow exponentially. His training with Team Jackson has also brought him amazing training partners. And a coach that can break down an opponent, and create a great game plan.
I do see some aspects that may affect GSP’s performance. If BJ can stop the take down. GSP may get frustrated, especially if BJ can land strikes and make him pay for his failed attempts. If he allows BJ to counter punch and use his jab, he may not leave this fight the winner.
For BJ to win he needs to avoid takedowns. That is really the biggest and most important factor of tis fight. If he can sprawl and brawl. BJ can take this fight. He also needs to out strike GSP, which he is capable of and some say may have already done. His BJJ will only come into play if GSP can get tired, or get stunned and give BJ an opening.
I think we all know what BJ cannot do in this fight…get taken down. If he is fighting off his back, it will be a long night. In the past if BJ cannot implement his game, or stay off his back he tends to fight poorly.
Saturday night’s main event will come down to a game of inches. The first person to make a mistake, will pay for it. I do think that BJ will be victorious. I just think he has the ability to get into GSP’s head and throw him off his game. Its going to be a war, and it could go the other way. But I do not see that happening. BJ in the 4th via TKO
I would definitely place a bet on this fight. Honestly, you can bet on either fighter, depending on your personal opinion. But BJ is the underdog, and the odds for him are a lot better. And he is going to finish the fight before the 25 minute mark.
THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF GEORGES ST. PIERRE
By John Gagne
GSP is probably the best athlete is MMA. He is the definition of a well-rounded fighter. But can his athletic ability propel him to victory over BJ Penn. I will list all GSP’s strengths and weaknesses. And determine if his strengths outweigh his weaknesses, and by how much.
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
All of his strengths are pretty amazing. If you could build a fighter from scratch; GSP would probably be him. He is comfortable in every aspect of MMA, and can dominate and finish from any position.
However, we have seen GSP get tentative and timid. When he has been out struck. We saw in the first Penn fight. That once he was hit, and began to bleed, he started to back away. That is where you want him. On his heals, backing up having to expend extra energy evading the onslaught.
If I picked what factor would play the biggest roll in his upcoming fight with BJ Penn. It would have to GSP’s chin and how he can react to being hit by Penn.
I don’t know if any of you caught the UFC Primetime last night on Spike TV, but I am actually really enjoying these background looks into the top fighter’s training camps. First, I am really impressed with George St Pierre’s training camp and facility. They seem to be taking this to the extreme of serious and watching GSP train (even if it’s just a glimpse) is incredible. I was actually really impressed with some of the athleticism show by George St. Pierre.
BJ Penn’s camp and training on the other hand looked more relaxed. Maybe because of the way they presented it with BJ Penn training in Hawaii while GSP trains in the harsh cold of Canada. But BJ said something last night that caught my attention. He said “I’ve been training this way for 10 years and it works for me”. Obviously the man knows what he’s doing and how to be successful. Another quote I liked I think came from his brother saying that BJ was a fighter and GSP is just an athlete. That’s a pretty powerful statement.
I’m really, really looking forward to this UFC fight. I think the UFC Primetime episodes definitely helped peak my interest too.
BJ Penn, UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), georges st pierre
Props: MMA Payout
The three part feature on BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre, UFC 94 “Primetime” is set to air tonight at 10:30 pm EST on SpikeTV.
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Props: MMA Fanhouse
“We’ve seen the best B.J. Penn we’ve seen in recent years, but that was at 155. He had abs, he looked in shape, he had to train to be down there. The question I have is how much quality weight in this time period can he put on to deal with the size difference between him and Georges. … At that weight class, at 170, I like Georges. Georges has got all the tools. He seems to be within himself mentally, going out and putting together good performances, and demonstrating a lot of skills that nobody really knew he had. There’s some tough things for B.J. to deal with there.”
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture gives the nod to welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre in his much-anticipated superfight with lightweight diety BJ Penn at UFC 94 ‘Penn vs. St. Pierre 2′ on January 31 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. It’s the rematch from UFC 58 that mixed martial arts fans have been demanding for over two years.
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The UFC has announced that UFC 94 “St-Pierre vs Penn 2″ set for Superbowl weekend has officially sold out. More then 14,000 fans are expected to attend the UFC welterweight title bout between Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
While tickets might be officially sold out you can still pick some up on aftermarket ticket retailers like StubHub.com
For the complete UFC 94 fightcard, check out our UFC Rumors section.
UFC 94 “St-Pierre vs Penn 2″ on January 31st, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Check back with CageToday.com on fight night for live results, starting with the undercards at 8 pm EST.
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