Did Jon Fitch Really 'Break' Georges St-Pierre in 2008 Title Fight?

Jon Fitch just made some pretty big claims. But do they hold water?

The longtime welterweight contender, first in the UFC and now with World Series of Fighting, recently reminisced over his 2008 title bout with Georges St-Pierre. And though Fitch lost that fight by unanimous decision, he did make it reasonably close, thanks to his sludgy grappling game.

But in comments made to Steve Juon of MMA Mania, Fitch took it a step beyond moral victory, asserting that the fight had long-lasting effects on the champ:

"

I think that I broke him in that fight. He never fought the same way again. He started fighting very safe, very cautious. He stopped finishing people. I think I got into his head that fight, and that's why I wanted to fight him again so bad. That first fight I had zero defense on the feet. Everything he threw landed.

"

At a glance, the numbers appear to lend some support to Fitch's case. Before his fight with Fitch, GSP earned 12 of 17 professional wins by stoppage. In the eight fights after, all were victories, but only one ended inside the distance.

"

.@jonfitchdotnet thinks he 'broke' @GeorgesStPierre, ready for 'big' @OkamiYushin #WSOF24 http://t.co/ijR81vOoKu pic.twitter.com/DQnwmM1gts

— MMA mania (@mmamania) October 6, 2015"

However, an objective observer might suggest that there were other reasons for the shift. The pressure to remain champion, combined with an overall shift toward avoiding injuries, may also have been a factor. There's also the not-so-small matter of fact that St-Pierre won the fight. 

The pressure to remain champion may have hurt GSP because he was concerned more about winning fights than creating highlight-reel finishes.

Avoiding injury becomes a perhaps greater priority when one is a major draw, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fans (not to mention dollars) are depending on you being healthy enough to compete at the top of a fight card.

Still, the sound bite from Fitch is an interesting one. Did an internal switch flip inside GSP that rendered him permanently conservative? It's impossible to say for sure.

A conservative GSP game plan for Fitch, who is a conservative fighter as a result of his control-grappling style, may have carried over, inadvertently or otherwise, into game-planning for future fights. Maybe something clicked during the Fitch training camp that made sense to the champ and his team.

In any case, with St-Pierre currently on what increasingly appears to be a long-term hiatus from the sport, Fitch may not get his rematch any time soon. But a man can hope, and a man can soundbite.

While Fitch was at it, he speculated on what might have forced GSP to the sidelines. Fitch, who is a plaintiff in a major ongoing lawsuit against UFC parent company Zuffa, said St-Pierre may have been unhappy with the state of affairs in the world's largest MMA promotion:

"

I don't think he was happy with Zuffa, like a lot of fighters are not happy with them. I hope he lets his contract expire with them and is free and clear of them. He could come back and promote his own show in Canada like [Floyd] Mayweather does and make $20-30 million a fight.

"

It is unclear how or whether St-Pierre's UFC contract is subject to expiration. After GSP initially announced he would be taking a hiatus, the UFC also announced that his contract would be "frozen," essentially meaning it was impossible for the contract to lapse as a result of time.