As The Big Show Approaches, St-Pierre and Alves Share a Similar Mindset

By Thomas Gerbasi, Jun-26-2009

Call it ESP for GSP, but when UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre first saw Brazil’s Thiago Alves, he had a feeling that the two would eventually meet in the Octagon.

“When I first saw him fighting, I knew he was going to be a potential opponent,” said St-Pierre on a media teleconference Thursday to promote his UFC 100 clash with ‘The Pitbull’ on July 11th.

Back at the time of Alves’ debut in the UFC – a loss to Spencer Fisher in October of 2005 – St-Pierre was firmly entrenched among the best 170-pounders in the world. He was 4-1 in the UFC and riding a three fight winning streak that followed his lone MMA loss at the time to longtime welterweight champ Matt Hughes.

Alves, on the other hand, was the typical talented athlete who could make coaches pull their hair out in frustration at his erratic performances. One night he looked like he could beat anyone in the world, on another he looked average at best. After four UFC fights, Alves was a .500 fighter, with wins over Derrick Noble and Ansar Chalangov sandwiched by the losses to Fisher and Jon Fitch. It was clear that if he wanted to reach the top of the welterweight division, he needed to make some changes.

“I just grew up,” said Alves on Thursday. “After my loss to Jon Fitch, I realized, ‘man, what are you doing?’ And after my suspension (in 2006 for using a banned diuretic following a win over Tony DeSouza) I said that I can’t do this to myself. In this sport, either you’re in 100 percent or you’re not. So if you’re gonna do this, take everything you’ve got and put it into the sport and make that your life. And that’s what I did. I’ve been living this sport, and in the last couple years I’ve made it even more clear what I want for me, what my goals are, and it’s making me work harder just to get there.”

Since the loss to Fitch, the 25-year old native of Fortaleza, Brazil has compiled seven straight wins, five by knockout, and the names dotting his victims list are more than impressive – John Alessio, DeSouza, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck. The streak left no doubt in anyone’s mind who the top contender for St-Pierre’s crown was.

“I truly believe he’s the biggest challenge that I’ve faced so far,” said St-Pierre. “I truly believe that if you put Thiago Alves and BJ Penn in a fight, I would bet all my money on Thiago Alves, no doubt about it. This fight, for a lot of people, seems less dangerous for me because Thiago Alves is a gentleman. He’s not somebody who needs to trash talk to promote himself. He’s a very respectful guy, but that makes him even more dangerous. Skillwise, he’s bringing a lot more problems to the table than anybody that I’ve fought before.”

St-Pierre may be right. Known for his Muay Thai attack, Alves also has a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a rock-solid camp in American Top Team. But what many believe will give him the greatest edge on fight night is his size and strength. Alves – who has had his battles with the scale in the past – is a BIG welterweight. But St-Pierre, who admitted to being at the same weight as Alves at this point in his training camp – 190 pounds – is unconcerned with such talk.

“I don’t think it will make a big difference because I always train with bigger guys than I,” said the pride of Montreal. “I train with smaller and bigger guys, so I’m used to every kind of size. In this sport, skill and technique always beat strength and size, so the guy who wins the fight will always be the better fighter, not the bigger guy.”

It would be impossible to argue with St-Pierre’s current status as the best 170-pound fighter on the planet. How could you when his resume includes victories over Parisyan, Hughes, Koscheck, Fitch, Mayhem Miller, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, and BJ Penn? More impressively, other than a five round war (albeit one-sided) with Fitch in August of last year, no one has even pushed St-Pierre into a third gear on fight night. It’s usually at this point in a champion’s career that motivation becomes an issue. If you’re dominating all the top contenders, why bother training as hard? But St-Pierre, a fighter tuned in to the mental side of the sport, has – like Alves did in 2006 - simply adjusted his goals to stay focused and motivated.

“You have to keep your goals is mind,” he said. “My first goal is to win my fight on July 11th and stay champion. My second goal is that I want to be considered at the end of my career the best pound-for-pound fighter that ever fought in MMA history. And to do that, I have to make a legacy. I have to fight the best guys and win in a good fashion, and that’s what I want to do.”

This fight has the potential to be a classic on a card filled with potential classics. So what the final result may come down to is who can deal with the pressure of being one of three featured fights in the sport’s biggest event. St-Pierre has been down this road before, going 5-1 in six UFC main events.

“It’s not my first time, but every time, the pressure gets bigger,” St-Pierre admits. “Every time I’m fighting a tougher opponent than I did the time before. But I’m really good at focusing on what I’ve got to do and taking away the distractions that I have. The main thing for me is to win my fight.”

In the other corner, Alves is fairly new to being on the marquee. Of course in his first heavily-hyped fight, in the main event of UFC 85 last June, he passed with flying colors by knocking out Hughes. But this is a whole ‘nother animal here. He knows it, but he’s well-prepared for it.

“I was born for this,” said Alves. “I think you get in life what you ask for, and I’ve been asking for this kind of show and this title shot. So I’m very excited. I know there’s a lot of pressure involved, but you’ve got no choice. You’ve got to learn how to deal with it and make the best of it. I came here to be the best fighter in the world; I came here to make history, not just for me, but for my teammates, and to make a better life for my family in Brazil. That’s what keeps me going and what motivates me every day.”
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UFC CONFIRMS FIGHTERS FOR FIRST-EVER UFC® FAN EXPO

Las Vegas, NV – The history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is filled with stories of legendary fights and athletes who built a sport behind skill, heart, and determination. On July 10th and 11th, just before the lights go down and the first bell rings for July 11th’s historic UFC 100 event, fans will have the opportunity to meet and greet the fighters who made mixed martial arts what it is today, as well as the ones carrying the flag for the next generation, all under one roof at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center during the UFC® Fan Expo™.

Tickets for this fight fan’s dream event, which features an unprecedented lineup of UFC®, World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC®) and former PRIDE® fighters, are limited, but are still on sale and can be bought exclusively at www.ufcfanexpo.com V.I.P. Passes for this event are already SOLD OUT, but Customers that purchase Expo tickets in advance will receive $10 off the two-day pass.

Already confirmed to be in attendance during the UFC® Fan Expo™ are UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Randy “The Natural” Couture, and former world champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. UFC contenders Kenny Florian, Steve Cantwell, Shane Carwin, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis, Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida, Dustin Hazelett, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, Joe Lauzon, Junie Browning, Nate Marquardt, Gray Maynard, Karo Parisyan, Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez, Sean Sherk and Mike Swick will also be meeting fans, along with The Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Efrain Escudero.

Fans of the PRIDE Fighting Championships will have the chance to re-live the excitement of Japan’s classic organization as well, with MMA icons Renzo Gracie and Gary Goodridge being joined by “The Texas Crazy Horse”, Heath Herring, and Brazilian superstars Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

And if that’s not enough MMA star power, the premier fighters of the WEC will be on hand to sign autographs, with current champions Miguel Torres and Mike Brown sharing the convention center floor with Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Donald Cerrone, Leonard Garcia, Ben Henderson, and Alex Karalexis.

Among the UFC Fan Expo’s two-day roster of activities will be the aforementioned meet and greets with legendary UFC, WEC, and PRIDE fighters, MMA demonstrations, fan-inspired special events, training and development sessions, and other exciting opportunities and entertainment. All the UFC Fan Expo activities will be planned in conjunction with UFC 100, including the free-to-the-public weigh-in event on Friday, July 10th.

Expected to attract over 100 companies and brands, UFC Fan Expo will span more than 200,000 gross square feet of space exhibiting apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear and fitness equipment, MMA training and development, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much more.

Currently seen on television in over 120 countries and territories in 17 different languages, UFC is the world’s largest pay-per-view content provider, and is the fastest-growing sports franchise in history. UFC programs are often the highest-rated television sports shows among the coveted male 18-34 and 18-42 demographic. UFC Fan Expo and UFC 100 are expected to attract tens of thousands of sports fans from throughout North America and abroad.

For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
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UFC® 100 VIEWING PARTY TO BE HELD AT NYC’S RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL
Hosted by UFC® fighters Matt Hamill and Frankie Edgar

SATURDAY, JULY 11 – RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL

Tickets Go On Sale at 10 a.m. ET Monday, June 15

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – New York City’s Radio City Music Hall has seen some legendary acts enter its 6th Avenue doors. For the first time in history, the deafening cheers from fans watching a UFC® event will echo through those world-famous halls. With the mega-card UFC® 100 already sold out, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® will hold a closed-circuit screening of this historic Pay-Per-View at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, July 11, hosted by UFC fighters Matt Hamill (fighting out of Utica, N.Y.) and Frankie Edgar (fighting out of Toms River, N.J.). Fight fans can watch all the action as the event will be broadcast in High-Definition on Radio City Music Hall’s 70’ x 35’ screen, marking the largest screen to broadcast a UFC® event in history.

"We are thrilled to bring the excitement of the UFC to New York City with this unique viewing party," said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, Madison Square Garden Sports Properties. "New York's passionate mixed martial arts fans will have the rare opportunity to come together and watch the historic event on our 70 foot screen at Radio City Music Hall."

Tickets for the UFC 100 Viewing Party go on sale at 10 a.m. ET Monday, June 15 and will be priced at $25 through July 3 (July 4 through the event they will be priced at $30). Tickets can be purchased at the Radio City Music Hall Box Office, Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or online at www.radiocity.com. Tickets are also available by Ticketmaster phone at 866-448-7849 or 212-307-7171.

The first 200 fans in attendance will gain access to the exclusive autograph session, featuring UFC fighters Frankie Edgar and Matt Hamill starting at 8 p.m. A Q&A session with the fighters that is open to all attendees will follow. Discounted food and beverages will be sold throughout the evening.

UFC 100 Viewing Party schedule:

8:00p.m. – 8:40 p.m. ET – Doors open/Exclusive autograph session for 1st 200 attendees

8:50 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. ET – Q & A session with UFC fighters and Host on stage

10:00 p.m. ET – Pay-Per-View screening/UFC 100 goes live!

“I started hearing about UFC 100 around UFC 90. I am blown away by how excited fans were for this event,” said UFC President Dana White. “So I made sure to stack this card with the greatest fights and greatest fighters in the world, and keep ticket prices consistent with our other big events. Once again, our fans responded with a record sellout. This is another great milestone for the UFC. And now, July 11 will feature not only an amazing live event in Las Vegas, but also our fans in New York City will experience a truly one-of-a-kind viewing party at the iconic Radio City Music Hall.”

In the UFC 100 main event, the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship will be decided when reigning titleholder Brock Lesnar faces interim champion Frank Mir in one of the most highly anticipated rematches in heavyweight history.

The co-featured bout of the evening will see UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre put his title on the line against feared striker Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, a man many believe has the style and size to dethrone the seemingly unbeatable champion.

And rounding out the trio of superfights is a pivotal middleweight matchup pitting the coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter®, Dan Henderson and Michael “The Count” Bisping, against each other in a bout that will push the winner even closer to a 185-pound title shot.

If there’s a fighter that knows how to put on a show it is Summit, New Jersey born fighter Frankie Edgar. The 27-year-old lightweight fighter, who now trains in Toms River, shocked many in the mixed martial arts community with his dominating unanimous decision victory against former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 98 in May. Edgar is 10-1 as a professional mixed martial artist and graduated from Clarion University with a B.A. in Political Science.

Utica, New York’s Matt Hamill has opened plenty of eyes in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. The 32-year-old former college wrestler knocked out Mark Munoz at UFC 96 in March and is becoming a true contender at the 205-pound class. Hamill, who happens to be deaf, is 6-2 in the UFC and remains a true inspiration.