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Georges St. Pierre said he's going to try to wrestle for Canada in 2012. Competing for your country in the Olympics is an amazing feat, and a worthy goal for a competitor like St. Pierre. There is one problem, though. Canada is already pretty well stocked with wrestlers at 74 kg (163 lbs.), the weight GSP would likely compete at.
Matt Gentry, an NCAA champion for Stanford University, represented Canada at the 2008 Olympics at 74 kg. Now an assistant coach at Stanford, Gentry plans to try for the Olympics again in 2012. He points out that having GSP in the mix could strengthen Canada's delegation, but it isn't easy to get there.
"Evan McDonald is the number one guy in Canada at that weight. If St. Pierre comes in, there's going to be a lot of depth at that weight," Gentry told Cagewriter. "That kind of depth is only going to make our country better. It will make the representative who ends up competing more tested, and they'll have to work harder to earn that spot, which will pay off in the long run."
McDonald wrestled for Canada in the world championships this past September. If GSP were to try to wrestle in the Olympics, he would need to get through both Gentry and McDonald. With such little freestyle wrestling experience, it could be difficult.
"He does have good takedowns, he does have good blast doubles, but it's hard to make the comparison," Gentry said. "But [MMA fighters] stand upright. I've seen those blast doubles, and he's certainly a horse in terms of conditioning, but it is pretty different. It's such a technical sport."
Yes, St. Pierre is very adept at using wrestling during fights. However, there is a huge difference between taking down a striker like Thiago Alves at will and trying to do the same against Buvaisar Saitiev, the Russian gold medalist at GSP's weight class and one of the most dominant wrestlers of the past decade.
Just qualifying your country's weight class for the Olympics is a difficult feat. It requires the wrestler to take a top eight placing at the 2011 World Championships, win their continental championship -- for GSP, it would be the Pan-American Championships -- or win one of the two qualifying tournaments. How hard is that? Only one country, Russia, qualified wrestlers in every weight class for Beijing. Out of eighteen weight classes, Canada qualified ten of them in 2008.
Making Canada's team is also a time-intensive feat. GSP would need to start with the Canadian national championships in 2011 to become part of the ladder of competitors for the Olympic Trials. After that, GSP would need to win the Canadian Olympic Trials, usually held in December of the year before the Olympics. This would tie up GSP for more than a year.
Still, Gentry isn't going to look past St. Pierre if he does try for the Olympics.
"He's a competitor, I'm sure that he'll be tough to beat, no matter what he's competing in."
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'03 PPW Track: Greddy EVOII (FS), JWT, Nismo, RAYS, Ichiba, Falken, Muteki, Tanabe GF210, 15% sides and rear 45% up front, Acura (ask if you must) Etc.
this would be simply a move based on ego, and pride. cause their aint no money in competiting for canada in the olympics.
and sure its hard to compare an MMA fighter to a wrestler. but one thing we have seen from GSP, is he can adapt himself to win. which is why he is still on top. so i dont see any reason, he couldnt adapt himself to win at wrestling??
the only problem is, what happens to his role in the ufc??
Who honestly wouldn't want to compete for their country in the Olympics? Of course it's for pride, but why does everything have to be for money?
well if youre rich already. thats one thing. but to be able to train full time, hold down a full time job, and manage to be competitive on a world venue. thats near impossible. which is why canada sucks so bad at the olympics, cause we dont pay our athletes.
i think its great GSP wants to go after the olympics. but it basically forfeits him from the UFC, which i dont like.
the reason everything has to be about money. is because the world operates on money. you cant get food and shelter without it.
It's not like GSP has a long line of contenders. He's owned pretty much everyone... is anyone really looking forward to GSP/Hardy, GSP/Swick & GSP/Daley?
He has one superfight at 185. He's obviously a competitor... if he wants to do wrestling, fencing, gymnastics, whatever I say go do it.
How does this work for his sponsors? He just signed a multi-year deal with Under Armour
Sports apparel giant Under Armour today announced it has signed UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to a multi-year endorsement deal.
St-Pierre will serve as the face of Under Armour's Underwear, one of the company's most popular items, and will be featured in its multi-platform media campaign beginning this holiday season.
St-Pierre is the first MMA fighter to score such a major deal with the company.
"It is quite an honor for me to represent Under Armour," St-Pierre said in today's release. "I have always appreciated the quality of their products, and to be partners with them is a dream come true."
St-Pierre began his pro career in 2002 and made his UFC debut two years later. The 28-year-old French-Canadian, who's won 12 of his past 13 fights, currently is in his second title reign and recently defended his belt against Thiago Alves in July. St-Pierre, now one of the sport's most recognizable fighters, is expected to fight next in the first quarter of 2010.
St-Pierre will be the face of specific Under Armor products, including the BoxerJock and BoxerBrief lines and Recharge suit, beginning in early 2010.
"Not only is Georges one of the biggest stars in one of the fastest growing sports in the world, but his dedication to training and making himself the best at what he does aligns perfectly with our brand's mission to make all athletes better," Under Armour Senior Vice President (Brand) Steve Battista stated. "When we found out that he was a fan of ours, we jumped on the opportunity to bring him into the Under Armour family."
Under Armor has a small roster of top-level athletes who have signed similar agreements. They include the NFL's Ray Lewis, Devin Hester, Santana Moss and Brandon Jacobs; MLB's Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Markakis and Alfonso Soriano; downhill skier Lindsey Vonn; and U.S. Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis.
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'03 PPW Track: Greddy EVOII (FS), JWT, Nismo, RAYS, Ichiba, Falken, Muteki, Tanabe GF210, 15% sides and rear 45% up front, Acura (ask if you must) Etc.
GSP wants to wrestle in the Olympics? It's not that easy
Of course it's for pride, but why does everything have to be for money?
