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“Analyzing match-ups in any combative sport has its challenges. Some writers like to go with their instincts or “gut feeling” while others, like myself, go with the proven methods of reviewing tape, breaking down styles, or even mathematically analyzing statistics. In Chicago, people call that the difference between Lou Pinella and Dusty Baker, yet the outcome has been the same.

Mixed martial arts isn’t any different. We could analyze a match-up for days and come to the conclusion that nine times out of ten, the champion defeats the challenger. Unfortunately, MMA has that factor that could quite possibly be one of the sole reasons why it is so popular. Anything can happen at any time between two fighters. Ray Mercer knocks out Tim Sylvia, Matt Serra TKO’s Georges St. Pierre, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou KO’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Saturday night’s UFC Welterweight Championship showdown between Georges St. Pierre (19-2, 14-2 UFC) and Dan Hardy (23-6, 4-0 UFC) will likely need to end in one of these fantasy-turned-reality outcomes in order for the title to change hands. Some might call my analysis a bit overstated in favor of Georges St. Pierre, but let’s look at the facts.

St. Pierre enters this contest following six straight victories against the who’s who of the UFC’s welterweight division. He dominated Thiago Alves, made B.J. Penn quit on his stool, punched Jon Fitch’s face until he was nearly unrecognizable, walloped Matt Serra into tapping from knees to the body, submitted Matt Hughes, and beat Josh Koscheck.

Dan Hardy barely beat Akihiro Gono, and some would say Gono won. He out punched, in my opinion, an overrated Mike Swick, split decision’d Marcus Davis, and impressively knocked out Rory Markham. I don’t really care for the side-by-side comparison as both men have different styles, but the names on these lists is something to take into account. Obviously, Georges St. Pierre has battled the best of the best while Hardy is only now entering those waters.

Stylistically, Hardy has the counter punching ability to be a menace on the feet while Georges St. Pierre has had some issues in the past with his chin and striking. As we’ve seen over the course of the last couple of years however, St. Pierre has improved incredibly on his feet. He’s dynamic, quick, and powerful, and Hardy will need to be very accurate and time his punches well to have a chance at exposing St. Pierre’s chin.

On the ground, Georges St. Pierre has an incredible advantage. While plenty of fans will tell me that Hardy’s training at 10th Planet with Eddie Bravo and his status as a solid Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler shouldn’t be overlooked, it’s inevitable that it will be forgotten. St. Pierre is the epitome of what a controlling wrestler with grappling knowledge and immense strength can do to opponents. He’s dominating in top control, devastating in his offense on the ground, and strong enough to counter reversals and submit opponents. It’s going to be a long night once St. Pierre wrestles an opponent to the floor.

On paper, Georges St. Pierre crushes Dan Hardy inside two rounds in my opinion. The only shot, much like my opinion of Shane Carwin, is a “puncher’s chance”. If Hardy can time St. Pierre out of the gate, which he has never proven to be true as it took him quite some time to feel out Mike Swick, he could put his knuckles on St. Pierre’s chin and stun the world as Matt Serra once did.

Is there a chance it could happen? Of course, but I’ll take the odds in this fight. I’ve always liked the fact that Hardy’s defense is high and solid among all of the Team Rough House members, but I’m more worried about his abilities on the floor. Can anyone stop the menacing power of Georges St. Pierre as he pounds on his opponents from top control? I’d venture to say that a better Josh Koscheck stands a chance if he can outwrestle St. Pierre, but Dan Hardy? I’m not sold.”

by Leland Roling , you can watch the original here : http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/3/27/1391593/ufc-111-preview-can-dan-hardy-beat

“NEW YORK — The best welterweight fighter in the world lives with fear. Georges St. Pierre fears losing. He fears mental lapses. He fears being knocked out, like he was three years ago, or being forced to submit, like he was three years before that.

“I am always afraid,” St. Pierre said. “No matter what. A guy who is not afraid is a liar.”

St. Pierre (19-2) is without parallel in his 170-pound division, a supreme athlete who might move up a weight class or switch sports in the near-future. In the direct present, he will headline UFC 111 tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark against Britain’s Dan Hardy (23-6).

Yet he retains his apprehension. He practices positive visualization to dull his worries, but he still loses sleep. He loathes waiting for fights. The octagon does not provide catharsis, either.

“I’m uncomfortable,” St. Pierre said. “You’re never in a comfort zone, because the fight can change in a split second.”

Fans might wonder why St. Pierre, a 28-year-old French-Canadian ranked near the top of most pound-for-pound lists in the sport, feels fear. But fear is part of what drives him. It keeps him sharp. He is a man who avenged both of his losses in UFC — Matt Hughes in 2004, Matt Serra in 2007 — with knockout victories in the rematches. He manhandled B.J. Penn in their superfight at UFC 94 last January.

Tonight, St. Pierre is a prohibitive favorite. During a question and answer session with fans on Wednesday, a boy asked Hardy if he was nervous. “I’m aware of the possibilities at the end of the fight on Saturday night,” Hardy said. “But I’m not afraid of them.”

Hardy sports a raspberry-red Mohawk and a crooked row of bottom teeth. St. Pierre’s head is shaved clean. Besides a blemish above his left eye and a scar near his hairline, his face is unmarked. His straight teeth gleam.

St. Pierre is a clinical, precise fighter. Mistakes are rare. He excels at taking opponents to the ground and imposing his will. Some fighters talk about heart. They talk about faith. St. Pierre talks about odds. He talks about science.

“If I had to point out the ultimate Ultimate Fighter, that would be Georges St. Pierre,” said Robert Drysdale, the jiu-jitsu instructor of Frank Mir, who fights Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight title on the undercard. “It’s the mindset. It’s the technique. It’s the mentality — he doesn’t have an ego. He trains hard.”

For this fight, St. Pierre added five pounds of muscle. He spent Christmas in the United Arab Emirates to avoid distractions, he said.

After tonight, more challenges loom. Earlier this year, St. Pierre caused a stir when he mentioned trying out for the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team. There is talk he could move up to face Anderson Silva, the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and the middleweight (185-pound) champion since 2006.

UFC president Dana White will consider it. The company stands behind St. Pierre. The Newark show sold out in minutes. “People love this guy,” White said.

For now, St. Pierre thinks about Hardy. The fight crowds his thoughts.

As a boy growing up in Quebec, he fantasized about being a fighter. He saw his future. He still does that.

In his mind, he has already won this fight thousands of time. He met reporters during a Manhattan workout session on Thursday. There was a lull in questions, St. Pierre would say later. He began to visualize the fight during the interim.

“The closer the fight gets, the more I do it,” St. Pierre said.

He sees the octagon. He anticipates Hardy’s moves. He considers the options, then counters. He wins and sleeps well after the fight.

Then, at least for a moment, the fear subsides.”

By Andy McCullough/The Star-Ledger
you can read the original here : http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/03/georges_st_pierre_looks_to_def.html

Weigh-ins for this month’s “UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones” event take place Saturday, March 20, at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield (near Denver), Colo.

The same venue hosts the following night’s first-ever Versus-broadcast UFC event, which features a headliner of Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones and three other televised bouts.

The weigh-ins begin at 6 p.m. ET (4 p.m. MT local time), and doors open at 5 p.m. ET.

As always, the event is free and open to the public.

The promotion has not yet announced any additional activities, such as an autograph session or UFC Fan Club Q&A, planned for the afternoon.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will be on scene and reporting live from the upcoming event. We’ll also have our traditional live video feed of the fighter weigh-ins.

The latest UFC on Versus 1 card includes:

MAIN CARD

* Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
* Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
* Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo

PRELIMINARY CARD

* James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara
* Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida
* Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
* John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
* Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
* Julio Paulino vs. Mike Pierce
* Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer
* Darren Elkins vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig

by MMAjunkie.com Staff, you can read the original here : http://mmajunkie.com/news/18192/ufc-on-versus-1-vera-vs-jones-weigh-ins-set-for-march-20-1stbank-center.mma