Dewey's Diva
06-01-2006, 07:12 PM
I think this is a slightly altered version of an earlier article, but it does incorporate some additional news (thought, not really new news if you read everything I post...)
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/OtherSports/2006/06/01/1610048-cp.html
Next up for UFC champ is St. Pierre
By NEIL DAVIDSON
TORONTO (CP) - In beating Royce Gracie, UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes disposed of the past. Now the 170-pound mixed martial arts fighter has to face the future - Canadian Georges St. Pierre.
"That's the next big mega-fight." Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said from Las Vegas
"As far as I'm concerned, Georges St. Pierre is the most talented athlete in the fight game right now," he added.
Hughes and St. Pierre will meet in a rematch some time in September. There is no venue as of yet, but White has said he would love to take the card to St. Pierre's native Montreal.
The two met in UFC 50: The War of 04 in October 2004, with Hughes forcing the Canadian to tap out with one second remaining in the first round.
St. Pierre has since said he showed Hughes too much respect in that fight. But he has bounced back with consecutive wins over Jason Miller, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg and former champion B.J. Penn.
"After fighting Matt, he's walked through everybody who's anybody in that division - including B.J. Penn," White said.
Hughes scored major points when he destroyed Gracie, the winner of UFC 1 and the sport's first star, in the first round of UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie in Los Angeles last Saturday.
The former all-American wrestler at Eastern Illinois has only lost one of his last 19 fights.
"He's the most dominant welterweight champion of all time," White said. "He deserves all the fans and all the recognition he gets."
Hughes will no doubt remind him of that at contract renegotiation time. White acknowledged that Gracie earned more than the American champion last weekend.
Hughes, 32, has an MMA record of 41-4 while the 25-year-old St. Pierre is 12-1.
The UFC thinks enough of St. Pierre to make him one of the "advisers" to the fighters competing on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, which is currently in production.
As for UFC 60, White said the fights went a lot quicker than he expected, with rapid wins for Mike Swick and Brandon Vera.
While Gracie was dominated by Hughes, he earned kudos for refusing to submit even though Hughes was bending his arm unnaturally in an armbar at one point.
"Matt said he heard it (Gracie's arm) pop three times," White said.
Realizing referee John McCarthy was not going to stop the fight at that moment unless Gracie tapped out, Hughes elected not to break his arm and went for another move.
"Matt said 'I'm not going to do this. I'll figure another way out of this,"' White related.
Other fighters to shine at UFC 60 were jiu-jitsu ace Dean Lister and crowd-pleaser Spencer Fisher, who used a flying knee to end his bout.
"He is amazing. I love that kid," White said. "Spencer Fisher, you're going to see a lot more of him."
Fisher was fighting at welterweight, returning to 170 pounds after losing to Sam Stout of London, Ont., as a last-minute lightweight injury replacement at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada.
White said the pay per view buy for UFC 60 was looking "very healthy."
"One of the best, if not the best," he added.
White is also pumped about the next Ultimate Fighter TV series, slated to start airing in August. This one features former UFC pro fighters looking for another title shot, instead of newcomers looking to secure a UFC contract.
"The fights are awesome this year," White said. "You're talking about seasoned veterans, guys who have been around for a while. Good fights."
The UFC has not yet announced the fighters taking part.
White also noted that the UFC topped the Yahoo buzz index earlier this week as the most searched item of the day, beating out Jessica Alba, X-Men and World Cup 2006. It also topped the Yahoo sports index.
The Internet has proved crucial to the UFC, with mainstream media slow to cover mixed martial arts.
UFC 61: Bitter Rivals is set for July 8 in Las Vegas with co-main events: the rubber match between heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia and former title-holder Andrei Arlovski and light-heavyweight foes Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/OtherSports/2006/06/01/1610048-cp.html
Next up for UFC champ is St. Pierre
By NEIL DAVIDSON
TORONTO (CP) - In beating Royce Gracie, UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes disposed of the past. Now the 170-pound mixed martial arts fighter has to face the future - Canadian Georges St. Pierre.
"That's the next big mega-fight." Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said from Las Vegas
"As far as I'm concerned, Georges St. Pierre is the most talented athlete in the fight game right now," he added.
Hughes and St. Pierre will meet in a rematch some time in September. There is no venue as of yet, but White has said he would love to take the card to St. Pierre's native Montreal.
The two met in UFC 50: The War of 04 in October 2004, with Hughes forcing the Canadian to tap out with one second remaining in the first round.
St. Pierre has since said he showed Hughes too much respect in that fight. But he has bounced back with consecutive wins over Jason Miller, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg and former champion B.J. Penn.
"After fighting Matt, he's walked through everybody who's anybody in that division - including B.J. Penn," White said.
Hughes scored major points when he destroyed Gracie, the winner of UFC 1 and the sport's first star, in the first round of UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie in Los Angeles last Saturday.
The former all-American wrestler at Eastern Illinois has only lost one of his last 19 fights.
"He's the most dominant welterweight champion of all time," White said. "He deserves all the fans and all the recognition he gets."
Hughes will no doubt remind him of that at contract renegotiation time. White acknowledged that Gracie earned more than the American champion last weekend.
Hughes, 32, has an MMA record of 41-4 while the 25-year-old St. Pierre is 12-1.
The UFC thinks enough of St. Pierre to make him one of the "advisers" to the fighters competing on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show, which is currently in production.
As for UFC 60, White said the fights went a lot quicker than he expected, with rapid wins for Mike Swick and Brandon Vera.
While Gracie was dominated by Hughes, he earned kudos for refusing to submit even though Hughes was bending his arm unnaturally in an armbar at one point.
"Matt said he heard it (Gracie's arm) pop three times," White said.
Realizing referee John McCarthy was not going to stop the fight at that moment unless Gracie tapped out, Hughes elected not to break his arm and went for another move.
"Matt said 'I'm not going to do this. I'll figure another way out of this,"' White related.
Other fighters to shine at UFC 60 were jiu-jitsu ace Dean Lister and crowd-pleaser Spencer Fisher, who used a flying knee to end his bout.
"He is amazing. I love that kid," White said. "Spencer Fisher, you're going to see a lot more of him."
Fisher was fighting at welterweight, returning to 170 pounds after losing to Sam Stout of London, Ont., as a last-minute lightweight injury replacement at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada.
White said the pay per view buy for UFC 60 was looking "very healthy."
"One of the best, if not the best," he added.
White is also pumped about the next Ultimate Fighter TV series, slated to start airing in August. This one features former UFC pro fighters looking for another title shot, instead of newcomers looking to secure a UFC contract.
"The fights are awesome this year," White said. "You're talking about seasoned veterans, guys who have been around for a while. Good fights."
The UFC has not yet announced the fighters taking part.
White also noted that the UFC topped the Yahoo buzz index earlier this week as the most searched item of the day, beating out Jessica Alba, X-Men and World Cup 2006. It also topped the Yahoo sports index.
The Internet has proved crucial to the UFC, with mainstream media slow to cover mixed martial arts.
UFC 61: Bitter Rivals is set for July 8 in Las Vegas with co-main events: the rubber match between heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia and former title-holder Andrei Arlovski and light-heavyweight foes Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock.