That time GSP ducked fighting Whittaker

[SuperBadAzz]

I love GSP and he belongs amongst the goats, but it’s undeniable that he waited out harder fights for the MW belt and was an opportunist with the Bisping fight.

He cleaned out his division and rematched half of them to the intrigue of very few, never making the jump for an Anderson super fight when both were at the top of their division - but jumped for Bisping and then promptly left again?

 

[Area809]

Didn’t GSP enter the USADA Pool before Ping was champ?

 

[AmonTobin]

and didn't finish fights lol.

Has more finishes than wins. Won dominantly almost every round of every fight as well. He can be despised but he can’t be denied. 99% of fighters can only dream of accomplishing what he has.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

I don't blame GSP nor judge him for taking one fight and re-retiring.

And I don't blame UFC for making money fights (though I wish merit were more important on the "entertainment to sport spectrum" that this thing lives on.)

But I do blame MMA fans for creaming their pants about Bisping v Hendo and then again with Bisping v GSP. Very few of us bitched about these matchups in real time. It is only in hindsight that more fans are complaining about it.

It was probably these fights that led to the best MMA quote in the last decade:

“I think it used to be you would find it was 80 percent merit, and 20 percent entertainment/money to make the fights. Now I think that it’s almost 80 percent money than the merit of who deserves the fight. I honestly didn’t see it coming so quickly.”​

 

[IIIIIIII]

Has more finishes than wins. Won dominantly almost every round of every fight as well. He can be despised but he can’t be denied. 99% of fighters can only dream of accomplishing what he has.

until matt serra put him in his place, and became a point fighter. most fighters want to win with finishes, while gsp wanted to win safely. that's the difference.

 

[AmonTobin]

until matt serra put him in his place, and became a point fighter. most fighters want to win with finishes, while gsp wanted to win safely. that's the difference.

I guess you’ve never seen GSP-Fitch. One of the most brutal beat downs. It was one fight after finishing Serra in the rematch. Wikipedia won’t tell you the details of a decision. You need to see the fight to know what went down.

 

[IIIIIIII]

I guess you’ve never seen GSP-Fitch. One of the most brutal beat downs. It was one fight after finishing Serra in the rematch. Wikipedia won’t tell you the details of a decision. You need to see the fight to know what went down.

oh, yeah fighting a guy who had zero striking is impressive, huh? and even gsp couldn't finish him lol. great example.

 

[AmonTobin]

oh, yeah fighting a guy who had zero striking is impressive, huh? and even gsp couldn't finish him lol. great example.

Dismissing his great accomplishments or Fitch’s, doesn’t change anything. Attempting to rewrite history in a Sherdog thread isn’t going to change anyone’s mind either. He crushed men over 25 min several times and it was an absolute pleasure to watch.

 

[IIIIIIII]

Dismissing his great accomplishments or Fitch’s, doesn’t change anything. Attempting to rewrite history in a Sherdog thread isn’t going to change anyone’s mind either. He crushed men over 25 min several times and it was an absolute pleasure to watch.

come on, man. just admit that gsp fought on points after serra made him tap. everyone knows it's true. it's smart on his part, but as a fan, it's not something i enjoy. for a fighter, it's smart. but there's a reason why lots of fans love guys like diego sanchez, nick diaz, justin gaethje, and the like. because they fight to finish. as a fight fan, there is nothing more unimpressive than a figher who chooses to not finish. gsp fought scared, which fans hate to see.

 

[AmonTobin]

come on, man. just admit that gsp fought on points after serra made him tap. everyone knows it's true. it's smart on his part, but as a fan, it's not something i enjoy. for a fighter, it's smart. but there's a reason why lots of fans love guys like diego sanchez, nick diaz, justin gaethje, and the like. because they fight to finish. as a fight fan, there is nothing more unimpressive than a figher who chooses to not finish. gsp fought scared, which fans hate to see.

I’m using the Fitch fight to illustrate the difference between a safe point fight decision and a decision fight where you destroy your opponent from bell to bell for 5 rounds. Fitch got knocked down and the dogshit beaten out of him for 5 rounds. Points had nothing to do with it. It was post Serra and GSP’s striking, grappling, and transitions were always showing improvement. He was fighting smart, maybe scared(?), but certainly wasn’t boring to me. Almost every GSP champion fight was a clinic on his various opponents with various styles and strengths. He beat them all. Shields was the only boring shitty fight that I can remember feeling let down.

 

[AmonTobin]

He also finished Bisping who was on a 5 fight winning streak including wins over Anderson, Rockhold, and Henderson.

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

I fully believe GSP ducked Whittaker. He wanted the MW title to add to his legacy and waited for the easiest, weakest champion possible to give it a go. He knew Whittaker was next in line and I think he knew it was one and done.

Even Dana said he knew GSP was lying and just wanted one fight but that he begged and pleaded that he wouldn't retire and would defend the belt. ....and didn't. I respect GSP as an athlete and good for the sport but he was a pure business man and every he did was to make himself and his career look good. He didn't take risks.

I think he thought the MW belt would solidify him as GOAT but it's just a footnote and a legacy grab to me.

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

If Bisping makes you a linear MW champ then I'm a lizard. Bisping litary came of a beat down from 46 year old Hendo, which he won by point fighting rounds. He got smashed the first round.

Like GSP said the stock was his so he went for Bisping to become paper champ not linear champ. Both him and Ping weren't top 5 at MW at that time. Ping glitches the matrix.

Light Heavyweight


GSP


Michael Bisping


Luke Rockhold


Chris Weidman


Anderson Silva


Vitor Belfort


Rich Franklin


Wanderlei Silva


Cung Lee


Scott Smith


Cung Lee


Frank Shamrock

 

[DagOban**]

no, he just leapfrogged more deserved fighters to fight for the belt, and wasted everyone's time just to drop it, and not even defend it, and claim a title he didn't rightly deserve to fight for.

All of what you've said would be justified if GSP did not win. But he did win. Convincingly.

Deserved the fight because of his fight resume, which was better than any other fighters who wanted to fight for that belt.
No waste of time as it was a great fight in which he performed admirably.

 

[tonystpierre]

oh, yeah fighting a guy who had zero striking is impressive, huh? and even gsp couldn't finish him lol. great example.

Fitch always had a decent chin (I think he's only been knocked out a few times in his career). also he was on a 15 fight win streak with wins against guys like Thiago Alves, Deigo Sanchez, Brock Larson and more fighters. And after he fought Georges he had a 5 fight win streak beating Alves again, Ben Saunders, Mike Pierce and Pablo Thiago.
Prime Jon Fitch was no joke bro. And even though his striking wasn't amazing and he was more of a grappler, he wasn't a terrible striker. his style was similar to Khabib in some ways.

 

[tonystpierre]

come on, man. just admit that gsp fought on points after serra made him tap. everyone knows it's true. it's smart on his part, but as a fan, it's not something i enjoy. for a fighter, it's smart. but there's a reason why lots of fans love guys like diego sanchez, nick diaz, justin gaethje, and the like. because they fight to finish. as a fight fan, there is nothing more unimpressive than a figher who chooses to not finish. gsp fought scared, which fans hate to see.

Fair point, I do agree that Lay and Pray is boring, However if you're good at it it's a very smart way to win.

 

[VAfan]

i always find it silly when someone says a fighter is 'ducking' someone who isn't in their weight class. you can only duck someone in your own division. if you want to move up and challenge yourself, fine, but it shouldn't be considered a duck if you don't want to do it.

 

[tonystpierre]

i always find it silly when someone says a fighter is 'ducking' someone who isn't in their weight class. you can only duck someone in your own division. if you want to move up and challenge yourself, fine, but it shouldn't be considered a duck if you don't want to do it.

This is probably the best take i've seen so far in this thread.

 

[wwkirk]

Man oh man! This thread is pissing me off. So much disrespect.
Bisping, one of the greatest fighters in UK history, be like

 

[Lee_]

Rent free. Fighter and fan obsession is so overwhelming all of these years later.

GSP > than all of these people who obsess on him; after all, that is WHY they obsess on him.

The man! Deal with it!