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Georges St-Pierre defining moments

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Get your Georges St-Pierre Fight Kit and fan gear ahead of his Octagon return!

Following nearly four years away from the sport, former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 217 on Nov. 4 against UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. This clash of champions is already one of the most highly anticipated bouts of 2017, and if you need a little reminder why, just take a look at GSP’s defining moments.

Karo Parisyan – January 31, 2004 – UFC 46
Result – St-Pierre W3 (Unanimous)
Now this is what you call a debut. Despite going 5-0 on the Canadian scene, defeating Ivan Menjivar, Thomas Denny, and Pete Spratt in the process, St-Pierre wasn’t the fighter with all the hype behind him heading into this UFC 46 bout. It was judo wizard Parisyan, whose own UFC debut a few months earlier saw him dazzle fans with his grappling before submitting Dave Strasser. But this was GSP’s night, and as I wrote that night, he pretty much controlled matters from the start. “Effectively working his striking game while in Parisyan’s guard, St-Pierre pounded his foe throughout, bloodying him in the process. The courageous Parisyan had his moments in the bout as he attempted to secure a submission lock on the Canadian, but St-Pierre’s strength and ring savvy allowed him to stay out of serious danger and easily take the bout on the scorecards.” This was just the beginning.



Matt Hughes
I – October 22, 2004 – UFC 50

Result – Hughes Wsub1
The fresh-faced kid from Montreal made quite a name for himself in his first UFC fights, decisioning fellow young gun Parisyan at UFC 46 and then stopping Jay Hieron at UFC 48. But just four months after the Hieron fight, St-Pierre, just 7-0, found himself in the Octagon with his fighting hero, Matt Hughes. As he told me before his second bout with Hughes, “The first time I fought him, I was fighting my idol,” he admitted. “It was the first time I had done something like that, he was in front of me, and for me in my mind, it was impossible to do anything to him because he was too good.” GSP held his own for much of the first round though, until Hughes was able to lock in an armbar with seconds left in the opening frame. St-Pierre immediately tapped, unaware that if he held on for one more second, he would have gotten a reprieve. It was a move that made people question his resolve, and a decision he regretted almost instantly. “The moment I saw the replay of the fight, I realized I was doing pretty well,” he said. “I totally realized that I could beat that guy.” He would have to wait two years for that opportunity.

BJ Penn – March 4, 2006 – UFC 58
Result – St-Pierre W3 (split)
It was a purist’s dream match, and it lived up to the hype, but after the first round ended, not too many people would have bet that St-Pierre would emerge victorious. “That first round (against Penn) was the worst round of my life,” admitted GSP after the bout. “Actually, if you look at my career, I had never lost a round against anybody (to that point). Even when I fought Matt Hughes, the judges thought I was ahead – I asked them if they would have given me the round. So this round (against Penn) was the only round I lost.” GSP more than lost it; he was bloodied and battered by the crisp standup of Penn, and many wondered if he would fold. He didn’t, showing the heart of a champion in roaring back and taking the next two rounds and the decision. It was the gut check moment all fighters have to go through, and St-Pierre passed with flying colors. “It just proved to everybody that I’m a lot stronger mentally than when I fought Matt Hughes,” he said. “I’ve been able to come back after a beating and get the victory. I think that’s the difference between a champion and a guy who will always be tough, but will never be a champion. You can be as skillful as you want, but if you don’t have the mental toughness, you’re not going to go anywhere, and in our sport, sooner or later, you’ll need that to win a fight.”

Matt Hughes II – November 18, 2006 – UFC 65
Result – St-Pierre TKO 2
St-Pierre more than earned a second title shot at the first man to beat him, Matt Hughes, after five straight wins against top-notch competition, and he was a different fighter than he was two years earlier. Hughes, one of the strongest fighters ever to step into the Octagon, found that out early on when he tried to lock the challenger up and St-Pierre tossed him away with little if any effort. By round two, the result was academic, and when the Montrealer dropped Hughes with a kick to the head in round two, seconds later a new champ was crowned. It was expected to be a reign that would last for as long as St-Pierre wanted it to. But you know that old adage about the best-laid plans of mice and men, and just five months after this monumental win, GSP would find out that on any given night in the Octagon, any fighter can lose.

RELATED: GSP, Bisping Drop Puck At Canadiens Game | UFC 217 Press Conference Highlights | Zahabi on GSP

Matt Serra – April 7, 2007 – UFC 69
Result – Serra TKO 1
To most people, Matt Serra didn’t even need to show up for his championship fight against St-Pierre at UFC 69. But there’s a reason why people actually fight the fights and don’t determine results on message boards or on talk shows, and that’s because when two highly-skilled athletes are in competition with each other, anything can happen, and in mixed martial arts, one mistake or one missed second of focus can mean defeat. St-Pierre, reportedly besieged by personal issues before the fight, found that out the hard way as Serra walked into the Octagon loose, well-prepared, and confident, and the New Yorker pulled the stunning upset, stopping St-Pierre in the first round. It was a crushing defeat for GSP.

Josh Koscheck I – August 25 – UFC 74
Result – St-Pierre W 3 (Unanimous)
This may have been the most important fight of St-Pierre’s career. After the loss to Serra, the whispers were that GSP was ultra-talented but didn’t have that extra something to be great. It shows you how soon people forget the way he came back against Penn or dominated most of the 170-pound division on the way to the title. St-Pierre kept quiet and went about his business, determined to teach all the skeptics a lesson. The lesson he taught in dominating wrestling ace Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 was that you can’t keep a good man down, that he was back, and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Matt Serra II – April 19, 2008 – UFC 83
Result – St-Pierre TKO2
If GSP was going to crack under the pressure, this was the night to do it. Not only was he facing the man who knocked him out, but he was doing it in his hometown of Montreal, where fans packed the Bell Centre just to see their hero in action. Well, he didn’t disappoint, stopping Serra in the second round with a disciplined and dominant attack. “The pressure was there,” he said. “But I’m at my best when I perform under pressure – it keeps me sharp and aware of what can happen and what is on the line.”

Jon Fitch – August 9, 2008 – UFC 87
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
St-Pierre has always called this five round scrap with number one contender Jon Fitch the toughest fight of his career. And with good reason. Going the championship distance for the first time, St-Pierre had plenty of success early, but as the bout progressed, it was clear that Fitch wasn’t going anywhere. The judges didn’t see fit to give Fitch any rounds on the scorecards, but anyone who witnessed the fight knew that it was anything but a 50-44, 50-44, 50-43 blowout. Fitch tested St-Pierre’s mettle as a champion, and GSP passed that test with flying colors.

BJ Penn II – January 31, 2009 – UFC 94
Result – St-Pierre TKO4
Nearly three years after their first bout, St-Pierre and Penn locked horns again in THE superfight of 2009. Only this time, it wasn’t a 15-minute back and forth war. The second time around, St-Pierre, bigger and stronger than Penn – who was coming up from 155 pounds for the bout – was in control for four rounds until the Hawaiian’s corner decided that they had seen enough and halted the fight before the final stanza. After all the bad blood and trash talk before the match, it was one of St-Pierre’s most satisfying victories and one that entrenched him in the upper reaches of the mythical pound for pound list.

Jake Shields – April 30, 2011 – UFC 129
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
GSP didn’t slack off after the win over Penn, scoring dominant victories over Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, and Josh Koscheck (in their rematch) and making it clear that at 170 pounds, there was only one true king. Jake Shields’ 15-fight winning streak and worldwide reputation was expected to put that idea to the test, but before a record crowd of over 55,000 in Toronto, St-Pierre did it again, putting on a five round clinic against Shields en route to another lopsided win.

Carlos Condit – November 17, 2012 – UFC 154
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Unanimous)
Many observers wondered what effect a nearly 19-month layoff would do to St-Pierre, especially considering that the time off was to rehab a torn ACL. They didn’t need to worry, as St-Pierre was in prime form against interim champion Carlos Condit. And while the final scores of 50-45 (twice) and 49-46 would make you think it was a one-sided bout, Condit was competitive and dangerous throughout, especially when he dropped GSP with a head kick in the third round. This was top-level championship action, and no fan left Montreal’s Bell Centre disappointed.

Johny Hendricks – November 16, 2013 – UFC 167
Result – St-Pierre W5 (Split)
The long-awaited championship showdown between welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and number one contender Johny Hendricks in the main event of UFC 167 lived up to all expectations, with a fast-paced five rounder that saw both men showing off their skill and will in search of victory being the result. When it was over, the verdict was controversial, but GSP retained his welterweight title via split decision. Ultimately, it would prove to be the fight that prompted St-Pierre to vacate his title and take a hiatus from the sport, but that hiatus is now over, and he will begin a new chapter against Bisping this November.

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Clark cool with being the ‘bad guy’ in Poland

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<a href='../fighter/devin-clark'>Devin Clark</a> kicks <a href='../fighter/jake-collier'>Jake Collier</a> during their bout at Fight Night Kansas City“ align=“center“/><br />If light heavyweight prospect Devin Clark was a betting man, he might want to bet the house that he’s going to hear some boos when he faces Polish veteran <a href=Jan Blachowicz this Saturday in Gdansk. But he’s cool with that.

“Be the bad guy?” he asks. “Oh yeah, definitely. I’m ready for the boos and everything. I live for that situation. Being the underdog, getting the boos, proving people wrong, it doesn’t really affect me. In wrestling I had to deal with a lot of adversity, so I’m used to it by now and I learned to love it.”

Wrestling is the base that has built so many UFC fighters over the years, but it’s not just the techniques of the sport that allow those mat practitioners to have successful careers in the Octagon. Instead, it’s the lessons of the grind that make wrestlers succeed, and that’s not just in the room or on the mat, but outside of it as well.

In the case of Clark, a biracial kid growing up in South Dakota, there were the occasional ugly obstacles that had to be navigated, particularly when he defeated an opponent from a rival town three times, drawing the ire of some fans from that opponent’s town.

“His hometown, they hated me,” said Clark. “I beat him every time and it got kind of ugly. It was to the point where hundreds of fans from that town were against me just because I was good. It got kind of racial too. The N-word was thrown around, but by the time we met in State, I had his number.”

It was early lesson that people can get ugly, but also that success is the best revenge. I asked Clark who was there for him to get him through such rough times.

“The same guy that’s in my corner now, my dad,” he said. “My dad’s there, he’s always been there for me and he taught me the right way to deal with things like that. I love the state where I’m from, but it’s mostly white there and I grew up being a mixed kid. And a lot of these tournaments growing up, from when I was seven years old all the way through high school, I was one of the only black kids in the whole tournament, so that’s something I had to deal with from a young age and I just got used to it. So that adversity doesn’t bother me anymore. We won those matches and won those fights.”

And South Dakota, particularly Clark’s home city of Sioux Falls, has embraced the rising UFC star. But even getting some home games over the course of his fight career isn’t always a good thing, as evidenced by the loss he suffered in his Octagon debut against Alex Nicholson in July 2016.

“The last time I fought back home in South Dakota was my UFC debut, and it was my fourth time in a row fighting at home, and I just got too comfortable,” Clark said. “I didn’t have that adversity and that feeling of being a little bit uncomfortable. But when I go on the road, I love it, you have no choice but to win. You show up and do your thing while everyone’s pulling for the other guy.”

In Clark’s next two bouts, he defeated Josh Stansbury, who was training in Las Vegas, in Vegas, and he then beat Missouri’s Jake Collier in Kansas City. Next up is Poland and Blachowicz, and Clark can’t wait.

“They (the fans) will respect me by the end of the fight,” he said. “I always end up earning my respect. It just comes down to fighting and putting on a good show for the people in Poland. They’re fans, and of course they’re going to go for their home guy, and I love the enthusiasm of it all. Whether it’s negative towards me or not, it’s still energy coming out.”

And with a win, Clark could get closer to that move from prospect to contender, and that’s what has him really motivated heading into his weekend abroad.

“I’m never settled, but the warm up is definitely over,” he said. “Those other fights were warm up fights, just getting adjusted, and the real opportunity is right now. This is where I start climbing the ladder. This is where I break the top 15 and keep on going. I’m still learning and still young in the sport, but each fight, I’ve progressed, and I’m going to keep doing that and keep getting these bigger fights. I live for the bigger fights.”

Michael Bisping’s Most Memorable Moments

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Michael Bisping celebrates after winning his middleweight fight against Cung Le of USA during the UFC Fight Night at The Venetian Macao Cotai Arena on August 23, 2014 in Macau, China. (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)In the main event of UFC 217 on Nov. 4, Michael Bisping defends his UFC middleweight title for the second time against Canadian icon Georges St-Pierre in a superfight that will captivate New York City. But before “The Count” steps into the Octagon at Madison Square Garden, we revisit his 13 most memorable moments…

Mark Epstein I – July 10, 2004 – Cage Rage 7
Result – Bisping TKO2
https://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-mark-epstein-cage-rage-7
Unbeaten, yet untested, a young Michael Bisping was just 2-0 as a pro when he got the call to take on then 6-3 Mark “The Beast” Epstein, and almost immediately, Bisping got a rude welcome to the next level as he was dropped to a knee by a punch and later sent to the canvas, where he spent the majority of the first round fighting from his back. And though Bisping was obviously still raw as far as technique was concerned, his resilience was already evident, and he came out strong in the second round, eventually stopping Epstein at the 1:27 mark. He would notch a KO win over Epstein in their rematch four months later, and the 24-year old from Manchester was on his way to the top.

Josh Haynes – June 24, 2006 – TUF 3 Finale
Result – Bisping TKO2
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-josh-haynes-tuf-3-finale
With British fighters Mark Weir, Ian Freeman, Lee Murray and Leigh Remedios only having spotty success in the UFC, you wouldn’t have been criticized too much for suggesting that Bisping, along with Ross Pointon, weren’t going to make much noise on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter. And while Pointon made more fans for his personality than his fighting, Bisping quickly soared to the finals of TUF3, with his two round thrashing of Josh Haynes in the finale a mere formality. The UFC had a new Ultimate Fighter, and England finally had someone in the organization who looked like he would be staying around for a while.

Elvis Sinosic – April 21, 2007 – UFC 70
Result – Bisping TKO2
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-elvis-sinosic-ufc-70
After getting his first post-TUF win over Eric Schafer at UFC 66, Bisping was the natural choice to lead the UFC back into the UK for UFC 70 in Manchester. It was the type of pressure cooker environment that could very well break a fighter, but Bisping took it all in stride, and from the moment he entered the M.E.N. Arena to Blur’s “Song 2”, he owned the hometown crowd. Sinosic took a little more convincing, but after scoring a knockdown and almost locking in a kimura, the Australian was stopped by Bisping in the second round, and a British star was born.

Matt Hamill – September 8, 2007 – UFC 75
Result – Bisping W3
http://www.ufc.tv/video/champion-vs-champion
Having done no wrong thus far in his UFC career, it was inevitable that somewhere along the line, Bisping would hit a bump in the road. That bump was his TUF3 housemate and rival Matt Hamill, a fighter Bisping figured he would have his way with given his superior striking. But it was Hamill who showed up with improved stand-up that night in London, and after three closely contested rounds, many thought the fighter ending up with a “1” on a previously unbeaten record would be Bisping. But it was Hamill on the short end of the split decision, sending fans into a frenzy on internet message boards for weeks. As for Bisping, he got the win, and wasn’t shy about letting people know about it. “Of course, don’t insult me like that,” Bisping said when asked at the post-fight press conference if he believed he deserved the decision. “I’ll give him the first round, I won the second, and I won the third.”

RELATED: GSP, Bisping Drop Puck At Canadiens Game | UFC 217 Press Conference Highlights | Zahabi on GSP

Rashad Evans – November 17, 2007 – UFC 78
Result – Evans W3
http://www.ufc.tv/video/rashad-evans-vs-michael-bisping-ufc-78
Two months after the Hamill bout, Bisping was back in action, and this time he was being asked to headline a Pay-Per-View event against fellow unbeaten Rashad Evans. This would be the true barometer of both fighters’ popularity, and after an entertaining war of words leading up to the bout, he and Evans delivered on all fronts, as the match garnered a considerable buzz by the time the opening bell rang. In the Octagon though, it would be Bisping falling short of victory for the first time, as Evans held off a late charge from the Brit to take a three-round split decision.

Charles McCarthy – April 19, 2008 – UFC 83
Result – Bisping TKO1
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-charles-mccarthy-ufc-83
After the loss to Evans, Bisping decided that it was time to test the waters at middleweight, where he wouldn’t be forced into the role of ‘small guy’ every time he fought. Of course, TUF4’s Charles McCarthy took exception to being Bisping’s “break-in” fight at 185 pounds and he let Bisping know it at every opportunity. Such talk between the two made the fight perhaps the second most anticipated to Georges St-Pierre’s triumphant Montreal homecoming against Matt Serra, but Bisping wasn’t about to get into a prolonged war with “Chainsaw Charles.” Instead, Bisping stalked his foe, avoided a mid-round submission attempt and then proceeded to unleash a barrage of knees that broke McCarthy’s arm and forced a halt to the fight at the end of the first round. Middleweight? No problem.

Dan Henderson I – July 11, 2009 – UFC 100
Result – Henderson KO2
http://www.ufc.tv/video/dan-henderson-vs-michael-bisping-ufc-100
Following wins over McCarthy, Jason Day and Chris Leben at 185 pounds, Bisping locked horns with MMA superstar Dan Henderson as a coach on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter and led two members of his team, Ross Pearson and James Wilks, to victory on the show. Bisping wasn’t going to be so fortunate against “Hendo” when they met in the Octagon at UFC 100, and in a night when nothing went right, “The Count” was knocked out in spectacular fashion by the former two division PRIDE champion. It was a devastating defeat for Bisping, one that would take some time to recover from.

Denis Kang – November 14, 2009 – UFC 105
Result – Bisping TKO2
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-denis-kang-ufc-105
When Bisping returned to action after the KO loss to Henderson, the entire MMA world was watching to see if the Brit was going to be able to recover – not just physically, but mentally – from the defeat. And he didn’t get any gimme in his return, as he was pitted against another international star in Denis Kang, a fighter who wasted no time in testing Bisping’s chin in the first round. Yet after some shaky early moments, Bisping – his back pinned to the wall careerwise – roared out of his corner for the second round and halted Kang at the 4:24 mark. “The Count” was back, proving that fighters aren’t defined by how they get knocked down, but how they get back up.

Jorge Rivera – February 27, 2011 – UFC 127
Result – Bisping TKO2
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-jorge-rivera-ufc-127
The lead-up to this bout between the veteran middleweights was beyond heated, yet on fight night, it was Bisping who got his revenge on “El Conquistador,” as he stopped Jorge Rivera in the second round. It wasn’t a win that was going to move “The Count” closer to a title shot, but it was a solid victory, one that he followed up with another dominant performance, a third-round TKO win over his TUF 14 coaching rival Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Michael Bisping (L) of England punches Cung Le of USA during their 5-Round middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night at The Venetian Macao Cotai Arena on August 23, 2014 in Macau, China. (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)Cung Le – August 23, 2014 – UFC Fight Night
Result – Bisping TKO4
http://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-cung-le-ufc-fight-night
From 2012 to April of 2014, Bisping only managed a 2-3 record, defeating Brian Stann and Alan Belcher while losing to Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort and Tim Kennedy. It was a rough spell for the Brit, who also had to undergo a pair of eye surgeries for a detached retina. But Bisping was not to be denied his place among the elite, and a punishing fourth-round TKO of striking specialist Cung Le was just what “The Count” needed to show that he was far from done as a top middleweight contender and 185-pound title threat.

Anderson Silva – February 27, 2016 – UFC Fight Night
Result – Bisping W5
https://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-anderson-silva-ufc-fight-night
A loss to Luke Rockhold slowed Bisping’s momentum after the Le bout, but victories over CB Dollaway and Thales Leites put him in position to do what he hadn’t yet done in the Octagon – beat a legend. And that’s just what he did against the longtime middleweight king, showing off his grit and underrated skills once more en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a win to be savored, but an unexpected opportunity would soon surface in the midst of his celebration.

Luke Rockhold II – June 4, 2016 – UFC 199
Result – Bisping KO1
https://www.ufc.tv/video/michael-bisping-vs-luke-rockhold-ufc-199
When Chris Weidman was forced out of his UFC 199 rematch with Luke Rockhold due to injury, it was Bisping who got the call with less than a month to go before fight night. Given Rockhold’s win the first time the two met, no one expected Bisping to turn the tables, but he did, knocking out Rockhold in the first round to win the UFC middleweight title. “The Count” was now a world champion.

Dan Henderson II – October 8, 2016 – UFC 204
Result – Bisping W5
https://www.ufc.tv/video/bisping-vs-henderson-2
What better scenario was there for Bisping’s first title defense than a hometown bout in Manchester against the man who handed him his most crushing defeat? And while Dan Henderson landed his “H-Bomb” of a right hand and gave the champion plenty of trouble over the course of their 25-minute rematch, it was Bisping who emerged victorious with a close, but unanimous decision victory. Now it’s off to MSG in NYC for a bout with GSP.

On the Rise: Gdansk Edition

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After debuting in Poland with an event in Krakow two years ago, the UFC is returning to the European nation with a passion for combat sports for the second time with a 12-fight card featuring a collection of compelling matchups and intriguing new arrivals.

That initial event featured impressive debut wins for Stevie Ray, Aleksandra Albu and Maryna Moroz, as well as the first UFC victory for surging welterweight Leon “Rocky” Edwards, and this weekend’s show has the potential to serve as a similar jumping off point for several of the competitors set to step inside the Octagon on Saturday.

Here’s a closer look at three of them.

This is On the Rise: Gdansk Edition.

Jodie Esquibel

A long-time member of the Jackson-Wink team in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Esquibel was one of the more established names to audition for Season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter, but the Invicta FC veteran came out on the wrong side of a controversial split decision in the qualifying round and never made it into the house.

Esquibel has since split a pair of appearances, dropping a unanimous decision to strawweight prospect Alexa Grasso before rebounding with a victory over current TUF hopeful DeAnna Bennett and now the 31-year-old gets a chance to make an instant impact in her UFC debut by taking on former title challenger and perennial contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

The hallmark of Esquibel’s game is her grit and toughness, as the born-and-raised Albuquerque native’s fighting style is representative of the harsh, rugged terrain where it was forged. She’s not one to take a backwards step and has the kind of unrelenting forward pressure that can shake opponents who expect her to wilt. If she can get in Kowalkiewicz’ face and suffocate her with tireless offense along the cage, the UFC newcomer could turn her debut showing in the Octagon as an opportunity to announce herself as a tenacious, talented new addition to the 115-pound ranks.

Oskar Piechota

Unbeaten through his first 10 appearances and riding a six-fight winning streak, Piechota gets to make his UFC debut at home in Gdansk in a matchup against Californian Jonathan Wilson this weekend.

Despite being a pro for nearly seven years, the 27-year-old middleweight is still in the developmental stages, as he went nearly two full years between fights a couple years back, but the layoff did nothing to slow his momentum or lessen his standing as a prospect to watch in the 185-pound weight class.

Piechota has a strong grappling base and his striking is developing nicely, as evidenced by the consecutive opening minute victories he collected earlier this year. Boasting a 100 percent finishing rate and an abundance of upside, he is definitely someone to keep an eye on this weekend and beyond.

Adam Wieczorek

The third time is the charm for Wieczorek, as the hulking Polish heavyweight will finally take his first steps into the Octagon on Saturday against Anthony Hamilton after two attempts to pair him off with Dmitrii Smoliakov fell through.

Fighting out of Chorzow, the surging newcomer has rattled off six consecutive victories since dropping his sophomore outing to his countryman Marcin Tybura, who has climbed to No. 8 in the UFC heavyweight rankings and headlines opposite former champ Fabricio Werdum next month in Sydney, Australia.

Like Piechota, all eight of Wieczorek’s victories have come by way of stoppage, but unlike most heavyweights, the UFC neophyte has shown a greater tendency towards submissions to this point in his career.

Although he takes the fight on short notice, Hamilton will serve as a solid litmus test for Wieczorek as Saturday’s contest will mark his tenth appearance in the Octagon and he stands as the most experienced opponent the 8-1 Wieczorek has faced in recent years. If he can get through “Freight Train” this weekend, the Polish heavyweight would enter 2018 as an intriguing new addition to the wide-open division.

Bisping, GSP drop puck at Canadiens game Saturday

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Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping and Dana White took part in a ceremonial puck drop before the Canadiens battled the Maple Leafs on Saturday night

By Hugo Fontaine, translated by Matt Cudzinowski, canadiens.com

MONTREAL – There was some added tension on the Bell Centre ice leading up to puck drop on Saturday night, and it wasn’t between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs.

In conjunction with the promotional tour leading up to UFC 217 on November 4 at Madison Square Garden, Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping, along with UFC president Dana White, made a stop in Montreal to attend the contest between the NHL’s two greatest rivals.

Font prefers submission win in Brazil, will do what it takes to get ‘W’

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(L-R) <a href='../fighter/Rob-Font'>Rob Font</a> punches <a href='../fighter/Douglas-Silva-de-Andrade'>Douglas Silva de Andrade</a> of Brazil in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 213 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)“ align=“center“/><br />Rob Font may not be the first Puerto Rican to make it on to the PGA Tour, but don’t tell the budding Chi-Chi Rodriguez he doesn’t have a shot.<p>Then again, there is the business of a fight with <a href=Pedro Munhoz in Sao Paulo on Oct. 28 first, so for now, the links will have to wait. But all kidding aside, ever since being introduced to golf by fellow UFC fighter Calvin Kattar four months ago, it’s been a nice distraction for the New England bantamweight.

Watch Rob Font’s Fight Library On FIGHT PASS | Start Your Free Fight Pass Trial Now

“I think it’s huge,” he said of the beauty of having some time away from the fight game. “Especially coming up, I would get in too deep. I would watch it (fighting) on TV, watch it on YouTube and Fight Pass – old fights, new fights, my fights, my opponent’s fights, and you can definitely get lost in it. So I do believe getting away is good. It helps out because you get rejuvenated and I think it helps your game feel fresh. You get more excited to go train once you get a break from it.”

It’s just another chapter in the education of Font, who has won four of his five UFC bouts, with recent finishes of Matt Schnell and Douglas Silva de Andrade putting him in the top 15. Now he’s ready for more, and it starts with the No. 12-ranked Munhoz.

“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in there,” he said. “My confidence is definitely up, I know what it is to win, I know what it is to lose, and I think this is the perfect fight for me to showcase what I can do. The guy’s been around for a while and he’s taken a lot of tough fights. He made his debut against Raphael Assuncao, so he’s fought a lot of tough guys, and I think if I go out there and I perform the way I know I can and put him away, it will be my coming out fight and people will say, ‘He’s for real now.’”

If Font does come away with the win, it will also put to rest the memory of his lone UFC loss, a 2016 decision defeat at the hands of John Lineker. Now he’ll face another Brazilian in Brazil in only his second fight outside of the United States.

“I wouldn’t say I’m too superstitious, but I definitely gotta go back and get that W,” said the 30-year-old. “I believe as a fighter, you should be able to fight anytime at any place, so I don’t want to be the guy saying, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go back to Brazil and fight.’ I feel like I could go anywhere and fight if I needed to, so I definitely wanted to go back. Obviously, the

Rob Font enters the Octagon before facing Douglas Silva de Andrade of Brazil in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 213 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC)

travel is kind of tough, so we’re leaving two days earlier, but besides that, I want to go out there and get my hand raised in Brazil.”

Font, known for his prowess in the standup game, also wouldn’t mind getting a submission against Munhoz, because it’s clear as of late that if the Woburn, Massachusetts product loves any part of MMA in particular, it’s the ground game.

“I definitely don’t want to push the takedown, but if it lands there, I’m fine with it,” he said. “I’m confident in my skills. Obviously I want to get my hands on him first and put him away as soon as possible, but if it hits the ground, I’m gonna be comfortable. I wouldn’t mind getting a submission, especially in Brazil against a black belt. But if I’m not feeling it and it’s getting hectic, I’m definitely gonna get out of there and keep it standing.”

But be honest, Rob. If the MMA Gods granted you a win, any win, by knockout or submission, what would you take?

“I’m taking the submission,” he says without hesitation.

Wow. What happened to the Rob Font we used to know?

He laughs.

“Jiu-Jitsu changed my life, man.”

Vera believes Lineker fight will put him on the map

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After fighting Brad Pickett in London and Brian Kelleher in Long Island, Marlon Vera fighting Brazil’s John Lineker in Sao Paulo on Oct. 28 isn’t even a storyline anymore.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he laughs. „I really don’t feel that it’s good or bad for me. I just feel good that I have a fight. I’m healthy and getting ready for it and I’m happy with this opportunity. This is a good fight for me and this is the fight that will put me on the map for real, and I’m excited to go perform in Brazil.”

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Vera’s rise from unknown to a fighter on the verge of the top 15 in the UFC’s bantamweight division is one of those feel good stories in the sport because if anyone was forced to come up the hard way, it’s this 24-year-old. Hailing from Ecuador, a country that’s far from a place producing UFC-level talent, Vera had to pave his own way to the Octagon.

The first season of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America got his foot in the door, but after going 1-2 in his first three UFC bouts, he was at a crossroads that put more pressure on him than simply fighting in an opponent’s hometown.

“Pressure-wise, I used to feel it because I wasn’t with a winning streak before,” he said. “I was just a guy that was in the UFC and fighting once a year.”

Then he won three straight, defeating Ning Guangyou, Pickett and Kelleher. Now he’s facing the No. 5-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, and with a win, he’ll likely crash the top 15 and maybe even the top 10.

“Right now, I feel like it all came together for me,” Vera said. “I’m finally in the spot I should have been in before, and I’m feeling great for this fight. I can’t wait to get there and fight. The only pressure I have is to train and do it all correctly. And that’s pressure I put on myself. I have to do everything correctly, but fighting wise, I’m ready to go. I know I’m a better fighter. I know it looks crazy for me to take a fight like this, but I took the fight because I know I can win.”

Maybe it’s not that crazy, because in the Pickett and Kelleher fights, Vera has continued to evolve his game everywhere, and he’s getting finishes along the way. Add in a stable training environment with Team Oyama in California, and it looks like prime time for the Chone native.
Marlon Vera of Ecuador poses for a post fight portrait backstage during the UFC Fight Night event inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on July 22, 2017 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
“I know my skills and I know I worked so hard,” he said. “I’ll fight anybody at any time because I’m always ready, I’m always motivated and I’m always thinking of fighting. I focus on one fight at a time, and that’s what’s making me successful because I’m not feeling that outside pressure. The only thing that matters for me is winning the fight and doing it in spectacular fashion.”

It’s a mature outlook for someone so young, but Vera grew up fast in Ecuador, and as a married father of two, he’s had to take on adult responsibilities while some of his peers are experiencing a late adolescence. Vera doesn’t begrudge anyone their good times, but for him, what he wants to achieve in life requires a full commitment with no shortcuts. And he’s just starting to get to the good part.

“This is what I wanted to do since I was a kid,” he said. “Fighting for me was everything. When I started training, I was 16. At that time, all my friends were going to the beach and surfing and I had to train. It was all-in or nothing. When this started paying off, I said, ‘Well, I’m leaving something, but I’m getting what I really want.’ It’s hard, but this is my happiness. For me, going to a club and getting drunk is not what makes me happy. It’s fun, don’t get me wrong (Laughs), but it’s not my happiness. Every time I get my hand raised, there’s nothing better than that. There’s nothing better than coming home and my kids are saying, ‘Daddy won,’ and my wife is happy. Nothing is forever, but the legacy I will leave and the example I will bring for the kids and the name I will bring to the people, you will be remembered forever.

“This is my life,” Vera concludes. “It’s like when the samurai decides to be a samurai, it’s forever or nothing.”

Aldo’s return one of three bouts added to Winnipeg card

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The UFC’s first featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, begins his road back to the top of the weight class on Dec. 16 when he faces surging contender Ricardo „The Bully“ Lamas in a rematch of a 2014 bout won by the Brazilian superstar.

The bout is featured on the UFC Fight Night card at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. FOX will televise the event.

Also added to the card, which is headlined by the welterweight clash between Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos, are two more intriguing 170-pound showdowns, as Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio faces knockout artist „Platinum“ Mike Perry, and Canada’s Jordan Mein takes on Brazil’s Erick Silva in a meeting of veteran action heroes.

Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: LAWLER vs. DOS ANJOS go on sale Friday, October 20 at 10 a.m. CDT.

Borrachinha sees Hendricks as the first big step towards a title shot

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(R-L) <a href='../fighter/paulo-henrique-costa'>Paulo Borrachinha</a> of Brazil punches <a href='../fighter/oluwale-bamgbose'>Oluwale Bamgbose</a> in their middleweight bout during the UFC 212 event at Jeunesse Arena on June 3, 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)“ align=“center“/> Paulo Borrachinha is preparing for only his third UFC fight, but the responsibility is the same as that of a more established fighter in the organization, as he faces former champion <a href=Johny Hendricks on the biggest card of the year, UFC 217, on Nov. 4.

That’s not bad for someone who arrived in the UFC in March, and even the 26-year-old admits his ascension to such an event is surprising to some, but not to him.

„If you asked me about that before I got to the UFC, I would say I would never imagine being in this position,“ he said. „But now that I’m here, and after getting good results, I figured that a harder test would come at some point, and it did“.

As the difficulty increases, the Brazilian knows that he needs to focus on his evolution to continue having good results. That’s why Borrachinha packed his bags and headed to the United States, where we spent three weeks sharpening his techniques, especially the ones that involve wrestling, under the watch of coach Eric Albarracin at flyweight contender Henry Cejudo‘s gym in Arizona.

Watch it again on Fight Pass: Borrachinha vs Bamgbose | Start Your Free Fight Pass Trial Now

„Every fight in the UFC is a test,” said Borrachinha. “For me, it’s all the same; the only thing changing is the opponent. It’s always the same task. I always train a lot for any opponent, whether it’s a big name or not, and that’s it. I have 10 fights, nine knockouts, eight of them in the first round, because I train for each fight as if it was the fight of my life, as if it was for a belt.

„I’m training as hard as I can for this fight, the same way I’ve trained for the last one, and how I’m gonna train for all of the next ones,” he continues. “I’m just going to do my best.”

And if he is indeed the best fighter on the night of Nov. 4, Borrachinha has well-defined plans: seeing his name on the list of the top 15 middleweight fighters, and maybe facing someone who is also there.

„After this fight, I want to fight against someone who is well ranked, top 10 if possible. I believe that after this fight with Hendricks, I will be in the rankings, and then I’ll make my way to the title.“

Bisping convinced he’s getting to the former champ, GSP is amused

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Watch the extended preview above just released for UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre. Hear from GSP, who talks about coming back better than ever. Plus, Michael Bisping discusses his prowess as champion and why GSP is making a mistake.

Just as they did a week ago in Las Vegas, UFC 217 headliners Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre got a little testy with each other Friday morning as they faced off in Toronto. But as UFC President Dana White separated the two after their latest press conference at the Hockey Hall of Fame, the combatants smiled, content in the fact that they’ll have the chance to punch each other at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4.

“I can tell I’m getting to you Georges,” said Bisping during the event, drawing a grin from the former welterweight champion, who is making his first start since November 2013.

“All this is a mind game and I’m used to that,” St-Pierre said. “They all come with the same song. I’ll do my talking in the fight. I’ll beat him in the Octagon, that’s where it’s important.”

But is Bisping getting under the Montrealer’s skin?

“It’s not even annoying,” said GSP. “It’s amusing.”

Enjoying his multiple roles as the A-side, the middleweight champion and the villain, Bisping treated the media gathering as his own personal stage, taking jabs at his opponent and Canadian fans, but also revealing that it’s all fun and games as well.

“I respect Georges, I know it’s gonna be a tough fight, but I’m having fun with this,” said the Brit, who will be making the second defense of the title he took from Luke Rockhold in 2016. And he knows that to be successful, it’s imperative that he not allow St-Pierre to implement his ground game, something he’s been working on in camp while doing his best to goad the challenger into a standup fight next month.

“When you wrestle, you’re trying to hide from fighting,” he said to St-Pierre, noting that despite the addition of Freddie Roach to GSP’s camp, he doesn’t believe the 36-year-old will deviate from an established plan of attack.

“You can’t reinvent the wheel,” Bisping said. “Jab, jab double leg, bore everyone to sleep. I’m going to try to knock him out.”

St-Pierre was unmoved by such talk.

“He (Bisping) has got a lot more things to worry about then I do about him,” he said. “I’ve got a lot more weapons than he does. He’s bigger, that’s it.”

The Canadian star even promised a knockout of his own, prompting the champion to ask his challenger when his last knockout was.

St-Pierre had a quick response.

“He (Bisping) is the next one.”

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