On January 31st, 2009, combat sports fans will be exposed to what has the possibility of being THE marquee fight of the not-quite 19-year old sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
On January 31st, two champions will faceoff in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as UFC Welterweight Champion Georges, Rush St. Pierre rematches The Prodigy BJ Penn.
This is a fight that could define our era of MMA. The funny part is, the anticipation does not come from their first fight, which was an admittedly lackluster affair. Instead, the anticipation comes from the entirety of these two fighters careers. Perhaps never before in MMA has such skill, potential, and accomplishment collided in a single fight.
Who they are:
Georges Rush St. Pierre (17-2).
5'10"
170lbs
27 years old
If you have not heard the name, you dont follow combat sports. St. Pierre, or GSP as he is known affectionately throughout the MMA world, is, essentially, the prototypical modern MMA fighter. He is the fighter against whom all others, consciously or not, are compared. He is an athletic phenom. He has never wrestled competitively in his life, yet is the best wrestler in his weight class in MMA. He is an incredible striker, stringing together combinations that vary punches with kicks and takedowns. He is also an elite grappler, having recently earned a black belt in Brazilian-Jiu Jitsu.
The only area in which we cannot declare GSP to be utterly amazing at is his bottom game, but thats because hes so rarely put on his back.
A few short years ago, GSP was called the future of the sport. In 2009, that future has long since arrived. GSP is perhaps the most dominant fighter in MMA outside of Fedor himself, having cut a swatch of destruction through the Welterweight division.
Beyond his physical dominance, GSP is a fan-favourite because he is perhaps the nicest guy in the sport. Hes a total class act, and his not-quite-perfect grasp of English has provided some of the more entertaining quotes in MMA.
B.J. The Prodigy Penn (13-4-1)
5'9"
170lbs
30 years old.
BJ Penn is one of the most skilled and unique fighters in the sport. He captivates half of the MMA fanbase, and irritates the other half. Longtime GAF MMA fans know in which half I tend to reside.
BJ was born into what is pretty much the wealthiest family on Hawaii. BJ took up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 1997, and, as his nickname suggests, he showed tremendous aptitude for the sport. Only three years after he took up the sport, Penn would earn his black belt and become the first non-Brazilian to win a BJJ world championship.
Penn quickly carried his talents into MMA, and making waves to the point that he shocked the world by beating a prime Matt Hughes. Since that point, Penn has been inconsistent, showing flashes of brilliance, but also showing at times a lack of motivation, fitness, and interest in fighting to the best of his ability.
Since returning to the Lightweight division in 2007, however, Penn has strung together three dominant wins that have re-energized his career, and now he again moves up to Welterweight in an attempt to avenge his prior loss to GSP and achieve glory for himself.
Penn has amazing and unique Jiu-jitsu ability, and also very devastating, though limited striking. While GSP utilizes all of the striking tools of the human body, Penn rarely throws kicks or knees. Instead, Penns striking tends to stick to jabs and crosses, but he makes perhaps the most effective use of those techniques in MMA. Penn also has very good wrestling skills, though he rarely uses them offensively, instead using his unique flexibility to defend against the takedown.
Why you should watch:
Because these are two fighters at the top of their game. Both have the potential, with this fight to become more than champions. With an impressive victory, the winner could become one of the few true legends of this still young sport.
Both fighters have been laying waste to their divisions with impressive performances. Both have appeared to be on a completely different level than their competition. If this fight lives up to the potential, it will be epic.
My analysis:
I am biased. GSP is my man-crush, and Penn irritates the hell out of me. In that vein, most of my analysis tends to point to a GSP victory. GSP has superior size and strength. The evidence would tend to show that GSP has better cardio, as he just had a 5-round beating of Jon Fitch, whereas Penn has a history of being out of shape and gassing. The counter to that is the fact that BJ has appeared to be motivated and in great shape in his last few fights. Whether that will still hold true at 170lbs will remain to be seen.
Also, GSP won, barely, their first fight. Though an intangible, GSPs career shows that his performance improves in rematches. From losing his first fight against Hughes, GSP rebounded to win decisively in the rematch, and completely dismantle Hughes in the rubber match. From getting upset by Serra to toying with him in the rematch. If that trend means anything (and it might not), it could point to a bad night for BJ. Also to be mentioned is that GSP trains with perhaps the top team in MMA today, the Greg Jackson camp. This is another tick in GSPs favour as Jackson will doubtlessly provide GSP with a solid gameplan.
Assessing how their skills currently match up, I think that GSP has the more well-rounded striking. Penn boxing is probably somewhat better than GSPs, but GSP has far and a way better kicks.
Wrestling-wise, there is no question that GSP is the one who can and will dictate where the fight takes place. Penn might be able to fight off the takedown for a bit, but he will not stop it.
On the ground, the edge theoretically goes to BJ. He is the more decorated and feared Jiu-jitsu fighter. However, one thing that should be noted, other than how good GSP is on the ground too, is that BJ has exactly ZERO submission wins off of his back. And when and if this fights hits the ground, it is almost a certainty that it will be GSP on top. In combination with GSPs top control, I can see GSP grinding out BJ as the fight wears on. And no matter how much Penns cardio may have improved, I see it as axiomatic that the longer the fight goes, the lower Penns chances get.
Which is not to say that I dont think BJ has a chance. Hes a great fighter. He could outbox GSP and frustrate him, score a knockdown, and then take his back and put him to sleep. GSP could get careless on the ground and get swept by BJ. I just dont think it likely.
Im calling GSP on this one, possibly a stoppage in the later rounds.
The UFC, recognizing the potential of this fight, has taken a page from HBO and is airing a 24/7-style behind the scenes series called UFC PrimeTime following GSP and Penn in their training camps. It airs Wednesdays on Spike at 10est, starting tomorrow night. Dont miss it!
Preview of UFC Primetime: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/1/12/718314/ufc-primetime-st-pierre-vs#comments
Official UFC event site: http://94.ufc.com/
Courtesy of Bishman, behind the scenes of their first fight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzvvaqAe9hE&eurl=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtoApfox9As&eurl=
GSP Highlight video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ymoc_georgesrushstpierrehlv20juggo_sport
Penn highlight video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4o5yt_bj-penn-highlight-the-prodigy_extreme
