UFC 129 Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields Episode 1, Shields Breaks Camp!

As the countdown clock to UFC 129: Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields ticks closer and closer to fight night, the debate continues to grow regarding the possible demise of the greatest welterweight champion the world has ever known.

I have put together a list of quotes, facts, thoughts and opinions in response to episode 1 of UFC 129 Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields on Spike TV.  Make sure to watch UFC 129 Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields Episode 2 on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 12:00 A.M. ET/PM.

1. Georges St-Pierre already has what every other UFC welterweight wants, the belt. Jake Shields left his Strikeforce middleweight title to fight in the UFC. What do you fight for once you’re champion?

GSP: “I don’t to only be UFC world champion. I don’t want to only beat Jake Shields. I want to be the greatest. I want to be the one who made the difference in the sport and bring the sport of mixed martial arts to a different level.”

Tareq Azim (Shields’ Head Trainer): “Shields doesn’t settle on good; his goal is greatness.

2. Shields is riding a bigger winning streak than GSP, but not against the level of fighters that GSP has faced, with the exception of Dan Henderson and Yushin Okami.

Sean Pierson (GSP’s Training Partner): “Everyone watches tapes and tapes and tapes of Georges…so, every fight Georges has, he’s got the best of the best coming at him.”

3. This will most definitely be GSP and Shields’ greatest challenge of their careers.

Shields: “Georges St-Pierre is all you can say, he’s a phenomenal fighter. The guy’s amazing and that’s why I’ve wanted to fight him.”

GSP: “The person that I can fight to have a great challenge is the guy that I’m going to fight April 30, Jake Shields. I’ve never fought a guy like him; of course he’s never fought a guy like me.”

4. GSP admits that Shields has the skills to beat him and says he’s the first opponent he’s had in a while that will give him a tough challenge and one he’s taking very seriously.

GSP: “He has one area that he’s very, very good at and it’s his grappling.”

Sean Pierson: “Jake is no joke. We all know this. Jake is one of the craftiest veterans in the game. I’ve been watching Jake Shields for a long time. I think he’s a great fighter.”

John Danaher (GSP’s BJJ Coach): “This is a guy who has the grappler’s equivalent of a knockout punch. He can get a guillotine choke and finish everything.”

5. It’s no secret that Shields’ grappling game is his strongest asset. GSP is no slouch on the ground either and we will most likely see him putting Shields there throughout the night and looking for the finish.

Sean Pierson: “Georges is by far the most complete mixed martial artist we have.”

Sean Pierson: “His standup skills are phenomenal, his wrestling is great and his ground game, you know; people haven’t even seen the tip of it yet.”

6. GSP’s training intensifies in the final phase of his camp before the bout.

Firas Zahabi (GSP’s Head Trainer): “When you’re fighting GSP you always have to be worried. Those takedowns are quick and those jabs are quick and those combinations are quick.”

7. What most fighters consider to be intense training, GSP takes it to a completely different level.

8. GSP trains like an Olympic athlete for every fight. Even the best fighters out there have no clue as to the level of training this guy goes through every day.

Shields: “He’s one of the hardest workers in the sport…and I can’t let him outwork me.” That is exactly what GSP will do leaving Shields no choice in the matter, because no one in the sport trains like GSP does.

9. Shields “broke camp” and took a week off of training to help some teammates. The last person to take a week off before a fight with GSP was BJ Penn and we all know how that ended. All of us except for BJ that is, he can’t remember anything past Round 2.

Shields: “I can’t be missing workouts…my No. 1 priority is workouts right now.”

10.  If training is his No. 1 priority, why did he take a week off to corner his teammates? That is absurd. I could understand if one of them were in the hospital or something.

11. GSP says he’s champ because of the choices he’s made.

12.  Shields has been fighting for lesser organizations because they’re known to pay their top fighters some of the highest salaries in the sport. In the process he’s actually done himself more harm than good as he’s not been fighting the best possible opponents.

13.  The best opponents of Rumble on the Rock and Elite XC don’t hold a candle to the best that the UFC has to offer. This will be extremely apparent on April 30, 2011.

14.  I have to say that, there is always the possibility of this fight being the ultimate snooze-fest as both fighters have been accused of “playing it safe” in the past.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being yet another disappointing draw. However, reason, logic and common sense tell me otherwise.

15.  I expect GSP to defend his title again and this time in a more dominant fashion, believe it or not.

16.  The champ has said that he wishes to fight Shields where Shields “is strongest” and that it’s something he’s never done, but always wanted to.

17.  Shields likes to apply pressure to his opponents and so does GSP. The UFC has been St-Pierre’s home for seven years now and he’s been the champ for almost four of them.

18.  I don’t think Shields has any idea what he’s up against, no matter how many wins he’s bringing with him.

19.  In the end Shields will fall victim to yet another GSP beat down.

20.  It must suck to work your whole life for an opportunity and when it finally comes, you have to fight and beat GSP to achieve it.

GSP: “I like Jake Shields…he’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”