George St. Pierre dominates B.J. Penn

[Doughboy]

Anyone see the St. Pierre/Penn fight? GSP literally dominated Penn from round 1 on to his decisive 4th round TKO. George is one impressive dude with his incredible physical conditioning (near the tops in the business) and full-spectrum mixed martial-arts skills. Before the fight, I was expecting a equal duel between two of the greatest UFC fighters in history, but George St. Pierre proved that pound-for-pound, he's the near the best (along with the scary Anderson Silva). GSP also proved himself as an incredibly intelligent fighter, deciphering B.J.'s weaknesses as the fight progressed. Check out this post-fight interview with St. Pierre to get his thoughts: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=videoPlayer.home&gid=17602. He also expounds on the philosophy/strategy of what makes a good mixed martial artist. Not stand-up vs. ground, but as he calls it, 'global' strategy.

[Shaolin Bushido]

I was at work so I didn't see it but all accounts have BJ absorbing a tremendous beating! Props to GSP.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

shaolin bushido? is it really you? it's been a while. how is everything going for ya?

have referred quite a few people to that article on kuzushi you wrote.

you still roll?

thanks

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

hey doughboy! almost forgot to get back here. yes... did see the fight. it was an impressive display. the thing that actually stuck out the most was george st pierre's ability to perform takedowns on bj penn. the prodigy has had great success is thwarting takedown attempts by some very high level wrestlers and grapplers. gsp didn't really seem to have any such difficulty at all.

there was an obvious size difference at work, but even if size was identical, it would not have made a significant difference.

it was definitely different seeing the prodigy fight off the bottom the entire time. don't remember that happening before.

lastly, gsp had some decent hands going. he clearly had a plan and stuck to it. it worked for him!

still, the guard work (though ultimately not effective enough) by the prodigy was still amazing. that boy's got some amazing hip mobility.

think there will be a third fight?

thanks

[Coach Camron]

Interesting Articles...

Did GSP's corner cheat to give him an edge? (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Did-GSP-s-corner-cheat-to-give-him-an-edge-?urn=mma,138156)

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/mma_experts/post/Did-GSP-s-corner-cheat-to-give-him-an-edge-?urn=mma,138156

http://www.insidefighting.com/latest-news/penn-camp-alleges-illegal-tactics-will-file-complaint

[rutherford]

Coach, I watched the fight again after having read similar articles. It did seem like Penn gave up on the rubber guard very quickly when the fight went to the ground in the second. It also seems to have been the point where the fight really tipped.

Obviously, I can not say if it was intentional or even to what extent my perception was distorted by having heard the allegations.

It is a shame to have questions like this on an otherwise great fight.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

coach camron, rutherford, have seen similar articles. simple answer is no. no cheating.

what really made the difference is professional focus.

george st pierre has, for several years, been focused solely on his own game. this is good. this is what works for himself.

bj penn has been, for several years, focused primarily on development of his students and his academy. this is good. this is what works for his students.

bj penn got outclassed... this time. he tends to have ups and downs due to his serving two masters (school and ring). when his is good, he is stunning. when he is not, well, the difference is pretty clear.

back to the article issue. all the lubricant in the world won't change the fact that rush out struck the prodigy. further, if one is slippery, it becomes equally difficult to control ones opponent and the lubricant is a two way street.

bj penn would have noticed near instantly. he is not stupid and would have reported something amiss.

however, for future reference, it is a good idea to wipe off ones hands when finished with liniments, if for no other reason, than to avoid accidents.

example, saw a fight years ago. one fighter was primarily a wrestler. his bicep was sore/cramping a bit, so coach rubbed it down (like massage). didn't wipe off hand.

on the next takedown attempt, the arm slipped completely off the opponent, who then "stuffed the takedown", and reversed into some serious ground and pound. in fact, had the ground and pound not happened, the fight would still have ended, because the fall injured the wrestler. damaged the shoulder.

the point is, the lube worked against the guy wearing it.

no coach with a brain would risk that.

of course, if you add a slip and slide to the octagon... well, THAT is a different matter entirely. likely a different pay per view channel as well! hahahahahahahahaha!

thanks