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Georges St.Pierre Steps In For Serra - An MMA Trilogy Awaits
Well, so much for waiting a week to have the messy UFC Welterweight Champion situation rectified. In less that 48 hours, the 170 lbs division went from a December 29th title bout between champion Matt Serra and challenger Matt Hughes, to Serra pulling out and Hughes having no opponent. Next thing you know, our very own Georges St.Pierre will be putting it all on the line and stepping up to force his arch nemesis (again), Matt Hughes.
Both of these fighters are risking a great deal by agreeing to this bout but it is fighters like this that separates true champions from those made out of pulp. The winner of this bout will be crowned the new ‘interm’ welterweight champion, and will battle Serra in 2008 to become the true undisputed champ. While the winner of GSP - Hughes III can look forward to the unification bout, the loser will be left wondering what to do with his career.
Win or lose, I see Hughes with a variety of options all leading to one final goal. Hughes has already stated he only has a few fights left in his career, so if he wins, he gets a shot back at the title he held for years. If he loses to GSP, I see him moving up to the middleweight division and challenging the champion at 185 lbs ( whomever the winner is between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson early next year ). If Hughes defeats GSP and gets a shot at Serra, win or lose, I see the aforementioned scenario also occurring, minus perhaps a decision by Hughes to retire as the welterweight champion.
As for GSP, it appears the pressure seems to be all on him. He must win this fight because if he loses, he is once again knocked off the pedestal and has to work his way back up to challenge for the title. That means he will have to fight guys like Jon Fitch, or even have a rematch with Karo Parisyan but then again, he may just get his rematch with Matt Serra should Hughes win the unification bout next year. That isn’t so bad for GSP, considering he has been dreaming about a rematch with Serra, since the latter shocked the world in their original bout last April.
Meanwhile, Serra feels as if he is at a crossroads in this scenario, while GSP and Hughes duke it out for the interm title. When asked for his thoughts regarding this newly formed matchup, Serra stated ‘I can’t believe the position this puts me in. I’m actually rooting for Matt Hughes so I can beat his ass’; lest we forget the animosity Serra has built up for GSP post an interview conducted with yours truly on ‘The Showdown’ last summer. That very interview (with GSP’s comments on losing to Serra) spread across MMA internet forums like a forest fire eventually leading to some choice words by Matt Serra in response to the former champions verbiage.
To say I am excited would be an understatement but come December 29th, GSP - Hughes III will be a trilogy for the ages. It is just another great bout added to the already star studded card the UFC has put together to close off 2007. Be sure to tune in to ‘The Showdown’ this Thursday night at 10 pm as I will be contacting GSP to come on air to discuss this very scenario. Let’s see what he and I can stir up for both Hughes and Serra to chomp on. Should be lots of fun.
