UFC 124 Aftermath: Is Georges St. Pierre MMA's Manny Pacquiao?
by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 12, 2010 9:42 AM EST
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In the sport of boxing, there is no fighter walking the earth more beloved than Manny Pacquiao. His home country of the Philippines (where he's also a congressman) supports him, but he's not just loved at home, he's well received across the globe. Top it off with him constantly performing to the peak of his abilities against some of the best boxing has to offer him, and the similarities to a certain Canadian champion begin to become apparent.
Mixed martial arts has yet to have a star quite like Manny Pacquiao, but with his most recent victory, I believe that Georges St. Pierre is the closest we may have for quite some time. It's a no brainer that Canadians love him to death, but his fanbase is expending far beyond the borders of the great white north. Being popular is only one factor though, what caused the connection to be drawn in my mind, is how like Pacquiao, GSP hasn't had a bad night, or even just an average night, in quite some time. Throughout his five title defenses since taking the welterweight title back from Matt Serra, GSP has performed at, or very near 100% to his abilities. Even when he tore his groin against Thiago Alves at UFC 100, the only noticeable difference was a slight decrease in offensive output.
There's no other champion in the UFC that has looked as dominant as Georges St. Pierre has. Anderson Silva is great, but with the poor showings against Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, and Chael Sonnen the biggest qualifier isn't there, and that's performing amazingly, every time the fighter steps into the ring/cage. Georges St. Pierre on the other hand, hasn't lost a round since he first fought Josh Koscheck in 2007.
A star like Manny Pacquiao is something that MMA could certainly benefit from, and dominant champions are few and far between in this sport as it is. Outside of Anderson Silva, most fighters that are expected to take and defend titles have fallen flat on their faces. Georges St. Pierre hasn't yet...and may not lose for years to come. What can a fighter who's star is shining as bright as Manny Pacquiao's do in a sport that isn't dying? For boxing, Manny Pacquiao is one of the last reasons to care about the sport...but for MMA, a star like that could take things to new heights. Is Georges St. Pierre that star?
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Slight correction on your post... I'd slap someone if Manny was a Senator.
He’s a congressman of one of the smallest provinces in the country. Everyone loves Manny, but to be fair, not everyone (especially those in the main cities) wants him as a politician..
He also lost an election on another, slightly bigger, province before… And again, I seriously doubt it will ever happen, but if he wins a fucking national election, I’m gonna go Manny Pacquiao on all those voters.
by Anton Tabuena on Dec 12, 2010 11:29 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Blah, thanks. And yeah, I remember reading your comments when he won the election, I’m sure there’s plenty of people who like him, but not enough to just vote for him because he’s Manny. lol
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by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 12, 2010 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
GSP isn't it.
As much as I like him, I think what we’re seeing is the peak of his popularity. While he is getting the Gatorade and UA endorsements, I don’t think he’ll break out or help MMA break out any more than where he’s at right now. Granted, that popularity should last, but I wouldn’t expect him to appear on any MTV award shows anytime soon. I think the big thing with GSP is that he’s so 100% Canadian. While that works for Canadians, I don’t think it translates to mega popular status in the US. And I hate to say it, but his accent isn’t helping. Now I’m not saying people don’t love him for who he is; I’m saying to some, he just sounds like a foreigner. Even in Canada, GSP won’t be the most famous Canadian. Any good hockey player should top him. Especially when it comes to suburban families and their familiarity/love/obsession with athletes. I guarantee you more Canadian kids have Sidney Crosby posters on their walls than GSP.
Even Brock won’t do it. Because let’s face it, dude isn’t even close to being the best fighter in his division. Plus for many, he’ll still forever be “that wrestler guy.” I truly think you’ll have to have a super athlete, with the talent and looks as well as that homegrown native son background. Whether it’s someone with an urban background or someone with that country boy background, I don’t know. Being able to land one punch KO’s would also help.
I agree. I can’t really see where there will be any further growth for the UFC other than in terms of putting on shows in more locales. GSP is one of the biggest stars in the sport for very good reason and he has transcended MMA as much as any MMA fighter CAN.
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by CSC Memorabilia on Dec 13, 2010 7:37 AM EST up reply actions
In terms of fight performances, there is no comparison
GSP has nothing(well maybe the first Penn fight) comparable to Manny Pacquiao’s fights against Marquez and Barrera, and Morales I & II.
And hasn’t moved up the weight division either.
I think GSP’s recent fights compare more to Mayweather’s fight against JMM. Totally domination, but also unwilling to take ANY damage/risk to finish the fucking fight.
For GSP to move up in weight class, he would have to go up 15 pounds. In boxing, isn’t the next class up or down in the 3-5 lb range?
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by outlander78 on Dec 14, 2010 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
No he woudn't.
He would just need to NOT cut weight…..like BJ Penn does, or Andy when he fights at 205.
"God bless....God."
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
GSP is more Mayweather then PacMan.
Unless he starts KOing people again (it’s been fucking YEARS!) he’s gonna be that elite athlete who wins safe……like PBF.
"God bless....God."
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
by RolloTomasi on Dec 12, 2010 2:00 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
GSP's style is way closer to PBF than Pacman
Pacquiao makes multiple fervent efforts to take opponents out. Where as GSP will never even go for a guillotine or triangle choke for fear of ending up on his back.
PBF uses superior athleticism and technique to keep opponents at bay and only goes in for a finish when there is zero chance of getting countered. When he clearly outboxed Shane Mosely and knew he was quicker than him he still never threw more than a 3 punch combo to limit the chances of getting caught with a counter.
If any fighter is comparable to Pacquiao it would be Penn, both fighters have no problem going up in weight to challenge bigger opponents and do their damndest to finish.
I got no problem with GSP, but if you want to draw comparisons between boxing and mma fighters don’t just pick the the two most popular guys from each sport, actually analyze their stylistic and habitual similarities.
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by The Blackula on Dec 13, 2010 11:40 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
There’s a lot more to the post than just they way they fight, we’re not going to compare GSP to someone as hated as PBF on this level. Stylistically, definitely. They’re both so damn good, but so tight with their offensive/defensive ratio, it gets dull.
Regardless, this was a thought provoking post meant to bring up the very things people have pointed out here.
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by Kaleb Kelchner on Dec 14, 2010 10:53 AM EST up reply actions
