Georges St-Pierre “Needs Some Rest”, May Not Fight Again in 2008
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who is expected to take on UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn in his next bout, may not return to the octagon this year in favor of taking some time off.
St-Pierre announced his tentative plans in a recent blog post on RDS.ca (translated by Fightline):
Many state that my next opponent should be BJ Penn. Nothing has obviously been signed yet, but he is my number one challenger.
I believe he deserves a chance to challenge me for my title, but we’ll see what happens on that matter in the next few weeks.
Will my next fight be in Montreal? I deeply hope so…
In the course of the last week, UFC president Dana White indicated that he’d like to come back to Montreal before the end of the year. On my end, however, I don’t know if I’ll be stepping back into the Octagon before 2009.
I’ve fought four times in the last 12 months. I therefore need some rest. I like the life I lead, but I sometimes need to relax.
It’s not the fight as such that’s exhausting; it’s all the preparation that comes with it. I’ve made so many sacrifices to prepare myself. During training camps, I practically do not live anymore. It’s therefore on a psychological level that I need to recharge.
The proposed bout between St-Pierre and Penn was to headline UFC 92 on December 27th in Las Vegas, but it now appears that the fight is likely to be delayed until early-2009.
Tags: BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre
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Thank God! He does need a break and i feel like he may have been pressured into taking a fight with bj penn for the new years card. Question for anyone out there…What does GSP have to gain by fighting Penn except keeping his title and being the only man to beat Penn twice in the ocatagon? It sounds like BJ is in a win win here. He wins he has two titles. He loses he still has the LW title. Its not like GSP is gonna drop down to 155 and take the LW belt??? So althought Id love to see GSP-Penn 2, it should just be a super fight, no titles but for 5 rounds.
Prediction: GSP Wins split decision.
PS.Matt Hughes is a bitter old man.
kaos,
You are correct, Georges needs to take a break.
4 fights this year is just insane. You don’t see
Liddell fighting that many times in a year. He takes at least 6 months in between fights.
bj fights 2 times a year, gsp fights 4 tiems a year… and some how bj deserves a title shot?
i dont think so, bj does deserve a fight with gsp but not for the title… too many of these fighters are jumping weight classes for title shots… i think bj should have to defend his title at least 3 times a year…and he should also have to fight at least one contender prior to gsp, maybe set him up with fitch, and if he cant beat fitch then he cant beat gsp…
Absolutely, GSP needs a well-deserved break. What is the point of doing any job if you cannot just sit back and relax once in awhile? GSP has given his fans so much.
I agree that BJ does not deserve a WW title shot just yet. I am fully aware that ever since the Pulver fight, Penn has been a different fighter. His new found dedication and conditioning have made him one of the best fighters on the planet. However, a record is a record; BJ’s last 2 fights at WW were both losses to Hughes and GSP. Although he is the LW champ, he shouldn’t be granted an instant WW title shot, no matter how bad the fans want it. He should need to fight at least two welterweight standouts (Koscheck, Fitch, Parisyan, Sanchez, or Alves come to mind) before he gets a shot at GSP. I also think it’s not right to put the LW title on hold for so long when there is clearly a #1 contender who deserves that title shot (KenFlo – and I’m not saying he stands a great chance against BJ.)
ie. When Anderson Silva fought at LHW, he didn’t get an instant shot at Forrest Griffin. He fought James Irvin. And Silva had made more title defenses at MW by that time than Penn has at LW. No way Penn should get a WW title shot right away.
Sounds like GSP Penn goes to Superbowl weekend.
my thoughts exactly, bj doesnt deserve a shot at the welterweight belt. he should truly dominate his class before hand, then take out a top ww contender. and if anyone really deserves to jump into another weight class for a title shot it should be anderson silva but we know that isnt gonna happen.
if penn was always training the way he is now instead of being lazy when he was that fresh new phenomenal kid back in the old days, then he would be everything hes saying he is now. but that wasnt the case so hes gotta work at it again now that hes finally got a belt in his hands for longer then 5 minutes
Yeah GSP should probably take a little time off. This definitely hurts the new years card a bit. now they need to make it a LHW showcase and put Chuck/Forrest on top of shogun/rampage and Wandy vs the winner of Machida/Silva
the problem with bj is that he has to defend his own title cuz he has challengers…so that wont let him move up in the rankings in the welter weight division…i wana see bj vs gsp but i understand wut evry1 is saying
first of all, since BJ Penn MIGHT be second only to Anderson Silva in pound for pound rankings, he “deserves” to fight whoever the hell he wants to. Secondly, BJ Penn CLEARLY is the best in his division…Ken Flo, Huerta, Sherk, Griffin, Edgars, or whoever else they want to line has absolutely no realistic chance in coming close to defeating him. Take BJ out and the division all of a sudden becomes very compettive. Thirdly, BJ deserves a rematch with St Pierre, who just happens to be champion. There is no competition for either of these guys in their respective divisions. And lastly, Anderson Silva fought a LHW match against the tomato can James Irvin because Dana White asked him to, to counter the Affliction card, not because he has aspirations of moving weight classes. jesus people.
I like GSP but I think he’s ducking Penn a little bit here. He wouldn’t directly answer the question when Penn was asking him to fight him and now this. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve a break and all but I think he is a little worried after the last meeting between the 2. Even here he didn’t say that he wants to fight Penn. He says “Many state that my next opponent should be BJ Penn. Nothing has obviously been signed yet, but he is my number one challenger.
I believe he deserves a chance to challenge me for my title, but we’ll see what happens on that matter in the next few weeks.”
That leaves the door open for another oponent.
Glad to see some support for GSP. He does need a break. On another news site people were trash talking GSP for taking a rest and saying he’s trying to duck Penn. Some people are just looking to hate.
No one is a really marketable challenger for BJ at the Lwt right now. That’s still what this business is about.Thats not saying there aren’t talented guys out there.GSP vs Penn 2 is a high dollar money fight. Dana should do a tourney like the one the boxing promoters did with the HVWT belt when Tyson was coming into his own back in the day. Just let the story build itself. Meanwhile Gsp and Penn can blast.
Tourney
Nate Diaz
Clay Guida
Sherk
Kenflo
Tyson G
Danzig
Spenser F.
And Faber for seasoning(prehype for a showdown with Tyson G)
And whomever else they can fill out a three/four show bracket with…
Why all the negativity for this fight? We have the opportunity to see two of the sports top P4P fighters go at it while they’re at the top of their respective divisions. Alves didn’t even make weight for his fight against Hughes, Florian isn’t considered a top 10 LW. Why do you guys want to see those fights. BJ Penn and St. Pierre are both widely ranked #1 in the divisions, both dismanted the former champs in the last year. Had a very competitive fight the last time. What’s the big ****ing problem with this fight? I’m glad you guys don’t make the matchups for the UFC!!! Even St. Pierre thinks BJ is deserving, so rest up Georges, it’s going to be the fight of the year when this goes down.
GSP isnt ducking Bj he needs some rest he has none stop fights and i like him to fight but he needs rest! and hopfully KENFLO can get his fight with BJ before the year is over.
GSP’s talk is just part of the sport ala last night’s Tapout show with the Weigh in issue.
I’m glad GSP decides this. It should just not be on Penn’s terms. I agree, BJ has to fight at least one WW contender before taking a shot on GSP. GSP needs to rest those muscles!!! in order to get them pumped up again.
wouldnt u add edgar in this tourney.
Def would have to add frankie. He beat Griffen and only has 1 loss.
Oh and I haven’t read a lot of negativity on this fight. I’m the only one who said anything negative and it was more or less questioning if he scared, not actually saying he is.
I 100% agree that the GSP-Penn fight should just be a fight, 5 rounds, no titles on the line.
Penn v Florian in December
they need to make every fight 5 rounds
You guys have to remember that Georges is having some trouble negotiating a new contract with the UFC. He has one fight left on his contract.
He definetly needs a break after fighting 4 times in the last year. He is not ducking anyone. I am sure he would be more than happy to fight BJ. He has beat him once and has improved leaps and bounds since that fight with BJ.
There is alot going on behind the scenes that we do not know about. I am sure Dana would love to see BJ take that title and having Georges fight consecutively like this just might give BJ the edge. It would make for a huge rematch between them. Dana is a smart business man and knows that BJ and Georges are huge PPV draws on their own and even larger fighting each other.
Georges isn’t ducking BJ by taking a break. He needs some time off to recharge his mind. So take some time Georges and enjoy life. When you fight BJ we want to see the best GSP.
I think that GSP deserves the same renumeration that Chuck Lidell gets, if not a little more. He is one of the best out there, bar none. BJ is awesome as well, I cannot take anything away from him.
So Dana, if you are listening, please pay GSP at least what you have given Chuck. He is a very positive face for the UFC and one of the best fighters in the world. Some guys are worth the extra, but you of course know this already. I have no idea what GSP is asking for but you are both smart businessmen, I am sure you will figure it out.
GSP taking a break? I can understand that.
I think BJ is deserved of an instant WW title shot. Why? Because he’s BJ Penn. And because I want to see that fight happen as soon as possible. And, yes, I’m a greedy fan–I want to see the best fighters fight each other.
1st eaiest way to explain why all fights aren’t 5 rounds…Kalib starnes.
2nd I love how many GSP fans are on this site. He’s not unbeatable (in fact between GSP and BJ only one of them have has been knocked out and submitted and it aint BJ) GSP’s wrestling has become world class, but his BJJ isn’t great and he doesn’t have KO power in his hands. And I still maintain he is a head case and was worried about getting KO’d by Fitch in the 3rd. Its the only reason that he takes fitch down instead of finishing a wobbled Fitch off against the cage. He’s done nothing on the ground against Kos and Fitch in both those desicions. He beat the Matt’s but I would argue both are down hill. BJ is now in his prime, his cardio has always been the only thing that has stopped him from being the greatest all time and that’s changed. I can’t wait for this fight it should be a war.
well either bj fights KENFLO or he fights someone in WW to prove he deserves a title shot.
BJ Penn doesn’t deserve a damn thing in regards to the welterweight division.
I do want to see that fight but only when BJ deserves it. What the hell makes BJ think he deserves a shot at GSP. How often does a guy with 2 straight losses in a division get a shot for the belt? If it does then UFC is a joke like EliteXC. I like BJ but i was pissed when he pulled a WWE and came into the ring and called out GSP before he could even enjoy the victory. Im suprised he didnt have a folded chair in his hand and attack GSP from behind. Let the guy have some rest, the continuous training GSP goes through would kill most of us.
Haha Shocking a guy with GSP as his screenname would say that. Of course BJ deserves this fight. He is a champ and clearly dominated all of his opponents, they have history with a very close split desicion, and its a HUGE! Payday. When do you get 2 of the best P4P fighters in there prime going against each other? So stop whinning about is he worthy. Its gonna happen, get over it.
I’m with you guys. GSP could totally use a break. AND, i still feel that it’s stupid that they grant BJ a title shot without having earned it. I also hope that since they aren’t going to fight, that BJ will now HAVE to (like he should cuz it’s the right step) defend his title against florian in december. When is the axe murderer fighting? and who?
to me it wasnt close bj beat him the first round unbelieveably and then GSP dominated him the last 2 rouns is what i saw not close.
i think wanderlei is fighting at 92 with TBD? who is TBD
Haha..I hope you’re joking UFCfan. If not it means To Be Determined.
oh! duh! 4got i already knew but since it said wanderlei vs TBD i thought that would be a person they shouldnt even put that up then..
I would just like to point out one of the main differences between Silva jumping classes and BJ Penn jumping classes. Anderson was having I believe his first fight at 205 ever so therefore he kinda has to IMO “work his way through” the class before fighting a champion at 205. BJ had already established a pretty good list at higher weight classes(Ludwig 170, Renzo 185,dec. loss to Machida open weight, Rodrigo 185, Hughes 170) before losing that razor thin decision to GSP the first time(FYI will people stop complaining about that decision, it was close but under the current 10-9 criteria used GSP won and I am a Penn fan) and then clearly not taking the 2nd Hughes fight seriously and being dominated after he obviously gassed(before then it was starting to be one sided as well). Plus originally he had only dropped down to Lightweight for the Jens Pulver rematch it wasn’t til after he was given a title shot at lightweight he decided to go back. So really if there is anyone who has a right to fight GSP next it is him. However, that being said if you are a champion in a weight class I think you are obligated to clean out the TRUE challengers before engaging in other fights. Especially with Florian there(who I still think deserved a rematch w/ sherk before sherk got suspended) and since he beat Huerta I think he was the only true #1 contender at the class at the moment even with all the young and up and coming guys. So really I agree with those who think BJ should fight Florian before GSP. Not because he has to “prove” himself but because he needs to defend the title he owns because he still has not technically done so yet.
As far as GSP goes then man needs a break lets not forget he has had injury issues in the past so he has earned the right to take a break after a long year. Hats off to him both him and anderson have earned a break(not that anderson will take one in the foreseeable future).
Anderson didn’t get a title shot cause 1st he didn’t want one, he had zero history fighting at that weight, and he had no real desire to stay up at that weight. He only moved up cause Dana asked him to. It was more of an exhibition that he and not Fedor is p4p best.
BJ would still be a middle weight if it wasn’t for TUF. And I don’t see florian as thee number 1 guy, just cause he beat Huerta. Tyson Girffin (if he can get past sherk) has a claim to that right too. And if sherk should beat Tyson, I think sherk should have a shot to get back into the #1 spot. Cause he still owns a win over Kenny. So let BJ and GSP fight and let the rest figure itself out. If BJ wins ans stays at middle weight, we have a LW grand Prix. Sign Gomi and Aoki and let the mayhem begin.
dude, it’s WELTER weight, NOT middle weight!
Haha my bad, slight typo.
The problem with having GSP vs Penn II in January is that it effectively puts the LW title on hold for a sustained period of time, which isn’t fair to the LW division’s main contenders. One can make the argument that Florian, T. Griffin, Sherk, Huerta, and all of the other great 155 pounders in the UFC are not anywhere near Penn’s level, but that is a value judgement. This is MMA, and anything can happen. When Silva fights Cote in October later this year, it will be his 4th title defense and and sixth fight since winning the title. Most people don’t give Cote much of a chance in this fight, but Okami is injured, and that makes Cote the #1 MW contender. Just because it is blatantly obvious that Silva is better Cote doesn’t mean the fight isn’t going to happen, just as it is pretty obvious that BJ is a better fighter than KenFlo, but the fight still needs to happen.
can’t blame st pierre; he’s had to fight 4 tough guys in the past 12 months and that’s enough for now
he’ll prob fight at least 2x, maybe 3x, in 2009
ya cote could win and KENFLO could win but since he has to wait but i think he should fight tyson. and sherk doesnt deserve a chance for a while because he just lose be a barriage by bj in the end of the third round. and GSP did beat bj the first time. even if u dot like it hughes beat BJ hahaha i liked it though.
ok not saying that GSP is ducking BJ Penn but the time frame that he is talking about is 8-25-07 (Kos) to 8-9-08 (Fitch) with a random Hughes fight because Serra got injured…. the thing that strikes me odd is that people complain that champions dont defend enough during a 365 day period and now that a champion might have to defend twice in the 2008 year and is too much to ask of GSP? hey he has the right to say and ask for this forsure sooo bring on BJ v KenFlo i have Penn by any way that he wants, that my 126 cents cheers
yeah it’s ok aznstar_inc he fought at middle weight too matter of fact the only weight classes BJ has not competed in have been anything below light weight and Heavy weight.
My only issue with Tyson Griffin is the fact that he has not faced a top contender in awhile. If he were to face KenFlo, which is a possibility if GSP vs BJ II happens first, and win I would definitely say he is the number 1 contender but w/ huerta and Florian fighting last it’d be hard to convince me Florian is not #1 in line for BJ. I would love a KenFlo vs. Griffin fight though, be nice to see griffin live since you almost never see his fights on the main card even though he fights good(but not great) fighters. After all Griffin does have a win versus Urijah Faber and his only blemish is against a very game Frankie Edgar.
FR702 don’t forget he also fought Serra as well in that mix to make the tile undisputed and I don’t care who you are 4 fights a year is rough on anyone especially when you count in how long the pre-fight camps last before a fight and also suspension times due to cuts and etc. I want to see him back out there ASAP as well but after a frustrating fight w/ fitch(meaning he couldn’t seem to finish him), I think he needs a break. I see him back in action in probably Feb or March.
Well I just watched the latest episode of MMA live and Kenny Florian himself stated GSP BJ is a fight he really wants to see, even though it will most likely force him to fight someone else in the mean time
it doesnt matter who he fights 4 fights in year is still to much. it wears on u. so im glad he is taking a break so he can do better against Bj.
Chris
he fought Kos (after getting ko’d), Hughes (for the interim title), Serra (what a aÅŸs whooping that was to unify the title) and just recently Fitch (1st title defense) thats a really good crop of guys right there, and im just saying everyone complains about how many times a year the Champ fights (in any division) in this calendar year GSP has fought twice, hasnt BJ Penn also fought twice in this calendar year…. again i dont think GSP is ducking BJ just stating my opionion, soooo most likely KenFlo v BJ Penn for the LW chanpionship UFC 92….. not the “superfight” i want to see but a hell of a fight non the less
dana and joe silva i beg you with all of my heart give me one thing and ill be on the ufc wagon and never watch another mma promotion ever..please please give me maynard vs florian please!
Edgar would be good…any others…
FR702 I get what you meant now. To be honest when the UFC made it’s roster cuts I remember Dana White stating that he wanted to make so he could get everyone at least 3 fights a year. So two in a calendar year by this point is not surprising. Like I said I am a Penn fan but if anyone does not fight enough a year it is BJ fighting only 3 times in that since 2007(granted he had legal issues).
Personally, I don’t think GSP is ducking BJ either. I really think the match up would have already happened but after their first fight GSP injured his hamstring came back 8 months later defeated Hughes and then lost to Serra. I really believe that if GSP had not lost to Serra his next fight would have been a BJ rematch then. I just think that the fight hasn’t happened yet due to many different things. Either way I would love to see the superfight but I agree that I see KenFlo vs Penn before then.
Oh and gunslinger that would be a very very interesting match-up. I think Maynard may be about two fights away from a fight like that though just because of his experience. However that would be an interesting one. I would really love to see Joe Lauzon and Maynard though too.
The only challenger in the lightweight division is KenFlo. Everybody else? Not so much. No one else has proven to be a contender for the title. I think Kenflo vs Penn will happen first, then Penn vs GSP.
Chris an educated MMA fan nicely said
george deserves a little rest in the meantime bj penn needs to earn his shot at gsp hate that he has everything handed to him
since when has bj had every handed to him….bj has actually been shapy up these last two years…hes worked harder than ever and deserves a shot….i say they should each have to defend there titles twice before they fight so i say bj vs florian and then eventually gsp vs thiago/sanchez winner
The only reason Silva fought at 205 was because the card was rushed so they could go up againt Affliction’s PPV. He didn’t have time to cut the weight to get to 185. They wanted the fans to chose who they thought was the best pound for pound guy was, Fedor or Silva. Why do you think his fight was against Irvin and not a top contender? It was a fight they knew he could dominate in, plain and simple.
hey james irvin had a chance at winning
ya but probaly would of lost like he dd i thought it was going to go longer but silva caught his leg and pounded his face.that made irvin look pretty easy.
4 fights in a year is about right for a fighter of his calibur. Now that he’s champ he should only do 2-3 fights a year and milk his sponsorship money as much as he can. I can see him being a coach on TUF along with BJ for a season ending fight.
tell you what i still say cote doesnt deserve a title shot he should have to fight martain kampmann first…he was supposed to fight franklin at 72 but he got hurt…now that hes back he has like five wins in a row he is the only guy i can see giving anderson a hard time besides mike bisping
No one complained when Randy Couture came out of retirement and fought for the HW belt (and he was coming off 2 KO losses to Chuck). so this has happened before, But atleast BJ is a dominate Champion in his Prime, fighting a guy he barely lost too. So from now on will all of you please get over the whole “BJ didnt earn it” thing. its gonna happen just enjoy the super fight.
anzstar_inc,
the Randy argument is really valid, the thing is imo that when Randy went up to fight Timmehh everyone loved Randy and few truly supported Timmehh as champ….. EVERYONE loves GSP right? and dont want to put their champion at risk of gassing out because he is a physical beast and has fought 4 times in 365 days (2 times in this calender year)…. Alot of people dont like BJ and fail to see that he is a risk to GSP and those people fail to see how talented Penn is in all aspects of the “game”….. soo essentially im agreeing with you on the Randy moving up to face Timmeehhh after getting Ko’d by Chuck Liddell twice… atleast BJ didnt get Ko’d like Captain America….
If you are a champion of a division, you need to wipeout the division before you start whining about other belts. Kenny is just being a classy guy by saying “i wanna see that fight”. My ass he wants to see that fight. He wants to see it AFTER he gets his shot. He just beat Roger Huerta in convincing fashion, the dude deserves a shot. BJ Penn must have Dana White in his pocket because it is absolute horse #%$& that he can just come on up to fight for the WW belt. Penn isn’t worthy to fight for the WW belt. He lost his last two fights in WW, goes down and beats a mediocre Pulver, an inexperienced Stevenson, and Sean Sherk who decided he was going to be a striker all of a sudden. How does that qualify for a shot at the WW belt?? Beat Florian and then you get to move up. Likewise, St.PIerre should fight Alves(assuming he beats Diego) before Penn. These are two of the top divisions in the world and they could stand to get messed up if Penn’s cries are answered. Or just make it a non-title match. Love watchin Penn as much as GSP, just don’t see the logic in the whole idea for 2008.
1st off just watch MMA Live, they posted the vid on this site. Kenny is asked how he feels about Penn GSP. He says the fighter in him doesn’t want to wait that long to fight, but the fan in him wants to see that match.
Why does everyone think its some hige conspiracy? Its just good marekting. This sport is here to sell PPV’s. This is a super fight and will do 3 times the number Penn/Florian would Or GSP/alves. Don’t over think the room, this is a great fight and could go down as a top 5 fight all time. Not to mention if BJ wins it sets up for a 3rd fight and an even bigger payday. Lets look at the big picture.
agreed, remember this is a business, and this “superfight” is good for business
anybody who thinks bj doesnt deserve a shot should go talk to joe stevenson or sean sherk
And GSP before you start talking about whiny fighters, lets not forget your name sake at one point was on his knees begging for a title shot.
My biggest issue with the Penn/GSP fight is that Penn has nothing to lose. If GSP wins, Penn is still LW champ. If GSP loses, Penn gets the WW and LW belts.
It should either just be a superfight, no belts on the line, or Penn should have to vacate his LW belt if he loses.
As it stands, there is absolutely no upside for GSP. If he wins, then he was supposed to because of his size advantage and there’s a reason Penn is a LW not a WW. If he loses, then clearly he wasn’t so good and merely was the best in a weak division (an argument I can guarantee will be made). So basically, I don’t blame him for not being excited by this fight.
Hey, I just realized something. That’s very much how I feel about a Fedor/Randy fight. No upside for Fedor, no real downside for Randy.
GSP will wipe the floor with BJ. He is too fast and strong for burger boy..This will not live up to the hype it will receive. GSP will toss BJ around the ring, it will not be a stand up fight – slam after slam.
Gunslinger – stevenson and sherk are “light weights” – case in point. When was the last time Penn won at WW??? Right…
i agree it shold be a non title fight even though GSP is probaly still gonna win.
Too bad there’s no way for those of us who feel BJ should NOT get a shot at GSP until he’s fought a Fitch or Alves or even Sanchez or Koscheck. I wish there was some way we could say this to the UFC, namely Dana White. Does anyone have his email???
no i wouldn’t even know how to get.
Larry,
Just type your message to Dana here and I’ll make certain that my secretary Stuart gets the message to him pronto. It may take a few days because we had to fire Anna in accounting and Stuart is picking up the slack but we’ll do our best to make it is a speedy prcoess.
Are you being serious
And it’s not just me that wants to send him emails, there’s like a ton of us, why not send him a link to a post only about GSP and PENN and their supposed rematch. Then those of us who wish it can add our opinion.
needing a break is something he needs but not that long ok gsp…. i love to see u beat up more people in the future hope to see you soon!! your #1 fan………….