Mr. Superfight Georges St. Pierre
In two weeks from now, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will look to defend his title for the sixth time, squaring off against Jake Shields at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The fight will headline the stacked UFC 129, which will also feature names such as Randy Couture, Lyoto Machida, Jose Aldo and Ben Henderson on the main card of the night.
Many fans see in St. Pierre’s fight against Jake Shields only a hurdle before “the real thing”, UFC Middleweight encounter against Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Potential match-up against Silva labeled as a “Superfight”, and the biggest bout in Mixed Martial Arts history.
Yes, there’s no doubt about how huge will be the fight between St. Pierre and Silva, but it’s definitely not the first “Superfight” in French-Canadian’s career. GSP’s demolition of BJ Penn at UFC 94 was overshadowed by the controversial Grease-Gate, and is often discredited by MMA fans when talking about St. Pierre’s achievements.
On April 30th, St. Pierre will get another shot at glory. The fight against Jake Shields has every required attribute to be labeled as the second Superfight in Georges St. Pierre’s career.
At least in my mind, Shields is #2, below St. Pierre and above Anderson Silva, when thinking about the level of competition he faced throughout his career. Top names such as Kazuo Misaki, “Mach” Sakurai, Toby Imada, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Paul Daley, “Mayhem” Miller, Robbie Lawler, Martin Kampmann and of course Dan Henderson all were victimized by the Cesar Gracie product. Jake Shields didn’t lose a fight since 2004, currently enjoying a 15-fight winning streak.
When speaking about titles, Shields is probably the most decorated Mixed Martial Artist on the planet. Rumble on the Rock Welterweight Tourney Winner Shooto Middleweight title, and of course, EliteXC Welterweight and the Strikeforce Middleweight titles. You can go on and add Jake Shields‘ Grappling achievements to this amazing list.
By beating Jake Shields, GSP will prove he’s the most dominant fighter on the planet. And if there’s someone in this Solar System who can wake up the MMA fans from dreams their about UFC 140: Silva vs. St. Pierre, it’s Jake Shields (sorry, Nick Diaz fans).
It’s without a doubt the biggest test in Georges St. Pierre’s career. GSP is the reason Jake Shields moved down to 170, and believe me, Cesar Gracie protégé will be prepared for war in this one.
UFC 129 is a huge event for any MMA fan out there. St. Pierre and Shields will fight not only for the UFC Welterweight title, but also for their legacy as Mixed Martial Artists. And who knows, maybe it will be Silva vs. Shields at UFC 140.
Photo: Georges St. Pierre before his fight at UFC 94 at the MGM Grand Arena, on February 1, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV. Francis Specker
