Issue 127

April 2015

In this month: the history of mixed martial arts retold through the pages from FO’S archives - April 2012 

Georges St Pierre proved his metal by fighting back from an ACL injury to retain his UFC crown. But three years on, is there any fight left in him to do it again?

Returning to the UFC Octagon, Georges St Pierre couldn’t wait to feel the cool canvas under his bare feet. The goal was to retain his welterweight crown following an ACL surgery. Now three years on, GSP is in the midst of another UFC hiatus, although rumors circle corners of Planet MMA that he is poised for a return.

Back in 2012, St Pierre was hungry to return to Zuffa’s main events and retain the title he worked so hard to gain. He was eager to preserve his incredible fighting legacy only for the ACL knee injury to halt his quest for greatness. 

The organization’s most powerful PPV draw was scheduled to clash with Carlos Condit at UFC 137, but injury woes thwarted the mouth watering contest. Injury troubles flared up again and nixed the UFC 143 main event against Nick Diaz. 

Despite being emotionally and physically run down in the wake of his injury, the UFC’s Canadian golden ticket was primed for a comeback. 

“It was really hard in the beginning,” St Pierre confessed to FO. “But you learn from every setback. When you heal a serious injury it also gives you the time to heal a lot of small ones. The training that we need to go through to stay on top is really hard on the body – you always have a bruise somewhere.”

It was a fitting answer from a champion that oozes competitive desire. He was able to garner a small victory from a dark place. 

A place where he feels at home is the Octagon where he’s faced a glut of tough fighters. You would be forgiven for thinking GSP’s injury occurred at the hands of one of the elite title challengers he’s lined up against. But it all happened unknowingly. 

The Canadian injured his ACL during fight camp while preparing to defend the belt against Nick Diaz. 

Dr Sebastien Simard believed the injury happened when GSP was drilling his takedown defense. The movement had caused a sharp pain and an audible crack from his right knee. To make it worse the injury caused the champion to overcompensate for his weaker appendage. 

After undergoing the surgeon’s knife the fight was on to make the rehab a success. 

“I am not ahead of schedule but my recovery is going perfect so far,” St Pierre would explain. “For this kind of surgery it always takes about six months for your body to incorporate the graft. It’s been five months so far. If everything goes as planned I’ll only start testing my knee training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling in June or July, not before but maybe later.”

St Pierre moved his coaches to California with him while rehabilitating at the Sports Science Lab. The Quebec man exudes championship quality but his time away from the cage allowed for personal reflection. 

Now on the comeback trail, he said: “Mixed martial arts teaches you many things in life, to be structured, organized, respectful, on time, consistent, perseverant. You’ll need all these things in every aspect of your life and I learned them at a very young age.” 

The Canadian icon has the mental side of the game locked down. But he is still haunted by his school days of being at the mercy of school bullies.

“Bullying played a role defining who I am and who I have become,” GSP revealed. “It’s something I will always carry with me. I believe that all the decisions I made over my life made me who I am today and bullying is one of the many things that influenced those decisions.”

Though he cemented himself as the undeniable 170lb kingpin, the Quebecois believes he’s a student of martial arts above all else. “I am obsessed with martial arts and I am always thinking, practicing, reading, visualizing and dreaming about it. I can see myself as a geek that passes his life researching fighting strategies.”

St Pierre was revered as the champ, but in his mind the injury stripped him of the right to call himself the champion, adding: “You have to put the belt on the line in order to call yourself champion, the best in the world. Right now I am not the best in the world, I am injured.” A surprising statement from an MMA hero that has captured the hearts of fans.

GSP outpointed Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 before vacating the title. The question now is: will Georges ever return?

NOSTRADAMMAUS: 

TUF IS STILL RELEVANT

The Ultimate Fighter has faced its fair share of criticism over the years. The knives were out in 2012 following the conclusion of its 13th season, which proved to be more of a test of endurance than entertainment. But FO columnist John Morgan went against the grain. He argued the new live season was just the shot in the arm the show needed to become relevant again. 

Sure enough, though there were some bilps along the way, his bold prediction has come to fruition. TUF welcomed 145lb and 135lb divisions, launched the career of future champ TJ Dillashaw, introduced female fighters and coaches for the first time; it even crowned the UFC’s first women’s strawweight champion last year. Next up we have gym vs. gym seasons. TUF, as we told you in 2012, is going nowhere. 

Elsewhere in the April 2012 issue

AIN'T NO STOPPING US NOW

For so long, women were confined to the background in the world of mixed martial arts. With Gina Carano out of the picture and Cris ‘Cyborg’ popped for steroids, interest was lower than ever. Even UFC president Dana White said the ladies would “never” fight in the sport’s top promotion back in 2011.

Then came one Miss Ronda Rousey. The new queen of MMA claimed her Strikeforce crown shortly before she appeared in Fighters Only in early 2012. She was the catalyst for a change of heat by the top brass of the sport’s top promotion. Sure enough, April’s news page reported on Lorenzo Fertitta’s plans for a female division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which became a reality less than a year later. There’s now two divisions and UFC 184 was headlined by two featured female fights. The girls are taking over.

RESHAPING A DIAMOND

Dustin Poirier started his UFC career with an incredible run of results and was touted as one of the featherweight division’s most valuable assets. 

At 23, he’d compiled a four-fight winning streak in the UFC and was closing in on a showdown with 145lb champion José Aldo. However, a submission loss to ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung dashed those hopes and sent him back to the drawing board. Late last year, the Louisiana native was on the brink of another title chance, but Conor McGregor stopped in his tracks to end a three-fight run. ‘The Diamond’ will return to the Octagon with a different cut in April when he makes a return to the lightweight division.

MARKET SATURATION? 

Three years ago, we asked Planet MMA whether there were too many UFC events on the calendar. With 34 events planned throughout 2012, the overwhelming reaction was no. If anything there should be even more. 

UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson said the number of events gave fighters like him the opportunity to get their foot in the door. Most fans said they couldn’t get enough of the action. International fans welcomed the organization’s global expansion and others ate up an MMA invasion of the TV schedules. The Vegas-based promotion didn’t stop there and with a full 45 events on tap for 2015, fans and fighters alike will be thrilled about the prospect of even more evenings of enthralling action courtesy of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.