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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Georges St-Pierre faced the best of the best in his fighting career, but there was one opponent he wanted no part of.

“GSP” is well known for his interests outside of MMA, and it was during a trip to Rwanda that the former two-division UFC champion had a close encounter with a fearsome creature, the infamous silverback gorilla. To survive the encounter, St-Pierre had only one option: Submit.

“I have a funny story,” St-Pierre said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “I actually got chased by a silverback gorilla. I was in Rwanda, I did gorilla trekking and we had a guide that was with us. He’s with the same family of gorilla every day and he told us the rules. So if a gorilla looks at you, a silverback, you don’t look at him. You don’t eat in front of him, you don’t take flash photo. And if he comes toward you, don’t run away, just get out of the way and make yourself in a submissive pose, and that’s what happened. He looked at me, he went toward me, and I get out of the way and I put my knees on the floor like this, and I was like, ‘Please, please.’

“When you see a gorilla [on TV] and when you see one live, it’s very different. I could see his muscle definition through the fur. I was like, ‘S***.’ He looked under his arm and then the guide gave me the hand and kind of rescued me, but it was just a test. He told me the reason why [the gorilla] turned his back to me, it was because he wanted to show me how much not of a threat I am for him. I’m going to give you my most vulnerable position to show you that you can do nothing. It’s very, very smart.”

St-Pierre compiled a 20-2 record during his time with the UFC, winning 12 welterweight title fights, capturing the middleweight belt in his comeback fight in 2017, and earning victories against a laundry list of legends, including Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn, Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, and Carlos Condit. But on this day, he wisely chose to avoid a fight with an animal that seemed content to toy with him.

Back in 2018, St-Pierre shared video of himself following an encounter with a gorilla, though it’s unclear if that is the incident he’s referring to in this interview.

St-Pierre’s passion and respect for wildlife extended into his in-cage life apparently. He explained how studying the movement of a snake served as inspiration for his striking.

“My jab is based on a snake,” St-Pierre said. “The snake folds itself in to create a false feeling of security of his prey, so his prey doesn’t know, it thinks it’s safe, but it folds itself and then it launches. It’s like my jab. I fold myself in. [St-Pierre mimes throwing jab.] So I create a false feeling of security to my opponent. It’s an illusion. You think I cannot touch you, but I go ‘ding’ and I touch you.”

Now, St-Pierre is able to share a laugh about the terrifying experience with Pound 4 Pound hosts Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, and he even encouraged the former UFC champions to go on their own gorilla trek someday both for the experience and to fund wildlife preservation.

Cejudo said that he would only consider it under one condition: “If I go with Georges.”

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Ahead of next month’s massive UFC 300 card in Las Vegas, the promotion released a new promotional video ahead of the event – featuring a slew of dream fights that never happened, including event headliner, Alex Pereira against the late knockout artist, Anthony Johnson, and a disappointingly failed clash of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Returning to a pay-per-view schedule next month with a monumental UFC 300 card, the promotion fields three championship fights on the main card, with the above-mentioned, Pereira meeting Jamahal Hill, Zhang Weili tackling Yan Xiaonan for strawweight spoils, while Justin Gaethje defends BMF title honors against Max Holloway.

New promotional video for UFC 300 releases overnight

Also featured on the stacked card are the likes of Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, Jiri Prochazka, Aleksandar Rakic, Aljamain Sterling, Holly Holm, Kayla Harrison, Jim Miller, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Cody Garbrandt to name a few.

And during last night’s broadcast at UFC Atlantic City, the organization released a new promotional video ahead of UFC 300 – previewing a slew of failed dream fights, much to fan interest, and criticizm to boot.

Amongst the inclusion of Khabib’s failed title fight with Ferguson, fans also saw hypothetical in-fight action and pre-fight faces offs of Daniel Cormier x Mark Coleman, welterweight greats, Matt Hughes x Kamaru Usman, Joanna Jedrzejczyk against current flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, renowned star, Chuck Liddell against Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey against Valentina Shevchenko, Frank Mir x Tom Aspinall, B.J. Penn versus Max Holloway, and a middleweight clash of fan-favorite, Nick Diaz and ex-champion, Sean Strickland. 

With UFC 300 just two weeks out ahead of a return to the Apex facility next month for a headlining rematch between Brendan Allen, and Chris Curtis, fan expectation is through the roof on a much scrutinized card in ‘Sin City’.

Are you excited to take in UFC 300 in two weeks?

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Nate Landwehr continues to live up to his reputation.

The 35-year-old featherweight cashed yet another Performance of the Night bonus check on Saturday for his electric knockout of Jamall Emmers at UFC Atlantic City.

Widely hailed as one of the most exciting fighters in the 145-pound division, Landwehr stormed back from early trouble to spark out Emmers with a flurry of punches in the closing seconds of the opening round, giving “The Train” his fourth $ 50,000 post-fight bonus over his past five UFC appearances.

The night’s other Performance of the Night bonus went to Dennis Buzukja, who snapped a two-fight losing streak and earned his first UFC victory with a third-round knockout of Connor Matthews on the undercard.

UFC Atlantic City took place March 30 at New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall.

Light heavyweights Ibo Aslan and Anton Turkalj cashed the event’s final two bonuses, garnering Fight of the Night honors for their rematch, which saw Aslan get revenge with a third-round knockout four years after losing to Turkalj on the regional scene.

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Headlined by a number one contender clash between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot, UFC on ESPN 54 showcased many brilliant performances from the opening bout to the last.

As the dust settled on the event, the UFC revealed the competitors who would be handed an additional incentive for their performances. 

Fight of the Night Bonus

If you missed the prelims of UFC on ESPN 54, you missed an action-packed number of fights, but arguably none better than the light heavyweight affair between two Contender Series alumni, Anton Turkalj and debutant Ibo Aslan.

The pair slugged it out, throwing heavy leather until Aslan landed a powerful overhand right, bringing an end to the fight in the final round. The newcomer capped off an impressive debut performance with a statement finish.

Performance of the Night Bonus

Known for his ability to out-grit anybody who stands across the cage from him, Nate Landwehr was forced to do just that once again earlier tonight.

The proud Tennessee native fought his way through adversity and an early knockdown scare to score his first knockout win under the UFC banner. Despite looking incredible from the opening bell, Jamall Emmers was overwhelmed by Nate ‘The Train’s perseverance.

Related: UFC on ESPN 54 Results: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot

Performance of the Night Bonus

Entering the octagon in danger of being cut, Dennis Buzukja was desperate to snap his two-fight skid. To get back into the winners’ column, ‘The Great’ had to bypass the dangerous Connor Matthews and he did just that.

Buzukja secured his first knockout in almost three years when he landed a beautifully executed left hook, which was then followed up by some ground and pound.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the 26-year-old under the tutelage of Ray Longo and he finally got to showcase himself after a nightmare start to his UFC career.

💰 After a record-tying set of fights, these fighters are leaving Atlantic City with some more cash for their efforts. #UFCAtlanticCity

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 31, 2024

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Manon Fiorot didn’t have much time to celebrate her win over Erin Blanchfield at UFC Atlantic City before she was transported to a local hospital for precautionary reasons rather than appear at the event’s post-fight press conference.

Typically, anyone enduring a tough fight or facing any kind of serious injury will be transported rather than sticking around to speak to media after an event.

The good news is sources close to Fiorot’s camp told MMA Fighting that it was “nothing serious” regarding any potential injuries after the fight and Fiorot was “laughing and smiling” as she made her way to the hospital to get checked out.

Fiorot pitched a shutout in her first UFC main event, winning lopsided 50-45 scorecards across the boards as she blanked Blanchfield in every round. Her dominant victory came largely thanks to an effective counter-striking game that allowed Fiorot to stick and move while cracking Blanchfield with punches dozens of times over the course of five rounds.

Blanchfield struggled to close the distance on the taller Fiorot, who also displayed great strength to continuously shrug off every grappling attempt from her opponent.

Following the win, Fiorot made her intentions clear that she wanted a title shot next and hopes to face the winner of the upcoming trilogy fight between reigning flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko later this year.

“I fought everyone in the category. I want the title, that’s it,” Fiorot shouted. “I’m ready no matter what, I want my title shot.”

The only thing working against Fiorot right now might be timing.

Grasso and Shevchenko are currently coaching the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, with all signs pointing towards a trilogy between them taking place in September. If Fiorot waits, she could potentially end up sitting out the rest of 2024, but that risk may be worth the reward if she gets her shot at UFC gold.

That time off will also allow Fiorot to rest up and recover following her five-round performance on Saturday, as she remained undefeated in the UFC with a perfect 7-0 record.

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