Thiago Alves: I’ll Shock The World With Knockout of GSP
Posted by Kris Karkoski on May 17, 2009 at 10:02 am ET55 Comments
Welterweight challenger Thiago Alves, who meets UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre on July 11th at UFC 100, has predicted he’ll shock the world with a knockout of GSP in a recent interview with MMAjunkie:
“I’m not just going to win, I’m going to knock him out. I’m going to shock the world. You have to do this for a reason. I want to make history. At (UFC) 100 I have a chance to make history, and I will make history. I promise you that. I’ve been asking for it, and you get in life what you ask for.”
[Pictured: Thiago Alves]
Tags: Georges St. Pierre, Thiago Alves
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he needs this confidence heading into the fight with gsp, and I am sure he is one of the few guys that can ko gsp. this should be a fight of the year canidate, based off of the talent of both guys. I like both guys so whoever wins, I will be happy.
Ya this could be fight of the year or Anderson S. vs Forrest
lol GSP will give him a beatdown like he gave penn
i beg to differ alves worked koscheck way better then gsp did
i wasnt talking about koscheck
hahaha ya, you cant base a decision off of josh koscheck anyways…
Alves’ skill set is a few years behind GSP’s . Once he gets over powered by a lighter GSP he will rethink strategy and distance manipulation in his future fights. I am sure Alves is strong and explosive. We all know that. Thiago should fight Fitch next, It will test both fighters strengths as they are different and further clarify what it takes to beat styles that are evolving in MMA. If you are not trying to finish your fight in the first round with a game plan that incorporates your strengths. Be it strong striking, jiu jitsu, kicks to the head, or knees to the chin. If you are not the first to get your shots off -you are fighting the other guys fight. And that’s no way to win. And it’s no way to have any longevity in a sport that demands physical strength, technique, and a mind willing to evolve past your last win or loss.
He’s going to meat him? What? Like with a sausage or something? Maybe he’s going to meet him??
Seriously though, I am looking forward to this fight. I am a big GSP fan but Alves is a monster and should pose a big problem to George. Fight of the year candidate for sure, and I agree Nightmare, I think Forrest and Silva is also a likely candidate. Forrest is a guy who likes to push a fight, and that’s exactly what Anderson needs in order to show his real talents, should be a great fight.
LMFAO TOO funny, and I didn’t even catch that one, good job Newfie! I’m in NB, good to see another Canadian!
Alves can for sure knockout George St. PIerre, but i don’t think it’ll be a shock to me because Alves has good standup and is fast on his feet. He just better come in ready to fight on the ground as well because i’m sure that St. Pierre will strike with him at first but then take him down were he can most likely destroy Alves. If Alves can stop GSP’s takedowns which is easier said than done, if he can stop the takedowns he has a great shot at scoring a ko.
I still feel that George St. Pierre has better standup overall than Alves, but not as much power as Alves. Alves is quick,has decent leg kicks and as we’ve seen before can knock anyone out. This should be a really interesting fight and it will be more interesting to see how this fight plays out, but i’m still giving the edge to GSP because he has more experience, can end the fight in any position and has Greg Jackson in his corner to give him a good gameplan at stoppping Alves. Alves, this is his first “dance” in the “big leagues” if you will ao we don’t know how he’ll handle everything that comes with a title shot this big. Either way should be one of the great fights in recent years.
Oh I’m sure he’s going to get what he’s asking for and GSP is going to give it to him
Yeh just like we all thought Jon Fitch would give GSP problems and the same thing that happened to Fitch will happen to Alves, will broken early and then badly beaten. GSP4P pound for pound king. Fact! Anyone in agreement?
Ya im with ya ive thought for a while that hes the p4p king. I definately think that Alvez poses some problems for GSP though other than his hands, watch for some hard leg kicks to a GSP who has become more stationary in his stand up, as well as knees, hes blasted all three of his last opponents with them; karo in the clinch, hughes at range and kos against the cage. His takedown defence is good especially against Kos, but that was always after he rocked him, hughes got him down but couldnt do anything with it, and i think GSP will. GSP has more ways to win this fight and takes it 8 times out of 10.
GSP> armbar or TKO in the 4th
yup i agree to he is p4p king. Everywhere he is amazing and i haven’t seen any weaknesses really. And anderson hasn’t fought all the best like gsp did and has showed some lakluster performances…just saying, don’t hate. GSp is the best and i hope he defends for a while he is a good champion. But this fight will prolly be the biggest fight in the division. The obnly way i think alves is gonna win is on teh feet with some good shots. If he gets taken down i think it’s over
A big AGREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed, Alves is going to get his ass kicked back to the Jungle baby.
Because there are “jungles” in Florida? Com’on VinZ……
Well serra did it so i guess you just never know.I do know that alves has a much better chance at an upset than serra did.That being said i don’t think he will knock him out,and alves will most likely get ground and pounded most of the fight.And i’ll go 1 step further and say that i don’t think alves will last as long as fitch did.I think fitch is more conditioned than alves.And by the 4th round i think GSPs pace will overwhelm alves and tire him quicker.
Agreed you cant find a guy tougher at 170 than fitch. I gained so much respect for the guy after the GSP fight, I hope he crushes paulo thiago, then faces Rumble after he beats Brown that would be a good test for both guys.
Even Though Jon Fitch beat Alves, it was a long time ago. I’ll bet anything that if they were to meet again Alves would knock him out or tko him. Fitch was supposed to give St. Pierre a challenge,but didn’t. He always take pride in being a “grinder”, well “grinders” don’t get anywhere when they fight the elite dude and you only proved that FItch.
Alves is no Fitch. Fitch is good in most areas of MMA but really didn’t have a strong base where he would be able to have put GSP in danger, Alves however does.
Thiago Alves can knock St. Pierre out,he has fast hands with ko power,something Fitch didn’t have. A;ves also has improved his takedown defense which can force GSP into a standup war where he would be in denger of getting knocked out.
George St. Pierre is a complete fighter, but Thiago Alves is on fire and more important, Thiago Alves believes in himself and is confident that he can finish St. Pierre, just with that mentality alone he’s more than capable of beating GSP.
I honestly don’t think that St. Pierre is just going to run through Alves like he did Fitch and Penn. On the contrary i feel that Thiago Alves has all the tools to dethrone the Welterweight champ at UFC 100.
This for sure will be a memorable fight that can go either way. If St. Pierre does beat and finish Alves, then i honestly don’t see any other 170 pounder taking the title from GSP any time soon.
im starting to get the feeling you dont like fighters who cant finish fights marvel, or maybe im wrong. i completly agree with your last statement though, but i am keeping an eye on Rumble. a friend of mine thinks GSP will lose focus in a few years and rumble or someone will be there to clean up when he does, and i cant help but agree.
Despite what you “feel”, i like many fighters who don’t finish fights. But that’s a story for another day.
I think that Anthony Johnson is a very talented guy, but he is still young and somewhat “green” if you will. He certainly has ko power which has not yet reached it’s peak, but in order to beat someone like George St. PIerre you have to be well versed in multiple areas of your game because GSP is a complete fighter. Whoever, if your someone like Thiago Alves who can ko’ just about any 170 pounder you have a chance, not only because Alves has ko power and good footwork, but because he has decent takedown defense, something tha Rumble doesn’t have. But of course we still have yet to see if Alves will be able to avoid GSP’s takedowns.
After Matt Serra beat George St. Pierre most 170 pounders began to feel like they have a chance at beating St. PIerre, but i feel that in his recent one sided wins over top competition like Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch and BJ Penn,GSP has only shown that it will be very difficult to defeat him.
Now, someone like Anthony “Rumble” Johnson would just get destroyed by St. PIerre, and to neutralize his standup(which is still not elite standup), St. Pierre would just take Rumble down and have his way with him.
Thiago Alves is a very underrated fighter who truly does have a real chance to beat St. Pierre. I for one, will not be suprised if Thiago Alves puts St. Pierre away and takes his belt. I also will not be surprised is GSP still remains champ, but to finalize my point, someone like Rumble still needs a bit more seasoning to compete at GSP’s level.
what i meant about rumble was that im keeping an eye on him in the sense that he could be champ in 2-3 years. hes got the most potential in my mind at 170 pounds right now, hes got all the right tools he just needs to keep improving his skill set, but ya if he were to fight GSP right now he would be truly outclassed. I agree that Alvez has the best shot at beating GSP, but i dont think hes as tough as fitch and will break easier if GSP starts putting round after round of pressure/beatings on him. with that said alot of the whuppin fitch got was on the feet where he was at a distinct dissadvantage, wich then set up more punishment on the ground when he was already rocked. Alvez on the other hand wont get caught as often or as hard and when the fight does go to the ground he will be fresh and able to neutralize GSP more than Fitch did but not as well as he did against hughes. At first I thought George would have his way with Alvez but after watching his fight with Kos again, im thinking it will be quite a war. Im stickin with GSP armbar in round 4 though.
Yeah I agree with you the Rumble will be a force in the near future. Fitch is a very tough dude that did go the distance with GSP. I think that this time around Fitch would definitely be a better and more elite fighter. I’m also sticking with GSP on this one. Hopefully Rumble can improve his ground game in the coming time to match his overall athletic ability which is top notch.
In regards to “Rumble”’s take down defense, he actually has a wrestling background, so I would be willing to bet his take down defense isn’t half bad. I don’t remember a time where it has been tested, but based on his background I’d say it’s pretty strong. Maybe not strong enough to stop GSP, but he’s got to have some level of take down defense.
yeah Justin, thats so true man. i can’t remeber the last time Ruble’s wrestling was tested. Only somewhat when Tommy Speer tried to take him down and ended up getting ko’d. I’m also sure he must have some degree of takedown defense, i just wish we had the opprtunity to see how good it is.
I agree with most of what you said marvel.And i also believe that if fitch and alves fought again it could very well be a different outcome.I just think alves/gsp is going to go simaliar to the gsp/fitch.I think gsp will have alot more trouble in the early going but he will were alves down quicker than he did fitch.I guess basically for alves to win he’s going to have to knock him out because if it go’s past 3rds it’s deffinetly in gsps favor.And to be honest i like alves and wouldn’t mind seeing the upset i just don’t think it’s time yet for GSP to be dethroned.
I think GSP and Alves will definitely bring a good fight, they both have the skills to break each other down. Who will make the first move, we’ll wait and see. Either way this is going to be a good fight. I personally think GSP will still remain as the 170 lbs. champ via UD. The same way he finished Fitch,
Rumble is good but he doesn’t have the quality to hold the belt maybe a prospect yeah but to be the champ!? No way! He doesn’t have the looks of a champion. Maybe a mascot!
I like alves’s confidence. If anyone can ko my boy gsp, is this dude. He’s in top form in mostly every part of his game and he’s the kind of challenger that you would most likely see in a movie.
He’s young, talented, huge, scary, knocking people out, and most importantly, he’s hungry and hella confident. Unfortunately for alves this isn’t a movie and he’s going to need more than all this to beat the champ. GSP is anderson silva @ ww. You’ve never seen a ww like GSP. Alves is a great striker, but you can’t beat a guy like GSP with just strking, especially since GSP’s striking is just as good.
Alves did put hughes away pretty fast, but so has gsp. Alves worked kos better than gsp did, but alves was @ his best and gsp was coming out of a huge ko loss to “the terror”.
GSP’s in the prime of his prime, and he poses threats that alves has yet to face and deal with.
GSP’s faster than any opponent alves has faced. Way more atheltic and agile. GSP’s game is unlike in fighter in mma and it’s a privelage to ever get to fight a dude like him. Yes kos is a sick athlete but not as good overall as a fighter as gsp is. Yes Alves stopped both kos and hughes’s takedown attempts but we all know gsp’s takedown percentage and we’ve all seen that gsp’s wrestling is on a completely different level than any fighter in mma right now imo.
GSP’s gonna use his speed to stand with alves and then he’s simply going to take him down and do him like he did BJ.
Alves is GSP toughest opponent, but it is GSP who’s gonna shine @ UFC100 not alves.
It’s funny how since Matt serra ko’d GSP EVERYONE (including marcus davis wtf!) says gsp’s chin is “suspect”. Everyone thinks that GSP’s so easy to ko now, because matt serra did it.
First of all MATT SERRA ko ing GSP = ALL THE STARS AND PLANETS LINING UP TO FORM THE WORDS “LUCKY ASS HELL!!!”
Second of all, dude, how many guys have even landed a solid shot since that fight. GSP’s like machida, he goes in there and comes out without a scratch on his face.
GSP by TKO round 1 0r 2
GSP doesnt have a suspect chin. Serra throws bombs and had to hit st. pierre 20 times flush before he could put him away. watch the fitch fight GSP gets cracked a few times and barely even flinched. Penn whos got some of the heaviest hands at 170 imo blasted george for a full round and he never stumbled. when he hit pulver sherk and stevenson all in the first 5 seconds of the fight they all stumbled.
Now alves just needs to make weight…
you cant even listen to the stuff fighters say before they fight…Penn said he was going to knockout gsp and kick his ass. look what happened there….hahaha
everybody though fitch was going to come in and execute a gameplan and beat gsp…look what happened there too…. hahaha
the list goes on and on…
we havent seen alves look bad at all in his last couple fights.
if gsp comes out and starts out good, Alves could end up losing all his confidence and could get winded. which is what i think will happen.
he will probably rock GSP a few times, then gsp will take him down and do exactly what he did to Penn.
but who knows?
my prediction…
gsp via submission (armbar) 3rd round
I cant recall ONE person picking Fitch in that fight.
Jazzkok,i think you have a bit of a man crush on gsp?but i do agree with you,i think at some point gsp is going to completely overwhelm alves.But you have to admit GSP since becoming champ has yet to face someone as strong as alves,so i’m interested to see how GSP handles it in the early going.
He doesn’t have a man crush on GSP, he’s just a fan and he’s just stating the truth. Most guys thought that after the Matt Serra fight GSP became”gunshy” and didn’t want to strike anyomore, but he proved them wrong by beating Fitch in the standup and dominating Penn also.
i think you’re right dude. GSP’s my boy!
I wish Alves would promise us that he will make weight.
Marvel,i wasn’t trying to ruffle feathers i was just kidding.And i do agree with most everything he said as well.
i am 72% sure gsp will win, i thought that jon fitch had a better shot at beating gsp and he lost, thiago is a slow starter and gsp will take advatage of that. thiago needs to stop gsp’s takedowns as well to keep it standing, otherwise a tko or decison victory for gsp. i like both guys. if i had a choice i would pray that thiago would fight bj penn. that would be a great fight all around.
Why are you guys compareing GSP fight with Kos. With Alves fight vs Kos.
Alves didn’t KO Kos But that new kid did so is this new kid stronger and a better striker than Alves??? NOOOOOOO!!!!
So that line of logic doesn’t work! Ex. Wandy Ko’d Jardine but Rampage couldn’t but Rampage KTFO of Wandy so what does it mean. Nothing, different fight different situtation.
Yeah Alves can KO GSP of course but what happens when he dont and its late in the 4th round and GSP is still going full blast??
GSP is equally as strong a better wrestler, striker, all around better fighter. And I guarantee he has better cardio and a better gameplan…
The problem and where he is going to get into trouble is trying to KO GSP. HE is gonna wake up in a world of trouble once he realize he is unable to KO GSP if this is his game plan. ASK PENN..
Bold statement by Alves, but what else is he going to say? The guy wins most of his fights by T/KO, so obviously he’s going to look for the KO. I liken it to BJ telling the world that he’d rather die then give up, then he gave up.
It’s all about hype, and Alves is throwing out his angle while the getting’s good. He’s probably just worried that his time to shine may get the Lesnar/Mir shadow.
I think Alves is very capable of knocking out GSP. He’s quick and moves well on his feet, and has ko power with speed. The thing is he’s going to have to do everything right if he wants to catch GSP with a big punch. The only way he’ll score a big punch is if GSP makes a mistake or if Alves can just rise to the occasion and crate an opening for himself. Alves has a decent shot at knocking out GSP. GSP will have a better gameplan because he’s got Greg Jackson who always comes up with effective gameplans. I’m sure that Alves will be expecting takedowns from GSP and will prepare for that. The thing is if GSP for some reason can’t take Alves down, or if GSP decides to strike with Alves, that’s were the fight is up in the air because both guys can stop eachother, it would just be who manages to catch who first.
I’m sure everyone GSP has fought have prepared to TRY to stop his takedowns.Having a plan and executing a plan are 2 different things.
yeah your right, but what happens if GSP cannot take Alves down? There’s always that chance that GSP can make a mistake that Alves can take advantage of. We still have to see what’s going to happen, but i think that both guys will come in ready.
I agree marvel…..alves has the best standup in the ww division and he has spectacular take down defense….which he showed in not getting taken down by hughes or kos….i think if alves connects it could be all over for gsp but if gsp can out smart alves or get him on the ground it will be all over
I would like to clear up two things I noticed in the previous comments. fitch may be overrated by some, or not a good ww, but he took gsp to a decision and not only that bloodied gsp. after the fight gsp said fitch is the toughest guy he fought. gsp never said that about hughes or bj.
the second thing is the kos-alves fight. yea alves handled kos, but kos took that fight on short notice. he didnt have time to develop a gameplan against alves and study his weaknesses. however kos showed up. if those two were to fight again, I think kos would win in a decision.
now onto alves-gsp. alves has more power and faster hands then gsp (comparable to rashad’s hand speedand power) but gsp is the more technical striker. gsp is more of a boxer and alves is a slugger. both have good takedown defense, and takedowns, alves has the more brutal GnP, and is gooder than gsp in the sub category. I think alves has the advantage in the ground game. also alves seems to be the more physically stronger of the two, and for once gsp isnt going to be bigger in terms of muscle than his opponent. alves is younger, bigger, and stronger.
I think this fight comes down to alves’s conditioning. If alves doesnt tire he will give gsp hell, and if gsp cant beat alves in the first two rounds, I think alves will win. if alves makes it out of round two, he will be confident knowing he can hang with the WW king. I know about gsp’s pace and cardio, but if alves has the cardio to last 5 rounds then gsp is in trouble. we will know how the fight will turn out once alves lands some punches on gsp. if gsp wobbles or becomes more defensive, then alves has the advantage. if gsp can take the shots without being fazed then he should win. the opening round will tell how the fight will go IMO. gsp also cannot be too confident and think that alves wont ko him though, so its a catch 22 for gsp. this should be one hell of a fight.
I agree with you when it came to fitch, and then Kos taking the fight short notice,
but Alves having faster hand speed is questionable.. Comparing his speed and power to Rashads is a stretch as well. Talented guy no doubt but still.
I disagree if Gsp can’t win in 2 rounds he will lose to Alves.
When IMO it is the other way around.. If Alves cant finish it in 2 or 3 than he like Fitch, Penn, Kos, Hughes, Serra are in a world of hurt and punishment for 25 minutes, filled with jabs, leg kicks, knees, takedowns G-n-P and superman punches, maybe even a spining heel kick etc.
Alves has never had to sustain that kinda punishment or shown he is able to be relentless for that long, He is more of a powerful one, two punch striker with goooood leg kicks decent bjj but that is his extent. I never seen him use combo’s or use a strategic gameplan, other than knock the crap outta the fighter and yes it does work but against a GSP at the top of his game you come in with a distinct disadvantage.
Swinging for the fence’s with GSP will only get you so far.
onlytrue `, for the first time i think i agree with you
alves is best chance is to win in the 1st or 2nd, after that, he’s finished dude.
chris ive got to disagree with you on a few things, yes alvez has the better stand up with his speed, power, head movement and leg kicks, but i dont think he is stronger or better on the ground.
Alvez looks like he could bench more than GSP, but george has got better functional streangth(any wrestlers here will know what im talking about)like look at his legs for instance the amount of power he generates is incredible. and as for alvez having the better ground game i just dont see what your basing that off of.
GSP has fought black belts in his last three fights and was never even close to being submitted.
carls
dude everything you said was right on.
i get the functional strength idea, but that doesnt always work. i.e. randy vs chuck. randy is a phenomanal wrestler, but he wasnt able to take down chuck at will, chuck stopped alot of the takedown attempts, and I think alves will do the same against gsp. sure gsp will take him down, but it wont be at will like he did against bj and fitch.
dont assume gsp will walk through alves guys, I highly doubt that will happen. I believe alves has the skills to beat gsp alves is the most dangerous guy at 170 to challenge gsp, and I hope alves makes the weight for this one. and if gsp underestimates alves, gsp is in a world of trouble. this fight should cement gsp’s place as p4p king if he destroys alves (at least until silva fights forrest and we see the result of that one), and his hall of fame status for the ufc.
Some one tell me how they come to the conclusion of Alves having better stand up and how he’s faster than GSP???
More powerful yes, stronger maybe?…
Faster ???? Better stand up?????
I think he coming in a lil cocky… but confident… you have to going into a fight… I think GSP is going to win but i see this as possibly being a five round war.. Alves has some of the nastiest leg kicks i ever seen.. just ask chris lytle.. but i see him throwing a leg kick and gsp catching it then he is on his back for a lil ground and pound.. but alves has bjj background but its gonna be hard to catch gsp in a submission. If he can keep it standing then i think he can catch him because gsp has been ko’d before but in the end i say GSP by refree stoppage in the 4th… JMO
GSP all the way!!!!!!!
alves to win by KO!