If you’re a GSP fan, there were probabally some stressful moments for you in his fight against Michael Bisping, making his return to the Octagon after 4 years off. A lot changed since GSP was away. Mighty Mouse made huge strikes towards being considered the greatest fighter of all time with some very impressive wins, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones both stepped a peg back in the rankings after drug test issues, but it’s hard to argue that the title of GREATEST FIGHTER OF ALL TIME doesn’t belong to Georges St-Pierre.
Prior to tonight, it was definitely up for discussion, there were a few names in the mix, but to come back after 4 years and win the belt a weight class higher than the one he’d cleared out is really something special.
GSP seemed almost giddy leading up to the fight, a far stretch from his usual nerves and anxiety that we’d see before fights. This new, relaxed GSP was a lot more aggressive than we’ve seen him lately, coming on strong in the first round but running into a little trouble as he began to tire. With Firas Zahabi and Freddie Roach in his corner, GSP was probabally entering this fight with one of the strongest corners to ever support a fighter in the UFC.
With his face completely covered in blood, on the verge of being gasses, he overcame the odds and cemented his legacy as the G.O.A.T.
It was an epic night of fights all around, perhaps some other fights we watched tonight will be knocking on the door eventually, but for now – it’s GSP’s night.
GSP’s first UFC fight was all the way back in 2002, since then he’s gone 26-2, avenging both losses in stunning fashion. His last stoppage win was against BJ Penn in their rematch in 2009, nearly a decade ago, but he broke the streak tonight against Bisping.
It’s unclear what’s next for GSP, it sounds like he plans on moving back down to Welterweight if he’s going to be fighting again. Let’s assume he looks even better in his home weight class, do you think any of the current guys are going to be able to stop him? There’s always that passing of the guard moment when an older fighter finally gets bested by a rising star.
Robert Whitaker probabally isn’t too upset, he’s the interim MW champion, and if there’s no champion to unify the belt with (Assuming GSP retires or drops back down to 170), it’s possible that they’d just make his belt whole as he faces his next challenger.
Whatever happens next, UFC 217 was a very special night of fights.
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