Georges St. Pierre's trainer would recommend a drop to Lightweight
Posted on October 24, 2011, 06:01 PM by Trent Reinsmith
The dreams of a “superfight” between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva seemed to dim even further today when St. Pierre’s trainer Firas Zahabi dropped a bomb on Sherdog Radio.
Zahabi was asked if a move up to 185 seemed possible and his response was a bit shocking, “I have recommended to Georges – the only reason I don’t recommend it now is because Frankie Edgar is the champion, but I’d want him to move down to 155 if Frankie was not the champion.” Zahabi then continued, “I’d rather him go down to 155 because Georges is not a very big welterweight...and him making 170 is extremely easy for him.” – for more listen to Sherdog radio
At first blush, the move may seem out of the question due to St. Pierre’s size, but Zahabi said that a loss of some muscle mass would not be that difficult for the current Welterweight Champion.
What do you think LowKick’ers, should St. Pierre move up to Middleweight or down to Lightweight?
Further Reading: Cesar Gracie: If Nick Diaz wins, we'll ask for GSP
Photo: Georges St-Pierre at a post-fight press conference at UFC 100 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 11, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Francis Specker
Comments
He's not very big but he isn't small either, doesn't he walk around at 185-190 and that's without ballooning up in weight like a Rampage in between fights. Who am I to tell him what's best for GSP but that sounds kinda ridiculous.
Gleison Tibau... he walks around 180-190+. So its not that ridiculous. But I don't think dropping to 155 is "logical". I mean this is going to come up again when they want to ban weight cutting in the future. (Rumor)
Surely you don't think that 6 title defenses makes you a descent fighter let alone a good one.
GSP should drop to 145 GSP vs Aldo!!!
Gray Maynard walks around at about 205
what Krogan said is actually true, Gray Maynard walks around 195-200 pounds when he's not training... Joe Rogan mentioned this on the last fight against Edgar.
GSP will never drop to 155. This is to avoid Anderson by trying to claim GSP could make 155. GSP has a longer reach than 85% of the fighters in MW and the longest in WW. There are guys shorter and have 6 inches less reach than him at MW never mind WW. Just look at him in the cage he is the most ripped and chopped down fighter every time. He just maintains his regime to keep his walk around weight lower than other fighters he would normally be even with or surpass. Walk around weight is a misguidance on true size since some like GSP never stop training where as others like Anderson have families and like to eat a cheeseburger on their time off. You can mark my words he will not go to 155. He is a MW all things being equal and is getting someone to find an excuse to not have to go to 185. I don't care if he ever goes to 185 but I know he cares what we think about the reasons why.
Its possible. He would just have to lose some muscle mass. Remember, MUSCLE IS HEAVY
Im going to have to disagree with you. If GSP moves to 185 he will be a smaller 185. Look at his frame and look at the frames of guys like Brian Stann. Guys at 185 are making big cuts just like any other weight class in the UFC. GSP could make 155 and he would be a huge lightweight. THis in mind, which makes more sense? A small middleweight or a huge lightweight? As far as Anderson is concerned, I've seen what happens when he faces a world class wrestler. Saying that GSP is trying to avoid anyone is a pretty bold claim. Moving up a weight usually puts you at a disadvantage while moving down gives you the size advantage.
To summarize they don't want GSP to fight and lose to Silva.
3 out of 5 words spelled incorrectly. If you're going to do something wrong, give it your 60% best, eh?
jajajajajjajajajajajaja!!!!! cabron
I think he should just stay at welterweight. Fight silva at a catch weight
the dude walks around like 195 if he tried to make it to 155 he would ****ing die half way through or make it then he wouldnt have enough energy for a TD and would get KTFO
Thats 195 staying in shape. He could easily let himself go like other fighters like Anderson or rampage and easily be 210.
Yet again I disagree. Why would he "let himself go"? What makes him such a great fighter is his work ethic and constant training.
Your right he has more of a work ethic and it keeps him lighter than others. AS walks around at 192-195 when staying in shape too but he has other things to do and gains weight more than someone like GSP.
If you take the time to read the article then you would realize that Firas did say that George would have to lose some muscle mass in order to make the drop. He did not say that he should make the cut right now.
I am sure Firas is more familiar with Georges and how he reacts to cutting and gaining weight than the Lowkickers on the site...and if he says publicly that he thinks Georges could do it than I would tend to believe him.
Yeah, loosing muscle doesn't equal loosing all power and energy. Florian drops to 145, skinny as hell but still can fight and take aldo down. GSP would do great at 155 if well prepared.
You drop weight when you can't cut it in your current weight class, you gain weight to prove you are great.
Be a man GSP and go to 185 if you don't want to stay at 170
You got a "Cool" 10 seconds after you posted...
Gaining more weight doesn't make you more of a man and cutting it doesn't make you less of one.
You probably think more weight makes you more of a man b/c your a fatty.
I bet he "likes" his own status updates on facebook too
nah man wasn't mean - so you get a weak for that call.
Whitey, are you by any chance...down syndrome?
It would make more sense for GSP to move down in weight. rather than move up. Silva fought at 205 and can easily fight at heavy weight. Silva has trouble with wrestlers like Hendo in the first round and Sonnen in all five rounds. This why he won't move up in weight i think he's afraid of Jon Jon wrestling..
??lol what are you talking about????
lmfao jon jon wrestling
Everyone knows andersons only weakness is his wrestling and gsp is one of the best wrestlers in the ufc. GSP was able to out wrestle Josh koschek a division one wrestling champ who was 42-0 senior year. So if they fight it will be similar to chael sonnen fight, by the way sonnens highest finish in college 8th. But the difference will be gsp knows how to defend a triangle.
But GSP doesn't have Sonnens balls. Josh showed in the last fight he is still a better wrestler than GSP and was unprepared the first fight for the wrestling. GSP would be more cautious than Sonnen and it would get him KO'd. Also we saw Andersons worst fight against Sonnen. GSP would have to hope it was another day like that.
Just observing how ripped gsp looks, It isn't impossible that he overtrains. I think losing the muscle mass could be great for him. He could potentially be much faster and looser at Lightweight. It may be past his championship days or he could win gold there. I wouldn't mind it in any case.
Remember GSP saying he thought Condit was a better fighter than Nick Diaz? Diaz does. This is tit for tat. Diaz is OK at boxing, and very good with BJJ, but he sucks at wrestling--so he considers wrestling a contemptible martial skill. Diaz's win over Daley was more a testament to his chin than to his boxing skills.
When Diaz saw the press conference announcing that he had lost his shot--his sluggish mind burned with rage when he saw GSP laughing nerviously and being puzzled by Diaz's strange behavior.
But Diaz is a true coward.
If he really had the brass balls he brags about, he would have blamed the true culprit--himself. But he is too cowardly to admit the truth about himself.
If did not have the guts to blame himself, and he was seeking someone else to blame--surely he would blame Dana White. The president of the UFC was the one who made the decision, and GSP and Diaz had little choice about it once it was made.
So did Diaz call Dana White names for pulling him from the title match with GSP? No. Diaz is a puzzy, and did not blame the only external actor who made the decision to pull the plug. Diaz wants his money. Diaz wants his career--and no one told him how serious missing the press conferences was--so it is not his fault.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Can't blame self.
Can't blame Dana.
All this bad stuff must be someone's fault.
Ug.
I don't see GSP going down to 155 and I think Zahabi was mostly saying this to point out how silly it would be for GSP to go up a weight class when its more logical for him to go down even. Personally I want him to stay at 170 and I don't find superfights between different weight classes all that interesting.
BJ Penns might not be remembered as one of the greats and if he isn't there is only one reason for that, his constant jumping up and down in weight.
If GSP was to move down to 155 he would be unstoppable, his strength advantage would be so insane, he is already far stronger than all other WWs (bar Rumble) never mind LW
I don't think Anderson can make it that low so there goes that fight!
I don't think either could successfully go that low. I'm calling the bluff.
Remember, Gsp is only five ten, think about the size of the guys at middleweight, stann six foot one, sonnen, six foot one.
Anderson six two, bisping and mayhem both well over six foot.
Gsp will be outsized massively.
by an inch or 2 and he would still have a reach advantage over those guys other than mayhem. Palhares, Cote, Dan Henderson, Vanderlei Silva, Chris Leben( has a tall head), Akiyama, Court McGee, Yang Dongi, Solomon Hutcherson, Jason Lambert, Paulo Filho( now light heavyweight at 5'8''), Dennis Kang, Marvin Eastman. All those fighters are at GSP's height average and 2 are only 5'8''. GSP would be smaller than Anderson I admit but not by a huge margin and his reach is nearly the same as well as he has more power.
Makes more sense to me. I rather see GSP drop down than move up cause he'd be outsized at 185. There is plenty of talent in the lightweight division to keep GSP occupied. As for Silva I'd rather see him in a super fight with Jon Jones, that fight makes more sense to me because silva has fough in light heavy weight and dominated. Dont why people are so excited about GSP and Silva when GSP himself is not that enthusiastic about it
This is stupid. How's he going to drop out of a weight class that he's dominated for a good while now?
And cain velasquez is a huge heavyweight right? cmon size isnt always the issue. As a man mautures he puts on weight not take it off. I find the idea of the cut ludicris and will prove to be harder than they thought if it should happen. Stay at WW and just do you George!
If anderson silva was in the weight class above me hell, id drop to featherweight! Im sure thats what my team would recommend to ; )
I think he'd get worked sorry gsp fans
Aside from Silva the MW does not have many match ups I have any great interest of seeing, but at LW there's so many.
For those spouting the usual dribble os GSP is scared etc, when was the last time you faced ANYONE in a FIGHT and stayed as composed as what GSP does? Ya'll do a great dis-service to MMA with your infantile puke.
For those who think gSP would be massive, I suggest you take a closer look at just how big many LWs are these days. Many are of similar stature to GSP and cutting. Could GSP be champ at LW? Of course he could, but for me the LW belt is the toughest in MMA there's everbeen as the depth of the divison is beyond anything MMA has ever witnessed before. I'd love to see GSP down there as there's many great match ups I'd love to see. Same for BJ, it's a pity Edgar put a number on him as BJ is a natural LW and belongs there and would still be one the men to beat at the weight.