UFC 87 Breakdown: St. Pierre vs. Fitch
Aug 7, 2008
With the UFC welterweight championship snatched from the clutches
of chaos by Georges
St. Pierre (Pictures), fight fans finally get to see
the Canadian superstar take on grizzled collegiate wrestler turned
equally grizzled mixed martial artist Jon Fitch
(Pictures). The two will collide in the
featured bout at UFC 87 “Seek and Destroy” this Saturday at the
Target Center in Minneapolis.
A fight MMA fans have clamored to see for some time could determine St. Pierre’s viability as a champion, as he has appeared mentally frail at times. On the opposite end of the fistic spectrum, the bout will also decide whether or not three years of UFC toil was worth Fitch’s while.
St. Pierre Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’10/170 lbs.
Age: 27
Hometown: Montreal
Fighting out of: Montreal
MMA record: 16-2
Did you know?: St. Pierre started seeing a sports psychologist after his devastating loss to Matt Serra (Pictures) at UFC 69 in April 2007 and credits the experience with his newfound focus and determination inside the cage.
While blessed with immeasurable physical talent, St. Pierre’s fragile psyche has become a source of much consternation despite the fact that he has shown an ability to rebound from adversity. Regardless, a focused “Rush” remains arguably MMA’s premier pound-for-pound fighter.
Back in his place as the division’s champion, St. Pierre has a chance to render any talk of mental weakness irrelevant by running through the shark tank of contenders that populate the welterweight ranks.
On his opponent: “He brings to the table a different problem,” St. Pierre told MMACrunch.com. “He’s got different tools, a different style, but I truly believe I will be able to solve the problem.”
Why he’ll win: A far more versatile fighter than Fitch, St. Pierre has the striking and submission savvy to give the Indianan fits. Better yet, St. Pierre has always been poison for wrestlers, having already bested the likes of Josh Koscheck (Pictures), Sean Sherk (Pictures) and Matt Hughes (Pictures) with relative ease.
Why he’ll lose: While St. Pierre has mauled past wrestlers who were put in front of him, Fitch, a titanic welterweight, can wear down almost any opponent with his meat grinding style. If this bout stays close, Fitch may be the man to make St. Pierre fold like a sky blue polyester suit.
Fitch Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’0/170 lbs.
Age: 30
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fighting out of: San Jose, Calif.
MMA record: 17-2, 1 NC
Did you know?: A member of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy, Fitch will not only fight for the welterweight title but for the honor of his gym; St. Pierre holds a win over Koscheck, one of Fitch’s main training partners.
Bio: Some fighters have title shots handed to them, and some have to work their way up the ladder. Fitch had to take apart the ladder, redesign it and wait for his patent to clear before the UFC finally gave him his crack at 170-pound gold.
With wins over top contenders Thiago Alves (Pictures) and Diego Sanchez (Pictures) under his belt, Fitch could have fought for the belt a year ago but instead had to wade through the bulk of the UFC welterweight division before being rewarded.
Whether or not his journey to the UFC 87 main event will end with the welterweight championship being fastened around his waist remains to be seen. Win, lose or draw Fitch will still be the kind of guy about which The GZA was thinking when he said, “Yo, I’m more rugged than slave man boots!”
On his opponent: “I think I match up better with him than people give me credit for,” Fitch told MMACrunch.com. “I’m not one of the guys who’s chasing fame or money. I don’t give a [expletive]. I want to fight the best guys, and St. Pierre is it.”
Why he’ll win: A rugged juggernaut inside the cage, Fitch excels at wearing down his opponents and taking control in the latter stages of fights. While St. Pierre’s offensive onslaught is considerable, Fitch has shown he handles adversity well. If he can turn this into a war of wills, he may end up making St. Pierre’s therapy sessions about as meaningful as Strom Thurmond’s political career.
Why he’ll lose: St. Pierre has never been afraid of taking on ginormous wrestlers, and Fitch lacks the offensive versatility to give the champion any pause unless he gains top position consistently. This fight could turn uglier than Star Jones (pre or post-op, take your pick) if Fitch cannot find a way past St. Pierre’s preternatural takedown defense.
* * *
The bottom line: It’s been a while since anyone made a dime banking on a wrestler to stymie St. Pierre. While Fitch’s wrestling ability and size make him an intriguing matchup, he has found his way into some dicey positions against fighters who do not even approach St. Pierre’s otherworldly skill set.
Watch for another vintage performance from St. Pierre, as he stuffs Fitch’s takedowns and forces the action standing en route to a knockout win early in the second round. That or the rest of the world will get sucked into a black hole before fight time and wind up trapped in an endless void. Hey, it could happen.
A fight MMA fans have clamored to see for some time could determine St. Pierre’s viability as a champion, as he has appeared mentally frail at times. On the opposite end of the fistic spectrum, the bout will also decide whether or not three years of UFC toil was worth Fitch’s while.
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Ht/Wt: 5’10/170 lbs.
Age: 27
Hometown: Montreal
Fighting out of: Montreal
MMA record: 16-2
Did you know?: St. Pierre started seeing a sports psychologist after his devastating loss to Matt Serra (Pictures) at UFC 69 in April 2007 and credits the experience with his newfound focus and determination inside the cage.
Bio: Quite possibly the most dynamic
fighter in the sport today, St. Pierre became the undisputed UFC
welterweight champion for a second time after he avenged his
shocking upset loss to Serra and cemented his place atop the
division with a second-round TKO at UFC 83 in April.
While blessed with immeasurable physical talent, St. Pierre’s fragile psyche has become a source of much consternation despite the fact that he has shown an ability to rebound from adversity. Regardless, a focused “Rush” remains arguably MMA’s premier pound-for-pound fighter.
Back in his place as the division’s champion, St. Pierre has a chance to render any talk of mental weakness irrelevant by running through the shark tank of contenders that populate the welterweight ranks.
On his opponent: “He brings to the table a different problem,” St. Pierre told MMACrunch.com. “He’s got different tools, a different style, but I truly believe I will be able to solve the problem.”
Why he’ll win: A far more versatile fighter than Fitch, St. Pierre has the striking and submission savvy to give the Indianan fits. Better yet, St. Pierre has always been poison for wrestlers, having already bested the likes of Josh Koscheck (Pictures), Sean Sherk (Pictures) and Matt Hughes (Pictures) with relative ease.
Why he’ll lose: While St. Pierre has mauled past wrestlers who were put in front of him, Fitch, a titanic welterweight, can wear down almost any opponent with his meat grinding style. If this bout stays close, Fitch may be the man to make St. Pierre fold like a sky blue polyester suit.
Fitch Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’0/170 lbs.
Age: 30
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fighting out of: San Jose, Calif.
MMA record: 17-2, 1 NC
Did you know?: A member of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy, Fitch will not only fight for the welterweight title but for the honor of his gym; St. Pierre holds a win over Koscheck, one of Fitch’s main training partners.
Bio: Some fighters have title shots handed to them, and some have to work their way up the ladder. Fitch had to take apart the ladder, redesign it and wait for his patent to clear before the UFC finally gave him his crack at 170-pound gold.
With wins over top contenders Thiago Alves (Pictures) and Diego Sanchez (Pictures) under his belt, Fitch could have fought for the belt a year ago but instead had to wade through the bulk of the UFC welterweight division before being rewarded.
Whether or not his journey to the UFC 87 main event will end with the welterweight championship being fastened around his waist remains to be seen. Win, lose or draw Fitch will still be the kind of guy about which The GZA was thinking when he said, “Yo, I’m more rugged than slave man boots!”
On his opponent: “I think I match up better with him than people give me credit for,” Fitch told MMACrunch.com. “I’m not one of the guys who’s chasing fame or money. I don’t give a [expletive]. I want to fight the best guys, and St. Pierre is it.”
Why he’ll win: A rugged juggernaut inside the cage, Fitch excels at wearing down his opponents and taking control in the latter stages of fights. While St. Pierre’s offensive onslaught is considerable, Fitch has shown he handles adversity well. If he can turn this into a war of wills, he may end up making St. Pierre’s therapy sessions about as meaningful as Strom Thurmond’s political career.
Why he’ll lose: St. Pierre has never been afraid of taking on ginormous wrestlers, and Fitch lacks the offensive versatility to give the champion any pause unless he gains top position consistently. This fight could turn uglier than Star Jones (pre or post-op, take your pick) if Fitch cannot find a way past St. Pierre’s preternatural takedown defense.
The bottom line: It’s been a while since anyone made a dime banking on a wrestler to stymie St. Pierre. While Fitch’s wrestling ability and size make him an intriguing matchup, he has found his way into some dicey positions against fighters who do not even approach St. Pierre’s otherworldly skill set.
Watch for another vintage performance from St. Pierre, as he stuffs Fitch’s takedowns and forces the action standing en route to a knockout win early in the second round. That or the rest of the world will get sucked into a black hole before fight time and wind up trapped in an endless void. Hey, it could happen.
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