3 Reasons Tagging Georges St-Pierre as a Boring Fighter Is Wrong

Far too often ignorant fans confuse Georges St-Pierre's cerebral and often conservative style for being boring and lackluster.

In reality, every time "GSP" graces the Octagon, fans not only get treated to a display of athletic excellence, they also get to watch an extraordinarily intricate game plan unfold.

Critics claim St-Pierre became less exciting when he linked up with former training partner and diabolical Tristar Gym head trainer Firas Zahabi following his loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69.

St-Pierre's prevailed in 11 straight fights since hooking up with Zahabi. The last six of those wins came via unanimous decision.

But who could blame GSP for sharply employing the schemes Zahabi devises for him? After all, since joining forces with Zahabi, a longtime Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, St-Pierre has amazingly won 44 of 46 rounds, narrowly losing a round each to Jake Shields and Carlos Condit at UFC 129 and UFC 154, respectively.

Albeit, UFC fighters are expected to perpetually entertain the masses. However, no fighter in the UFC—especially champs like St-Pierre—can thrive without consistently getting their hands raised.

So as long as GSP continues to dispose of his opposition at 170 pounds, who can genuinely criticize his modus operandi? 

Here's why St-Pierre's critics have got it wrong when they tag the longtime Canadian welterweight kingpin as boring.

Unmatched Strength and Athleticism

Plenty of stud athletes dwell in the stacked welterweight division—so many that one could make the argument that St-Pierre doesn't top the heap.

But pundits couldn't argue with the numbers when GSP partook in a series of drills that measured strength and speed at ESPN's Sport Science before his title fight with Jake Shields at UFC 129 in 2011.

St-Pierre unleashed a punch that amazingly generated 2,859 pounds of force. He then landed a kick that produced an even more mind-boggling 3,377 pounds of force.

For a more relative measure of St-Pierre's punching power, just match his stats up to those of either former light heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (1,800 pounds) or heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez (2,230).

GSP also trumped the most thunderous kick of former light heavyweight champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (2,749).

"Rush" posted equally staggering numbers in terms of speed, nailing his patented blast double-leg takedown in a remarkable 1.17 seconds.

Top-Flight Wrestling

Like his idol before him, former welterweight champ Matt Hughes, St-Pierre depends on a diverse wrestling arsenal to complement his vast striking repertoire.  

In just his last five fights, GSP has scored 33 takedowns and allowed just one. The lone flooring he allowed in that span came in the waning seconds of the first round against former NCAA Division I wrestling champ Josh Koscheck at UFC 124.

St-Pierre proved he was the better functional wrestler, stuffing Koscheck's final three shots and scoring on four of his nine attempts in the next four rounds.

In the same vein, the threat of St-Pierre's takedown typically opens things up for his venomous jab and his rangy superman punch. Collectively, GSP has outstruck his last five opponents, 784-438, including, 430-175, in the significant strikes category.

Although many harp on St-Pierre's wrestle-heavy style, the Tristar Gym legend utilizes his wrestling skills the way many welterweights in the UFC only wish they could.

The Ability to Control the Seemingly Uncontrollable

Many fighters in the UFC possess the wrestling prowess to consistently flatten some of the division's front-runners like second-ranked Carlos Condit and sixth-ranked Nick Diaz.

Few welterweights, though, with the exception of St-Pierre, Koscheck, Demian Maia and Johny Hendricks, can say they've got the skills on top to deal with the bottom games of submission wizards like Diaz and Condit.

But of all the premiere top-control artists in MMA, St-Pierre definitely tops the heap.

Since falling to Serra at UFC 69, GSP hasn't given up a sweep or a guard pass. He's also spent countless rounds in the top position delivering elbows that both cripple his opponents and beef up his scorecards.