UFC 129: Georges St-Pierre Continues to Hear Talk of Move to 185

While he prepares for the biggest fight of his career, perhaps the bigger challenge he has to face won't necessarily take place in the octagon. 

During a UFC 129 conference call this week, the idea of transitioning to the middleweight division was directed at Georges St-Pierre once again. But the UFC welterweight champion assured that the potential move to 185 lbs is anything but a reality at the moment. 

"Right now, I am a 170-pounder," St-Pierre explained. "If I were to fight at 185 pounds, it would be a complete reorientation of my career."

It's a reorientation that St-Pierre might not even be committed to or even think of moving up, especially as he prepares to defend his welterweight title against challenger, Jake Shields at UFC 129. 

It is with good reason St-Pierre is focusing on Shields and no one else. Shields is riding a 15-fight winning streak that hasn't seen him been defeated in almost six years, not to mention his world class jiu-jitsu skills, which have St-Pierre praising him. 

It is with that admiration St-Pierre holds for Shields that has him fully prepared for anything his opponent throws at him next weekend, including a loss.

"if Jake Shields is a better fighter than me, I don’t control that," St-Pierre said. 

"I did my best. The things I can control, I did everything so that I can be at the top of my game. I claimed that [belt] twice before, and if I have to claim it a third time, I will do it."

Although he might have a backup plan lined up, in the case he should lose, St-Pierre will be entering this bout with his hometown crowd firmly behind him. The French-Canadian is 3-0 while on his home turf. 

Even if he is to successfully defend his title against Shields, the win won't be enough to have him put on an extra 15 lbs to move up in weight. St-Pierre has stated previously he would need to put on the proper amount of muscle in order to successfully transition into the middleweight division, but he'll also need to vacate the welterweight title to do so. 

He says he would need to add on the necessary muscle so that cutting back down is no longer an option. St-Pierre says it is a trend he's seen in the past that have resulted in devastating affects for other fighters. 

"We’ve seen [it] in the past with boxers like Roy Jones Jr. In my opinion, what ended Roy Jones’ career-winning streak, was when he went up in weight and tried to go back down. It’s not the fact that he went up; it’s when he tried to go back down that messed him up," he said. 

"For me, it’s a good example because Roy Jones was known as one of the best of all time before he started losing," St-Pierre continued.

"It makes me think twice sometimes [about changing] weight; it’s not really going up that hurts you, sometimes it’s to go [back] down."