It only takes a moment. A lifetime of work can either be undone by one mistake or vindicated a single inspired throw of the dice. Titles can be lost in the blink of a eye or can be saved at the very last minute. With so much going on in a fight, with there being so many different ways to win and lose, even the most revered fighter cannot walk into the Octagon without the fear of defeat.
George St. Pierre knows this better than most, when the likes of BJ Penn and Fedor Emelianenko were in the middle of their legendary eight year undefeated streaks the then newly crowned World Welterweight Champion made his first title defense against Matt Serra. There was every reason to discount Serra; he was a natural lightweight, hadn’t defeated a single ranked welterweight and had earned his title shot by winning a reality show. And in the midst of personal problems, St. Pierre did take Serra lightly and would pay for it dearly. In one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, Serra would catch and finish the champion and become one of the unlikeliest world champions in combat sports history.
Whenever a fighter loses they look to the next match to reestablish themselves but if they’ve lost when they should’ve won the comeback match takes on even greater importance. A resounding victory may be taken as proof that a fighter’s career is back on track or that the previous loss was a fluke. Additionally, promotions are often keen to fast track formerly dominant champions back into title contention with just a single comeback victory. But should a fighter lose for the second time in succession then not only will it prove that the first loss was no fluke and lead many to conclude that they are ‘washed up’, but it makes a quick return to main events and world title contention almost impossible. Such is the pressure on fighters in these situations, it’s no surprise that the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Miguel Torres and most recently BJ Penn have all in recent years lost that crucial comeback fight.
For St. Pierre that moment of truth came on August 25th when he faced four-time All-American wrestler Josh Koscheck. In the lead up to the fight doubts were raised about St. Pierre’s mental strength and his punch resistance. However St. Pierre was changing as a person and a fighter. With the support of a sports psychologist, he began to understand his loss to Serra and learned how to develop the concentration necessary to perform at his best in every fight. His fighting style would also change with St. Pierre deciding to capitalize on his improving ground game by leading with his wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
Even before UFC 74 St. Pierre was openly saying that the Serra loss was the best thing that had ever happened to him and had made him a better person, let alone fighter. He would prove that this wasn’t bluster, dominating Koscheck in a fight that showed the full breadth of his skills; with his uniquely well-rounded game combining the most technically sound striking in MMA with devastating takedowns and dominant jiu-jitsu. He has not had a single round given against him since the opening five minutes against Koscheck and has demolished top contenders such as BJ Penn, Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves. And in The Ultimate Fighter 12 and the World Title fight in Montreal he will once again face the man against whom his current run of success begun, Josh Koscheck.
