Canadian Article Claims GSP Earned $80k For Title Win
Canada rules UFC welterweight ranks
Canadian Press
11/19/2006 12:32:36 PM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CP) - Georges St. Pierre said he would do his talking in the ring with his first. And he talked up a storm Saturday night.
The 25-year-old mixed martial arts fighter from Montreal dethroned champion Matt Hughes in dominant fashion to take the UFC 170-pound title before 15,350 at Arco Arena in the California capital.
It was a complete victory. The sleek, stylish and athletic St. Pierre humbled a veteran fighter dubbed "the most dominant welterweight champion of all time" by UFC president Dana White.
Both men had expected the fight to go the full five rounds but Hughes was simply unable to cope with the Canadian, who was faster, smarter and better on the night.
St. Pierre crumpled Hughes late in the first round with a flying right - dubbed a Superman punch in the sport - followed by a left. In the second round, St. Pierre faked one of the low inside leg kicks that had worked so well in the opening five minutes. When Hughes bit, St. Pierre launched a high kick that connected to the head like a wrecking ball. Hughes toppled and St. Pierre pounced, prompting referee (Big) John McCarthy to step in at 1:25 of the round and stop the 33-year-old Hughes from eating any more elbows and punches.
Hughes literally didn't know what hit him. He thought a punch had put him down in the second round.
St. Pierre said later he know he had Hughes when the champion started smiling as the blows mounted.
"When a guy smiles, it's because he's hurt," St. Pierre said. "The more you smile, the more you are hurt."
Hughes, meanwhile, got to St. Pierre just once - with a right in the first round. "I had a little flash," the Canadian said.
After the fight, St. Pierre fell to the canvas in disbelief and was mobbed by his handlers. When the mayhem subsided and his mother entered the ring, he gave her the championship belt and raised her on his shoulders.
St. Pierre improved to 13-1 in avenging his 2004 loss to Hughes and joining Carlos Newton as the only Canadian to hold a UFC title. Hughes, who had won 19 of his last 20 fights coming in, fell to 42-5.
St. Pierre said he had given Hughes - his idol - too much respect in their first fight. On Saturday, he was all business in turfing a champion who had shown cracks in his aura of invincibility in his last fight against B.J. Penn - a bout where he lost the first two rounds before rallying for the win.
St. Pierre has all the tools to dominate the 170-pound division. And with his good looks, humble ways and megawatt smile, he could also become an ambassador for a sport still looking to win people over despite leaving its bloodsport origins far behind.
In fact, Canada now has a champion in a sport that is not permitted in Ontario and seveal other provinces. Pro mixed martial arts north of the border is restricted to Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec for the most part with Quebec and Alberta the hub.
St. Pierre, who calls MMA beautiful and misunderstood, said he hopes to speak to officials in such provinces to have them open up the sport, which in states like California and Nevada is regulated by the same athletic commissions that oversee boxing.
While St. Pierre's first title defence will be Feb. 3 - the day before the Super Bowl - against Matt Serra in Las Vegas, a rematch with Hughes will likely follow in Montreal.
"I'm in," White said of Hughes-St. Pierre 3 in Montreal.
According to his manager, the Montrealer made US$80,000 for the win - $40,000 plus a $40,000 win bonus. He has one more fight on his current UFC deal and the UFC will be no doubt looking to extend that, with the St. Pierre camp calling for a hefty pay raise.
There is big money - for some - in the sport. UFC officials expected to surpass the one-million mark in pay-per-view buys in North America for their next card when light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell faces off against Tito Ortiz on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas. At C$40 a shot, that's $40 million in revenue.
It was easy to spot the winner Saturday. St. Pierre was unmarked and looked stylish in suit and tie at the post-fight news conference. A battered, sweaty Hughes wore his ring gear, his face showing signs of St. Pierre's handiwork.
Hughes was gracious in defeat, but dismissed talk of retirement.
"Everybody has good days and bad days, Georges is a heck of a fighter, there's no doubt about it. Tonight he was better than I was. Now does that mean tomorrow he will be? No it doesn't … Everybody's got their day."
Some won't be sad to see Hughes taken down a notch, tiring of the former champion's endless talk and suggesting he had become too big for his country britches.
Others will choose to remember the relentless, ruthless way he mowed down opponents like the corn on his family farm in Hillsboro, Ill. _ he was 11-1 in world championship fights prior to Saturday night and had avenged the lone loss with the September win over Penn.
Saturday's fight represented a changing of the guard.
Hughes is a former star wrestler who has worked to polish his other skills. St. Pierre represents a new breed of fighter, well-rounded in striking, grappling and jiu-jitsu.
"He's the future of the sport, there's no doubt about it," Hughes acknowledged
St. Pierre used his speed and reach to frustrate Hughes. And the Canadian was able to resist Hughes' attempts to take him down to the canvas, where he could punish him with his wrestling skills.
An accidental kick to the groin slowed down Hughes in the first round. Another near the same region also took its toll, although Hughes was given time to regroup both times.
Hughes suggested later that perhaps he had grown too comfortable with his success, saying he had abandoned game plans in recent fights because he felt confident he could find a way to win.
"I've got some things to think about," he acknowledged.
Hughes, who loves to play mind games, may also want to put a lid on his lip.
He looked churlish in jabbing away at the polite St. Pierre when the two crossed paths as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. And before this fight, he made disparaging remarks about Canada, suggesting Canadians were not fighters.
The classy St. Pierre refused to join the war of words.
"I don't do any trash-talking," he added. "I do my talking in the Octagon with my fists."
And in a hint of things to come, he said: "When you talk too much, if you lose, you look stupid."
In the co-main event, heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia defeated Jeff (The Snowman) Monson via a unanimous if uninspiring decision that drew boos from the crowd.
The fight matched the six-foot-eight, 262-pound champion against the five-foot-nine, 240-pound challenger - a towering striker against a fireplug grappler with serious jiu-jitsu skills.
The difference in size and styles did not make for a good fight, other than the third round when Monson finally got the big man to the ground. In the fifth and final round, referee McCarthy even stopped the bout to urge both fighters to get busy.
Sylvia said he was happy with his ground game, but disappointed he had not been able to knock out the game Monson, who left the ring with a bloody, swollen face. Despite the boos, Sylvia seemed to take some solace from the fact "he's in hospital and I'm standing here with not a mark on me."
Sylvia raised his record to 25-2 while Monson slipped to 24-6 and saw his 16-bout win streak stopped.
In other action Saturday, rising heavyweight star Brandon (The Truth) Vera demolished Frank Mir, using knees and punches to carve open the face of the former heavyweight champion before the referee stopped the contest at 1:09 of the first round.
The win raised Vera's record to 8-0-0 and moved him to the front of the line of heavyweight contenders. Mir's future is cloudy after losing two of three fights in his comeback from a bad motorcycle accident.
The following is an article from TSN.ca:
Bid On A Once In A Lifetime UFC Experience Now
11/20/2006
Bid on a Once in a Lifetime UFC Experience Now
When the UFC travels to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California on December 13th for the UFC Fight Night card featuring Diego Sanchez’ battle against Joe Riggs, 3,000 United States Marines will be in attendance, cheering on mixed martial arts’ best. And thanks to a once in a lifetime auction now taking place at www.ufcauction.com, you can join them on this historic night.
Five (5) pairs of seats are currently being auctioned off to the general public to this incredible event �" and this is the ONLY waynon-military will be able to gain access to this UFC Fight Night event, which will also air on Spike TV beginning at 8pm ET / PT.
In addition to being the only non-military personnel to attend this nine bout card live in the Miramar aircraft hangar, you are also contributing to our troops and their families, as all auction proceeds will benefit the Marine Corps Community Services Quality of Life Programs for the Marines and Families. These programs support the health and well-being of active duty service members and their families throughout the year. Programs include Children, Youth & Teens programs which include the "Kids of Deployed" support group and respite childcare services for the remain-behind parent, Family Day support, Homecomings for deployed Marines, over thirty free special events throughout the year, care packages, and recreational and leisure time activities for all family members.
These auctions end on December 1st, so get your bids in now.
A look at the career of Georges St. Pierre
How many 25 years olds can call themselves the best in the world at something? Not many, but Georges St. Pierre can. With his demolition of the former champion Matt Hughes, Georges cemented his spot as the top 170-pound fighter in the world today. The road to the top was long and hard. By most fighters standards it was a tough one, but Georges St. Pierre tore through most of his competition, making them look like mere amateurs at times. George’s success is a testament to his superb work ethic, heart, desire, and determination. Right from the beginning it was easy to see that there were big things in the future of this young French Canadian.
Georges St. Pierre began training martial arts when he was seven. He was enrolled in Kyokushin Karate to defend himself from bullies at school (I wonder if they would like a rematch). After his Karate teacher died St. Pierre got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and at the same time also trained in boxing and wrestling. The foundation had been set for one of the best MMA fighters of the modern era.
St. Pierre made his MMA debut at UCC 7: Bad Boys, on January 25, 2002. He was set to fight Ivan Menjivar who is one of Canada’s top lightweight fighters today. St. Pierre stunned the crowd as he scored a TKO victory at 4:50 of the first round. He ended up winning 5 fights in the UCC/TKO organization with only one of those fights going past the first round. He had finally earned himself a shot at where he wanted to be…the UFC.
In St. Pierre’s first UFC match, he had the unenviable task of facing Judo practitioner, Karo Parisyan. Karo Parisyan had only one other fight in the UFC at the time but had a substantial experience advantage on Georges St. Pierre and was picked as the heavy favorite over the relatively unknown French Canadian. Georges St. Pierre was physically too much for Karo and pulled out a unanimous decision win. His next fight was against Jay Hieron. St. Pierre tore through him in less than two minutes.
The next match for Georges St. Pierre was a huge step up in competition. He was paired up against Matt Hughes who at the time was the UFC welterweight champion. Many people were surprised that he got a title shot so early in his UFC career but Georges St. Pierre was determined to show the world how skillful he really was. Before the first bell rang, viewers could tell that St. Pierre was not feeling like his usual self. During the traditional stare down, he was not able to look Matt Hughes in the eye. As the fight started, the two exchanged a few punches and Georges St. Pierre even showed some of his old Karate as he landed a stiff spinning back kick. However, on the ground Georges St. Pierre made a rookie mistake in going for a kimura without securing guard and as the bell sounded he tapped out to an armbar. A devastated Georges St. Pierre fell to his knees moments after the fight ended. It was no doubt a brutal loss for a very young fighter but many people argue that this was the night that St. Pierre realized his full potential.
Unlike most people, St. Pierre was not discouraged by his loss to the champion. Although he was devastated at the time, in the long run it was best for him. With the loss he realized that although he lost, up until his mistake, many people felt he was winning the fight, and that with a bit more training he could easily be the champion. He was ready to begin his journey back to the top of the welterweight division.
Georges St. Pierre came back with a chip on his shoulder. He went back north of the border to TKO, the organization that he had come up and got a quick win over David Strasser. He then came back to the UFC with a unanimous decision over Jason “Mayhem” Miller. He then pulled off two extremely impressive wins against Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk, who were among the top of the UFC welterweight division. Many people now believed that he was in line for a rematch against Matt Hughes for the championship. However, there was one more man standing in his way. BJ Penn, the only man to defeat Matt Hughes in the octagon. This was no doubt going to be the toughest fight in Georges’s career but he was more then ready. At UFC 58 (appropriately titled “USA vs. Canada”), BJ and St. Pierre faced off. In a three round war, which saw Georges St. Pierre leave the ring bloody and battered for the first time in his career, Georges St. Pierre was able to pull out a slim split decision victory.
Again Matt Hughes was set to defend his title against Georges St. Pierre. It was scheduled for UFC 63 but due to a groin injury Georges St. Pierre was forced to pull out and BJ Penn took his place against Matt Hughes. After dominating for two rounds and looking as if he was poised to take the title once again from Matt Hughes, BJ Penn seemed to completely gas out and Matt Hughes took advantage by getting on top of BJ and pounding him until the referee was forced to stop the fight. After the fight was when the real conflict between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes began. Georges St. Pierre was ushered into the octagon and given a microphone. In this microphone he uttered in his typical French Canadian accent the now infamous line, “I am happy you won, but I am not impressed by your performance.” Even though the line was meant to be playful hype for the rematch, Matt Hughes did not receive it well. He was visibly angered. In the locker room afterwards Georges St. Pierre offered an apology to Matt, which he accepted, however it was too little too late. The war of words between the two began. Trying to put all the hype aside, Georges St. Pierre focused on his training for the biggest fight of his life. He trained with the Canadian Olympic wrestling team to improve his ground game. The match was set for UFC 65: Bad Intentions. It was the night that would drastically change St. Pierre’s life forever.
As the fight drew closer, the pressure was mounting on St. Pierre. A second loss to Matt Hughes would be devastating to his career. Many people thought that Matt Hughes was in St. Pierre’s head. St. Pierre showed that this statement was far from the truth. It was clear from the opening bell who the better fighter was. St. Pierre displayed a wide array of strikes utilizing both kicks and strikes to throw off Matt Hughes. Had it not been for the bell signaling the end of the first round, a great punch combo from Georges St. Pierre would have defeated Matt Hughes. St. Pierre finished the job in the second round when he hit Matt Hughes square on the temple with a great left high kick that sent the champion reeling. The challenger immediately jumped on Hughes and connected with a series of brutal punches and elbows to the head, forcing the referee to intervene..
Finally Georges St. Pierre was a champion, and in decisive fashion leaving no doubt in the fans minds who deserved to be crowned as the champion of the UFC welterweight division. It took our young champion little less then 5 years to make it to the top but he will be the first to tell you that everything he sacrificed was worth it. It is easy to see why Georges St. Pierre is a fan favorite. How can you not love a guy who makes every fight exciting? A guy who is always willing to sign an autograph. Who is just genuinely one of the nicest guys in the sport regardless of whether he is a champion or not. Georges St. Pierre has all the tools to remain the champion for years to come. He is the perfect ambassador for the sport and no doubt will be a great champion. The story of Georges St. Pierre is a rare case in which the nice guy finished first.
Talk about Georges St Pierre here.
Source: www.mmafighting.com
UFC 66 Fight Card Updated - Michael Bisping is now fighting
Carmelo Marrero vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Anthony Perosh vs. Christian Wellisch, and Tony DeSouza vs. Thiago Alves have been added as preliminary bouts to UFC 66. 
Saturday, December 30, 2006
MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Fight Card:
- 205 lbs: Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz
- HWT: Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcio Cruz
- 205 lbs: Forrest Griffin vs. Keith Jardine
- 185 lbs: Jason MacDonald vs. Chris Leben
- 205 lbs: Eric Schafer vs. Michael Bisping
- HWT: Carmelo Marrero vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
- HWT: Anthony Perosh vs. Christian Wellisch
- 170 lbs: Tony DeSouza vs. Thiago Alves
New interviews in the pipeline - vote for the next interview
Who do you want Xiaolin to interview next for LoveUFC.com?
You have a choice of:
Jason 'Mayhem' Miller
Luke Cummo
Pete Sprat
Bobby Southworth
Mike Swick
Kenny 'KenFlo' Florian
Sam Hogar
Evan Tanner
Joe Rogan
Melvin Gulliard
Sean Sherk
Jorge Gurgel
Rory 'Outburst' Singer
Noah Inhofer
Jeremy 'Scorpion' Jackson
Frank Trigg
Cage Rage 19 - All about Butterbean
As Butterbean is about to fight next month at Cage Rage 19, I thought it would be good to give a biography of his past work.
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Eric "Butterbean" Esch
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Eric Esch |
| Nickname | Butterbean |
| Weight | Superheavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | August 3, 1966 |
| Birth place | Bay City, MI, US |
| Style | Boxing |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 86 |
| Wins | 75 |
| Wins by KO | 56 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 2 |
Eric "Butterbean" Esch (born August 3, 1966 in Bay City, Michigan) is a professional boxer and mixed martial artist, known for his bald head and an excessive weight. Butterbean stands 5 ft 11 in. and weighs over 370 pounds. He is the former IBA World Super heavyweight Champion. Esch's round body, bald head and vicious scowl, make him a menacing (yet highly entertaining) fight figure. His overall fight record currently stands at 82 wins with 58 knockouts, 9 losses and 5 draws.
Boxing career
Known as the "King of 4 rounders", Butterbean developed a cult following after he burst onto the Toughman Contest scene in the United States before entering the world of professional boxing in 1994. He was a five time World Toughman Heavyweight Champion with a record of 56-5 with 36 knockouts (not counted towards pro career).
While the majority of his opponents have been technically limited, club level fighters, he did move up the ranks to win the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship in 1997. Butterbean fought "Hurricane" Peter McNeeley, famous as a former Mike Tyson opponent, in Las Vegas in 1999. He stopped McNeeley in the first round. Butterbean faced former world champion Larry Holmes in 2002. Holmes won a unanimous 10-round decision with Butterbean credited with a knockdown in the final round. Esch's most recent title shot came on October 15, 2005 where he lost a split decision against George Linberger for the NABC Super Heavyweight title.
Esch's professional boxing record is 75 wins with 56 knockouts, 7 losses and 4 draws. He has a boxing match scheduled against Joe Siciliano on March 9, 2007 at the Palladium.
WWF appearences
Butterbean has appeared twice in WWF events competing in boxing matches. In 1997, at an In Your House pay-per-view event, he defeated Marc Mero (who is a former boxer) via disqualification in a worked match. Two years later, Butterbean defeated Bart Gunn in a legitimate shootfight at Wrestlemania XV, defeating the Brawl For All champion with extreme ease, knocking him out in 30 seconds.
Mixed Martial Arts career
Butterbean's previous fighting experiences led him to venture into mixed martial arts. At K-1 Premium 2003 on December 31, 2003, Butterbean lost his first MMA bout to 155 lbs Japanese fighter Genki Sudo via tap out to a heel hook. Esch regrouped, going 6-0-1 in appearances in King of the Cage, Fightfest, and Rumble on the Rock including a TKO stoppage of Cabbage Correira. Esch returned to Japan with the PRIDE Fighting Championships on August 26, 2006 to compete at Bushido 12 against Ikuhisa Minowa (a much smaller fighter) to whom he lost via armbar at 4:25 of round one. Less than two months later, Butterbean won the scheduled fight against Irish-American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Sean O'Haire at Pride FC's first North American show on October 21, 2006 via knockout at 30 seconds in the first round.
Butterbean's MMA record is 7 wins with 2 knockouts, 2 losses and 1 draw. Esch is currently training with American Top Team to improve his ground game and is scheduled to meet former K-1 champion Mark Hunt (whom he was scheduled to fight before an injury required O'Haire to step in as a replacement) in a future PrideFC event.
Media career
Butterbean appeared in the film Jackass: The Movie, where he fought Johnny Knoxville in a department store, where Knoxville was floored by Esch and received several stitches in his head after the encounter. However, it is obvious in the movie that Butterbean gives Knoxville several rabbit punches as Knoxville was going down. On the DVD commentary Knoxville stated that Esch is actually quite friendly outside of the ring, despite his fearsome ringside demeanor.
Butterbean also appeared in the film Chairman of the Board as the Museum Security Guard with the "chia hair", a fact that is pointed out on the DVD commentary by the movie's star Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson.
Butterbean was featured as the cover character as well as the final boss character in the EA Sports title "Toughman Contest" released in July 1995 for the Sega Genesis and Sega 32X.
Checkout the new UFC 66 website
1 word 'Awesome', they have really put some time and money into this one. Check it out here.
You can now request news to be on the homepage
We have added a new 'add news' section to our forums. If you have any juicy news that you have seen from another site post the link here. Your name will be featured in the article.
Michael Bisping vs YOU DECIDE
Love UFC have added a poll to the forums regarding Mike Bispings next fights. Obviously if he wins at UFC 66 bigger opportunities will arise for the rising star. Go to the poll here to cast your vote.
Three Undercard Bouts Added to UFC 66 Lineup
Four UFC heavyweights will look to move up the ladder towards a shot at champion Tim Sylvia when they face off in UFC 66 preliminary bouts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 30.
Unbeaten Carmelo Marrero, who made a huge impact on the UFC scene in October when he upset France’s Cheick Kongo, returns to the Octagon to take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Gabriel Gonzaga, who will be looking for his third consecutive UFC win without a defeat.
Two mixed martial artists looking for their first Octagon win on December 30 will be Australia’s Anthony Perosh and ‘The Hungarian Nightmare’ Christian Wellisch, who will lock horns in another heavyweight matchup.
Also added to the UFC 66 card - which is headlined by the long awaited rematch between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz - is a compelling welterweight war between veteran Tony DeSouza and hard-hitting Brazilian Thiago Alves.
