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- Jun 1, 2002
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After seeing him on the Tonight show, I am quite positively struck by how GSP is sounding. I know talk is cheap, but the man looks more focused and hungry than I've seen him in years. If he is right about being better than ever, then it is extremely exciting news for MMA fans. Like him or not, he is one of the greatest the sport has seen, and watching him compete against today's upper echelon is a unique chance to see how the sport has evolved, if at all, since his departure, and how he has evolved as well.
One thing I don't quite understand is: why Nick Diaz? My best guess is that he thinks it would be a big money fight, since the Diaz brand-name is riding an all time high, thanks to Nate's fights with Conor. But beating Diaz again will do nothing for Pierre legacy wise, absolutely nothing. Diaz hasn't won a fight in an extremely long time, he didn't look as tenacious as usual in his last outings, and he was already soundly beaten by Pierre. If he wants to prove himself worthy of the best today, that's not the fight to ask for.
Of course, maybe this is just it, he wants big money fights he knows he can win, and the whole 'legacy' and 'proving oneself' rhetoric is just a hype-sham. That would be disappointing and a sign this is happening for the wrong reasons, since Pierre has been the most exemplar competitor and champion the sport has seen, always looking to improve, training harder than anyone, showing top sportsmanship and professionalism.
I think beating Woodley or Maia would be highly impressive. Some say GSP ducked Lawler, but I don't think this is true. He was hustling for a fight with Bisping, since winning the MW title would have been indeed a very impressive accolade, not to mention that it is a winnable fight. With Bisping shoving that out of the way, challenging the current WW champion seems like the right choice: Woodley is a more difficult match up than Lawler, I believe. He presents similar challenges as Hendricks, with very strong clinch-wrestling, excellent takedown defense, and huge power.
It would be a great fight, to measure how he responds to a similar challenge than his last fight, in which he fared at his worst since losing against Serra.
One thing I don't quite understand is: why Nick Diaz? My best guess is that he thinks it would be a big money fight, since the Diaz brand-name is riding an all time high, thanks to Nate's fights with Conor. But beating Diaz again will do nothing for Pierre legacy wise, absolutely nothing. Diaz hasn't won a fight in an extremely long time, he didn't look as tenacious as usual in his last outings, and he was already soundly beaten by Pierre. If he wants to prove himself worthy of the best today, that's not the fight to ask for.
Of course, maybe this is just it, he wants big money fights he knows he can win, and the whole 'legacy' and 'proving oneself' rhetoric is just a hype-sham. That would be disappointing and a sign this is happening for the wrong reasons, since Pierre has been the most exemplar competitor and champion the sport has seen, always looking to improve, training harder than anyone, showing top sportsmanship and professionalism.
I think beating Woodley or Maia would be highly impressive. Some say GSP ducked Lawler, but I don't think this is true. He was hustling for a fight with Bisping, since winning the MW title would have been indeed a very impressive accolade, not to mention that it is a winnable fight. With Bisping shoving that out of the way, challenging the current WW champion seems like the right choice: Woodley is a more difficult match up than Lawler, I believe. He presents similar challenges as Hendricks, with very strong clinch-wrestling, excellent takedown defense, and huge power.
It would be a great fight, to measure how he responds to a similar challenge than his last fight, in which he fared at his worst since losing against Serra.