The Doggy Bag: Maia’s Date with a Spider

Is Dan Hardy tougher than people gave him credit for, or is GSP not as good as people say he is if he can't finish him? Also, is the welterweight division really as deep as people claim it is if after three defenses (Fitch, Penn, Alves) people were considering it "cleaned out?"
-- Sonawahes

Loretta Hunt, news editor: I’m glad you asked these questions because St. Pierre tackled at least your second query shortly after his unanimous decision over Hardy at the UFC 111 post-fight press conference. I was very taken by St. Pierre’s candidness about his performance, as well as the expectations he and others place on himself in these high-stake title defenses. I’d recommend you watch St. Pierre’s interview, because he speaks from a great well of strength and poise we rarely see in fighters regardless of age.

St. Pierre had a lot of intriguing thoughts, but there was one I wasn’t able to tie in to my post-fight report that night that fits in well here. When asked by a journalist how St. Pierre will find his motivation as he makes what looks to be his second lap around his division rematching contenders he’s already beaten, the French Canadian had this to say:

“It’s never the same competitor. It’s never the same guy,” said St. Pierre. The reporter again repeated the question to the 28-year-old champion, possibly making sure that St. Pierre fully understood what was being asked, but there were no language barriers here.

“It’s not the same guy that it was when I fought him the first time,” St. Pierre clarified, raising his index finger. “He is a much, much better improved version, and I’m not the same guy that I was when I fought him as well. It’s going to be a different fight and I’m going to have to think of different things and maybe use a different strategy.”

St. Pierre’s conviction is unquestionable. He believes what he’s saying. It’s likely these rematches will all look and feel different because, just as St. Pierre pointed out, everyone is evolving.

So, has he cleaned out his division? St. Pierre’s answer is no. He looks at his potential rematches with Fitch, Koscheck, Alves and others as a whole new ball game. He knows his opponents will be that much hungrier to be the one who eventually dethrones him.

Moving backward to your first question: Was Hardy just that tough, or was St. Pierre just not good enough to stop him? The answer is both.

Hardy set out to shock the world, and when he couldn’t, his mental fortitude kept him afloat. Like St. Pierre, Hardy has a very centered and focused quality about him, so it wasn’t surprising to see him outlast the final bell.

St. Pierre shot for the perfect victory and missed because his technique wasn’t 100 percent precise. Both walked away from the Octagon with a list of ways to improve themselves. And I bet both of them will check off a couple of those items by the time we see them next in the Octagon.

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