UFC 217: Career Rundown - Georges St. Pierre

GSP. Three letters that are etched into the minds of any MMA purist as a moderniser of the UFC's welterweight division, becoming arguably the most dominant champion in the division's history. However, following the recent explosion in popularity of the UFC, largely due to the success of the likes of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, there may be a generation of younger fans unaware of the significance of the small French-Canadian.

So for them, as much as anyone else, let me spell out why Georges St-Pierre is one of the best true mixed martial artists in history. From the age of seven, GSP trained in the full contact Kyokushin form of karate, claiming his first All-Canadian junior championship at just 11 years old, and retaining the title for five consecutive years from 1992 to 1996. This martial arts training expanded into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing by the time St-Pierre was 16, leading to the Canadian becoming a professional fighter in 2002.

Having gone 5-0 in his native Quebec, with all coming before the final bell, GSP was called up to the big leagues in 2004, making his UFC debut against Karo Parisyan at the end of January. Nine months and two victories later, he got his first experience of challenging for gold.

GSP's career has been largely dominated by a series of intense rivalries, some more heated and bitter than others. The one that saw him break onto the scene was against Matt Hughes, the former welterweight champion, who was hailed as a pioneer of the division. While 'Rush' suffered his first career defeat in their first encounter at UFC 50, he would gain redemption for the loss about two years later, in a moment that many see as a 'passing of the torch'.

With Hughes coming into the twilight of his career, albeit at the relatively young age of 33, GSP pounced, with the now iconic head-kick and punches combination enough to hand the Canadian his first title. This would be the first of 12 wins in title fights - a record that remains today.

However, this reign would not last long, as St-Pierre would fall foul of one of the biggest shocks in UFC history. After the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighter: Redemption series, Matt Serra was handed a shot at the welterweight title, though few suspected he would come close to matching GSP. Despite going in at odds of 7/1, Serra dropped 'Rush' with a strong jab, before finishing him with ground and pound in the first round. This would be the last time that the Canadian tasted defeat, gaining a measure of redemption over Serra at UFC 83 to start his second, and final, title reign.

Interestingly, despite being in the organisation for the combined time of more than 20 years, GSP has only been on the same card as his UFC 217 opponent Michael Bisping on two occasions. Having shared the stage with the Brit as he reclaimed his title from Serra, the last time was more than eight years ago, at UFC 100, where the pair enjoyed rather differing fortunes.

The Canadian has long been known as one of MMA's 'nice guys', refusing to get drawn into trash talking, regardless of the jibes being thrown his way. He has certainly had to take his fair share of shade from the likes of Josh Koscheck during his time coaching The Ultimate Fighter, and Jason 'Mayhem' Miller, but none matches the feisty attitude of Nick Diaz in the run-up to his title defence at UFC 158.

True to character, the Stockton native was relentless in his attempts to get under the skin of GSP, criticising everything from his management to his corner team. In particular, he questioned a number of the Canadian's practices in previous fights, including the now notorious 'greasing' during the UFC 94 title defence against BJ Penn. As usual, this did little to affect the calm demeanour of St-Pierre, who again conducted a technical masterclass to win a comfortable unanimous decision.

There was little comfortable about his final bout against Johny Hendricks, however. The power-puncher was able to land repeated shots on GSP like no-one before, creating swelling under both eyes, as well as numerous cuts and bruises on his face. To the neutral, it certainly appeared that the Canadian had finally relinquished his title, but the judges disagreed. Both Sal D'Amato and Tony Weeks saw the fight 48-47 in favour of St-Pierre, handing him the split decision win.

It's worth mentioning that this was nearly four years ago, since which time GSP has struggled with a number of personal problems outside the cage. While the much ridiculed 'alien' encounter has taken the headlines, St-Pierre himself has talked about battles with anxiety and depression. These conditions can be debilitating for people living regular lives, so one can only imagine the impact they had on the former champion.

But as he enters the cage in New York City, it does raise a few questions. How will he cope under the pressure and the big lights once again. Will ring rust play any part in the early rounds? And will his decision to move to middleweight come back to bite him, particularly coming in against a bigger man in Michael Bisping?

It's set to be a barnstorming main event, but which way do you think it will go? Let me know your thoughts either in the comments or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA.

UFC 217: Career Rundown - Michael Bisping

Synonymous for British mixed martial arts for more than a decade, Michael Bisping accurately meets many of the stereotypes one would expect from an Englishman. The archetypal underdog, 'The Count' is the UFC's premier journeyman, working his way to the top over a career spanning more than 10 years. His bulldog tenacity is only matched by his quick wit and vicious barbs, with the Clitheroe-born fighter as renowned for the quantity of his trash talk as his strikes.

After a background studying jiu-jitsu and kickboxing in England, competing in Britain's answer to early MMA, a 'no holds barred' competition called Knock Down Sport Budo (KDSB), Bisping's initial hopes to enter the sport were besieged with monetary issues. By his own admission, the Brit spent time living in his car to travel around the country, accruing an impressive 10-0 record and winning and defending the Cage Rage, Cage Warriors and FX3 Light Heavyweight titles.

He's been in the UFC for so long, it'd be easy to forget that Bisping's origins are in the company's reality TV programme, The Ultimate Fighter. In fact, he's arguably the show's most successful graduate, winning as a fighter and twice as a coach (seasons nine and 14). However, when he burst through the doors of the UFC Performance Centre in 2006 a brash, loud-mouthed lout, you could have been forgiven for dismissing him out of hand.

As his appearances on the Ultimate Fighter showed, it's no secret that 'The Count' is an acquired test for many fans of the sport. Despite this, there are few that are as revered at home. Perhaps best illustrated by the noise and support shown in his middleweight title defence at UFC 204, this clearly has an impact on Bisping when he steps inside the cage. He retains a 100 per cent record when on British soil, winning nine UFC bouts at venues across England and Scotland, and nineteen in total when you factor in his early career.

As he enters his 26th UFC bout - the most in the company's history - it is perhaps a little sad that for all of his successes inside the Octagon, his most memorable moments have come during his losses. Anyone who has ever watched a highlight reel of knockouts on YouTube will know about the Dan Henderson right hand that separated Bisping from his consciousness at UFC 100, as well as the follow-up diving right that would become the American's personal brand.

The most damaging blow was still to come for Bisping. A head kick from a TRT fuelled Vitor Belfort would detach the retina from the Brit's right eye - an injury that nearly ended his career prematurely, and left him permanently disfigured. Indeed, 'The Count' has talked at length about the trials of handling and recovering from the injury, including experiencing intermittent loss of vision as his eye filled with blood. The fact that he is fighting at all is testament to the strength and determination of Bisping, and his refusal to be beaten has certainly paid dividends since.

While he has been known as the middleweight division's 'nearly man' for many years, this tag was to change to title contender following one of the most dramatic fights of 2016. In the main event of another homecoming, Bisping got the fight he had been dreaming about since the start of his career against Anderson Silva - arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

Having outboxed the legend for the better part of two rounds, including a knockdown, the Brit again showed his remarkable cardio and powers of recovery. In the midst of confusion over Bisping's missing mouthguard, a flying knee from the Brazilian would send the Brit to his knees at the buzzer, with Silva convinced the fight was won. Instead, Bisping recovered, safely navigating the latter rounds to claim a decision victory and send a message to the rest of the division.

If that win was remarkable, his next was truly outrageous. With 11 days notice, Bisping would find himself walking off a movie set to enter into a title bout against old foe Luke Rockhold - his first championship opportunity in more than a decade in the organisation. And three minutes and thirty six seconds later, it was all over, and the first British UFC champion had been crowned.

It has not been all plain sailing as middleweight champion for the Brit, with his reign fraught with accusations of avoiding true contenders like Yoel Romero and Rockhold. This argument gathered some legitimacy when Bisping elected to face a 46-year-old Dan Henderson, ranked 13 in the world, in his first title defence at UFC 204. That decision nearly proved his downfall, with Henderson twice landing his patented H-bomb.

However, unlike in 2009, Bisping recovered from the early set back. Utilising his exceptional cardio and strike rate, he was able to outpoint the aging American, much to the delight of a vociferous home crowd.

As a result, The Count comes to New York City on a five fight winning streak, the longest of his UFC career, and highest since 2007. However, Bisping may not want to know that while he is unbeaten on British shores, he holds only a 6-3 record when fighting in the US. In particular, his record in big fights is not good, losing two title eliminators against Henderson and Sonnen early in his career before knocking out Rockhold last year.

As the cage door closes at Madison Square Garden against GSP, will the pressure get the better of Bisping? Or, if recent comments are to be believed, will he set up a fairytale finish to his career, defending his title at home once again?

Where does Bisping's career rank in Ultimate Fighter alumni? Does he need a win at UFC 217 to soldify his legacy? Let me know your thoughts either in the comments or at @TheWeighInMMA on Twitter.

UFC 217: Career Rundown - TJ Dillashaw

Given the current bad blood between champion and challenger for the co-main event of UFC 217, it's amazing to think that little more than two years ago, TJ Dillashaw was the golden child of Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male team. The camp's first UFC champion, Dillashaw's success was the culmination of more than five years of intense training for the ex-NCAA qualifier and collegiate wrestling standout - but it didn't come without its challenges.

As with Michael Bisping and Rose Namajunas, TJ Dillashaw's UFC roots stem from the organisation's reality TV programme The Ultimate Fighter. Even more coincidentally, it would be The Count that would select the young Californian, training his for the duration of the show.

This would prove to be a strong partnership. Driven on by his unwavering confidence and competitive nature, Dillashaw ripped through his opponents to reach the finale, putting his undefeated 4-0 record on the line. It was here that he would suffer his first setback. John Dodson, now best known for his work at flyweight, completing a surprise TKO victory inside one round.

Fighters often say that they learn most from a defeat, something that is certainly shown by the response from TJ in his next few fights. Quickly establishing himself as a contender in the UFC's bantamweight division, he went 4-0 between the start of 2012 and mid-2013 before a razor-close defeat to top-ranked Raphael Assuncao.

Despite this set-back, TJ was handed a shot at the UFC bantamweight title less than nine months later, but few could have predicted the way the bout would turn out. Facing off against Brazilian Renan Barao, it looked a shoo-in. 'The Baron' had not lost in 32 fights - a run spanning more than nine years.

However, this would be the fight where the young pretender made his name. After a strong but cautious start, Dillashaw would drop Barao with a vicious overhand right in the first round, putting the Brazilian into survival mode. With no answer for the unorthodox movement and striking of TJ, Barao crumbled, being picked off almost at will by the American's jab. Despite being way ahead on the scorecards, Dillashaw refused to let up, eventually getting the finish in the final round. He would go on to better this initial display, albeit with less surprise, in his second defence. In another dominant display, the American stopped his challenger in the fourth round, with a similar head kick and punches combination.

It was during his run as UFC champion that his long relationship with Team Alpha Male began to sour. In particular, the strong bond that he had built with coach Duane Ludwig during his time in Sacramento would come back to bite the camp when Ludwig moved away. The exact details differ considerably dependent on who you talk to, which has been the basis for much of the beef between Dillashaw and Garbrandt in the run up to UFC 217, but the facts appear to be this.

As champion, and under the advice of Ludwig, TJ wanted the opportunity to train with other camps and trainers, to better round his game as he looked to build a lengthy title reign. Given the time that Team Alpha Male had already invested in their fighter, and the fact that he was the first champion to come from the camp, this did not sit too well with those at the top, who saw it as an act of treachery and disrespect. Whether you believe the rest of Garbrandt's story that TJ had said he wasn't leaving, or that he caused a serious injury to a training partner is immaterial - ultimately he left to join Ludwig's new camp in Denver, Colorado in October 2015.

But the long title reign he craved never came to fruition. The unexpected return of former bantamweight king Dominick Cruz stalled the development of Dillashaw, with their February 2016 bout resulting in a razor-close decision victory for the former champion. As he himself has said in the run-up to this fight, he has been missing his title since the day he lost it, and as a result used the experience of losing to support and re-double his training efforts. The implementation of a movement style similar to Cruz would be the first step, as well as a greater reliance on his wrestling past.

He would achieve redemption against Assuncao at UFC 200, before beating the streaking John Lineker to solidify his position as number one contender, by which point, his old nemesis Cruz had been dethroned by the rapidly rising Cody Garbrandt - an ex-training partner and a man who claims to have knocked TJ down in sparring.

TJ's UFC career would come full circle, being named as a trainer on the twenty fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter and confirming his opportunity at Garbrandt, initially scheduled for July. Given the strength of Dillashaw's desire for UFC gold, following an injury to the champion, a brief discussion was had with the UFC over a flyweight title shot, though would never materialise, forcing TJ to wait for his moment.

So at Madison Square Garden on November 4, Dillashaw gets the chance to redeem himself. By taking his belt back, he does more than simply rectify a mistake he made 18 months ago, but also confirms his position as the best bantamweight in the world and, perhaps more significantly, justifies his decision to make the move away from Team Alpha Male.

It's being touted as the real main event of the night, but what do you think will happen? Let me know either in the comments or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA.

UFC 217: Career Rundown - Cody Garbrandt

As the curtains opened on 2016, the bantamweight division seemed fairly secure, with much of the buzz coming around the return of Dominick Cruz to MMA action. The bookmakers seemed to agree - according to Sports Interaction, only Cruz and TJ Dillashaw had odds of less than +500 to end the year as champ. At that point, Cody Garbrandt was a relative unknown - nowhere near this list, which went down as far as Johnny Eduardo at +27500. By December 30, 'No Love' had cemented his name at the top of the division, and pulled off one of the most remarkable debut title fights of all time.

The question perhaps most relevant for Garbrandt is 'how do you follow the perfect year?' In terms of fights, No Love has certainly not been as active as 2016, but that is as much due to misfortune, injuries and a lack of legitimate challengers as anything within his control. However, having been thoroughly whitewashed by Dillashaw in an ill-tempered series of The Ultimate Fighter, Cody will be more determined than ever to save his talking for the cage.

This is largely due to the much publicised history between Garbrandt and Dillashaw, which originates before No Love had ever made it to the big leagues. As a youngster, Cody had developed somewhat of an obsession with bantamweight and featherweight pioneer Urijah Faber, and founder of respected gym Team Alpha Male. Despite having just a couple of professional bouts under his belt, Garbrandt was insistent that he wanted to train with Faber, as well as requesting a route into the UFC. Faber's promise - get to 5-0 and I'll get you a shot.

And so he did. A year after the promise was made, Garbrandt had fulfilled his side of the bargain, ruthlessly knocking out four of his five opponents in the first round. It was here that Garbrandt and Dillashaw would first come into contact, with the latter already six months into his title reign. However, the relationship would quickly sour between Dillashaw and the team, leading to the current ongoing feud. In the lead-up to this weekend, No Love has been very vocal about his previous exploits over Dillashaw in the gym - something that TJ has been quick to dismiss.

Regardless of the outside disputes, few can dispute the impact that Garbrandt has had on the bantamweight division is such a short period of time. Before the back injury that delayed his first title defence, No Love had been among the more active fighters in the UFC, racking up three fights in each of his first two years to take him to the summit.

Having blasted through the perennial gatekeeper Marcus Brimage, Henry Briones and Augusto Mendes, it was in early February 2016 where Garbrandt made his name with the majority of UFC fans. In a battle of the prospects, Garbrandt pitted his unbeaten record against the unblemished sheet of highly rated Brazilian star Thomas Almeida, who had been tipped as a future title-holder himself. Less than three minutes later, it was clear who the real prospect of the division was. Having comprehensively outboxed Almeida in the early stages of the round, No Love landed his now patented hammer of a right, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, and Garbrandt into the rankings.

It would take one move fight to prove his worth of a title opportunity, but having breezed past Takeya Mizugaki in a brisk 48 seconds, No Love was handed a date with Dominick Cruz. Most MMA fans, myself included, felt that this was a step too far for the youngster. He couldn't do it. Cruz was unbeaten as a bantamweight, and in all fights in nearly a decade. How wrong we were.

What we saw on December 30th was the execution of a masterful gameplan by a fighter with no fear or pressure and full of confidence. The footwork and movement was something we had never seen from Garbrandt before, and was reminiscent of Cruz himself - but more effective! Despite the champion's jibes about Cody's intelligence in the lead-up to the fight - something that Dillashaw has again played on pre-UFC 217 - No Love was able to keep his head and thoroughly bamboozle the bantamweight legend, earning a deserved unanimous decision win.

A huge contributor to this success has been 11 year old Maddux Maple, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five. From humble, and often rough, beginnings in Uhrichsville, Ohio, the pair made a pact. If Maddux promised to beat his cancer, Garbrandt would stay out of trouble and make his way into the UFC. Remarkably, both sides have held their ends of the bargain - Maddux's cancer is in remission, and Garbrandt has gone on to be one of the organisation's fastest rising stars.

At 11-0, Garbrandt is being talked about as the next Conor McGregor - but is that fair? Outside of Cruz, he has yet to be fully tested in the upper echelons in the bantamweight division. But perhaps TJ Dillashaw is the litmus test. The division certainly suffers from a lack of legitimate challengers at present, so a win over his greatest rival would solidify Garbrandt's legacy as a true champion at 135.

This is being touted - by both of the fighters involved - as the true main event. Do you agree? And how do you think the fight is going to go? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA to share your thoughts.

UFC 217: Career Rundown - Rose Namajunas

One of the greatest nicknames is on show this weekend at UFC 217, as 'Thug' Rose Namajunas finally gets her second opportunity to compete for the UFC strawweight belt - and the first on pay-per-view.

For many a casual fan, you could be forgiven for not being overly familiar with the Milwaukee native. Whether by design or misfortune, Namajunas has often slipped under the radar, and given her quality, it is perhaps surprising that it has taken her nearly three years to secure a second shot at UFC gold.

A Taekwondo practitioner from the age of five, Rose began honing her trade early. By nine, she had added in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making the move to Duke Roufus' much vaunted camp at just 16 years old. Having racked up a more than impressive 4-0 amateur MMA record, she was called up to the premier womens' MMA organisation Invicta for her first professional bout.

Perhaps interestingly, despite all of her striking skills, it is her brown belt in BJJ that has been most utilised during her MMA career so far. Five of her six wins have come by way of submission, including significant wins over Paige VanZant and Angela Hill.

Unlike the champion, Namajunas was selected to be a contestant on the UFC's reality series The Ultimate Fighter, as it looked to crown the champion of a new womens' division. Coming in with a record of 2-1, Rose was hardly seen as a strong contender, best illustrated by being picked fourth by coach Gilbert Melendez. It would be Hill, Tecia Torres and Emily Kagan that would be picked ahead of Namajunas - having already beaten Kagan, Rose  would go on to beat the other two later in her so far fledgling career.

This low ranking would have little impact on the self-proclaimed 'Thug'. Coming through her qualifying round with a first round submission of Alex Chambers, she would complete further tap out victories over fellow UFC veterans Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos. However, the run would end in the UFC's first strawweight title bout, where Namajunas would suffer a submission defeat of her own to Carla Esparza.

It does surprise me that for all of the contenders for Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Namajunas' name has never really been in the picture, despite her stellar wins both in the Ultimate Fighter and the UFC. She has perhaps been the victim of poor timing, with her initial title defeat preventing her from immediately challenging, while her loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz cost her the opportunity for the shot at UFC 205.

Having been a recognisable name since the inception of the UFC's strawweight division, it's easy to forget that Namajunas is only 25 years old. As a result, UFC 217 will not be the defining moment for her, whether she wins or loses, and she can go into the Octagon in New York City with no pressure on her shoulders. Despite her strong striking background, there can be little doubt that the champion holds a distinct advantage in the stand-up, but take the fight to the ground, and it becomes an entirely different ball game.

Understandably the odds going into the fight are considerably in the champion's favour, but how do you see the fight going? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA.