Differing Philosophies, Misplaced Emotions, and Short Sighted Promoting: the Real Culprits of the GSP Anger

"I didn't pay 200 bucks to watch GSP hug someone for twenty-five minutes."

"What a [expletive] waste of money."

"St Pierre is a French [expletive]."

This is just a small sampling of the comments WKR overheard as we left the Prudential Center Saturday night. The venom and disappointment in St. Pierre's performance was palpable and ultimately misplaced.

Georges St. Pierre completely dominated Dan Hardy. Not once was the fight in question and Hardy was rendered as inconsequential as an underclassmen at prom. Yet the prevailing feeling from fans is one of despondency or righteous indignation.

Note: This is a great microcosm for one of the principle debates in media coverage. If one doesn't agree with the consumer reaction does one push forward a contrary view in line with their own perspective? Or should one channel said reaction and attempt to be the voice of the people?

The crux of the debate may be boiled down to two differing philosophical views: whether or not you believe that Georges St. Pierre is afraid to lose and that is dictating his strategic decisions or whether winning is the end all be all of his time inside the Octagon.

For fans outraged by St. Pierre's performance they believe that he no longer wants to strike out of fear --fear being one, if not, the cardinal sin among the uber masculine crowd-- rather than being a shrewd and intelligent fighter. It no longer matters if Georges wins, he must prove that the Matt Serra loss hasn't changed him into a poltroon.

Across the aisle, fans take the opposite perspective. They see St. Pierre's recent use of wrestling as a cunning decision, simultaneously exploiting his opponents weaknesses while favoring Georges' natural athleticism and tremendous wrestling skill.

Thirty-six hours after the fight ask yourself this question: "Do I think Georges is trying to win or trying not to lose?"

How you answer the above question will open up a greater understanding to your emotional state.

When philosophies clash it tends to be dramatic but is it even warranted?

One of the more bizarre aspects of this fight is that Dan Hardy's stiff British upper lip (otherwise known as pure bad assery) is being widely overlooked in the post-fight St. Pierre debate. Sure, some observers are discussing Hardy's tremendous tolerance for pain but people have failed to address how that action has completely altered the story. Had Dan yielded on three separate occasions (as 95% of most fighters would have) this entire discussion regarding St. Pierre would be rendered extraneous.

It is in this context that malcontents would counter that St. Pierre needed to finish Hardy. Some have even brought up Leites vs. Silva as an equivalent. That comparison ultimately falls flat as that fight was sullied by a tactical impasse. Leites refused to fight on his feet, Silva refused to fight on the ground and as a result nothing happened. St. Pierre vs. Hardy was a fight where one fighter, in this case Georges, took advantage of his opponents inefficiencies. Why in the world should Georges stand with a fighter whose best skill is his striking when that same opponent is average on the ground. Would people demand St. Pierre stand and bang with Paul Daley? That's lunacy almost on par with the charge of the Light Brigade, Cold Harbor or the Somme.

This brings us to the real culprit in the negative fan reaction--bad promoting.

It is hard to find fault in the UFC for trying to sell the fight as "Can Dan Hardy channel Matt Serra?". But Zuffa failed to educate their fans on what to expect. Trying to hoodwink them into thinking that Hardy stood a chance on the ground with a last minute jiu-jitsu session with Matt Serra was folly (Serra called the training a "solid" for Dana White). It created the false expectation of a brawl, which was certainly expedited by Hardy's mouth.

Going forward, WKR would argue that the worse thing Zuffa can do is to play up the "Serra did it, could generic welterweight do it too?" story. That creates a ripe media environment for fans to believe that St. Pierre is avoiding standing out of fear of being knocked out . Rather, it is better to focus on how St. Pierre is so well rounded that he can exploit whatever his opponent's weakness is.

Besides, Hardy was never a legitimate contender for St. Pierre. While some might bemoan that as bad matchmaking the reality at 170lbs. is that there are few challengers available and all are imperfect contenders.

Of course this whole conversation will be turned into a footnote in MMA history once St. Pierre finishes someone. Just like what happen with Lyoto Machida.