The Guest UnderGround Blog is courtesy of Nick Osipczak, 5x UFC veteran, and semi-finalist on TUF 9. He is the founder of the international Mindful Movements program – combining the best training methods from the Martial Arts, Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi-Gong and Meditation.

This Saturday, the two fighters with the most wins in UFC history face off in Madison Square Garden, New York.

Georges St. Pierre returns to the Octagon after a three-year layoff, moving up a weight division for the first time to take on middleweight champion Michael Bisping. GSP is the greatest welterweight ever, winning his last twelve fights in a row and managing to erase the only two blips his record contains in emphatic fashion.

Michael Bisping has already successfully defended his title once, but the Brit has still not received the respect a champion deserves. Perhaps this is because of the brash and antagonistic caricature he likes to present to fans and fighters alike; but one thing is for certain – he always shows up to fight.

I have been fortunate enough to have sparred and learned from both these UFC legends, including being captained by Bisping for The Ultimate Fighter, season 9. In this blog, I will share my opinion on how the fight will go, and the keys to victory GSP needs to use in order to overcome the biggest challenge of his career.

Georges opens up as the slight favorite for this bout (currently -130, with Bisping bets offering even returns), and it would be hard to make him the underdog given his prolific record for figuring out every opponent that has ever been put in front of him. He is an incredibly cerebral fighter, who utilizes a philosophy based simply on taking his opponent out of their comfort zone. With a takedown accuracy rate of 74% (putting him at number 2 on the all-time UFC stats list), Georges’ bread-and-butter is to bring the fight to the canvas and maintain top position. This is a strategy he has been perfecting for over a decade against increasingly skilled opponents who have trained specifically to try and stop this exact scenario from unfolding. Combining an explosive drive with an impeccable understanding of timing, Georges is a master of lowering his level and penetrating through the other fighter just as they begin to shift their weight forward.

I have experienced this first-hand, as GSP took me down three times in a single round, each time without effort or strain. This certainly left me with a lot to ponder after the session, as I tried to replay the moments in my mind to deduce what tells I was giving off to let Georges know when it was safe to close the distance and swiftly bring the fight to the floor.

I was left with a new found respect for Georges that day after he kindly gave me some pointers for my wrestling after I offered some feedback on his striking. Not content with merely having explained the principle behind the technique, he made a point of having me execute the takedown two times to ensure I had properly integrated it. For a while after that day, I was very impressed with how generous Georges was with sharing his knowledge, until later down the line it dawned on me that on some level he was just implementing the karmic law of what you give, you will receive … a display of just one of the many ways that Georges knows how to continue his development as a martial artist and as a person. It is all too easy to plateau once you reach expert-status in any field, but if mastery is what you aim for, then you must constantly be on the lookout for new ways to attract the kind of information that will help you.

Seeking knowledge is like opening doors. And I know the doors are everywhere. Georges St. Pierre

Georges and I after a sparring session at Roger Gracie Academy, London

But Michael Bisping is no stranger to the wrestling archetype. His resume displays wins over the likes of Dan Henderson, C.B. Dollaway, Matt Hamill… and he only narrowly missed out in a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans at light heavyweight (which would prompt his move to the middleweight division).

Bisping’s footwork makes him a more difficult target to time a takedown on. Influenced heavily by his boxing experience, his feet are always moving – looking to change the distance and create angles. And one of Mike’s best weapons has always been his cardio; boasting a resting heart rate of just 34 beats per minute – a testament to his supernatural work ethic. This will come in extra handy if GSP is successful in his takedowns attempts because Bisping will need to have enough energy to bounce right back up off the canvas and resume his pugilistic offense.

Wrestling is often referred to as the most tiring of the critical skill sets that are required by any top-tier fighter, so given the step-up in weight for GSP, it’s likely that this is where the fight will be won or lost. If Bisping can manage to get back to his feet within a few seconds of being taken down, then not only will this dishearten his opponent, but Georges will also most likely have expended more energy in the exchange.

Scheduled for 5 rounds, and factoring in a considerable size advantage for Mike (expected to be 15-20lbs), I predict that if Bisping can bounce-back up from the first 5 takedowns, then we will soon start to see a gap appear in the gas-levels between the two contestants. Mike will smell blood and increase the pressure, making George a little wilder in his striking, and leaving him more susceptible to receiving blows. Not powerful, knockout strikes, but enough to make Georges doubt himself and enter a more anxious state, which in turn will fatigue him further.

We can also expect Mike to attempt at least one double-leg takedown of his own at some point during this contest, to keep Georges honest. Should he gain success with the takedown, it is most unlikely that Mike will be able to keep Georges under control for very long in my opinion. From the briefest of glimpses we’ve seen of GSP working off of his back in the five and a half hours Octagon time he has racked up, he has always made quick work of getting a sweep or creating enough space to stand up… one example being against the incredibly durable and strong wrestler – John Fitch.

It is interesting to note that in the corner of GSP will be legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach, widely regarded as one of the best boxing coaches of all time, and long-term mentor to Manny Pacquiao. This is the first time Roach will be cornering for an MMA fight, and undoubtedly he will have been brought in to help nullify Bisping’s most utilized offense – his fists.

One of the main reasons Rush has taken such a long hiatus from the sport is because, by his own admittance, he started to take too much damage in his later fights. His last seven bouts all went the distance, and in his last three fights, he received more head-shots than in all his other fights combined since becoming the champion. Someone who is as intelligent as GSP (who speaks four languages), will surely be cognizant of the damage that is being sustained to his brain, and he has openly discussed the mental suffering he experienced as a result of the pressures of being a long-standing Champion. OCD, insomnia, anxiety, memory loss… the fun had left the sport for Georges who couldn’t maintain a work-life balance that he was happy with anymore.

I can relate to what Georges has been going through the last few years because I took five years out from MMA competition myself. Fighting had become too much of a job, and it’s easy to drift away from what first draws one to the sport.

Georges says he has continued to train the whole time he has been away from competition, and I am inclined to believe him… albeit with a different approach to training, I’m sure, as to the one when in fight-camp mode. Once the pressure of an upcoming competition is removed, space frees up to have fun training again… working on what you feel like working on, as opposed to only doing what you are being told to do, or what you think you should be doing. Rarer skills can be developed and refined, holes can be filled, and perhaps most importantly – the body can heal itself. This is a process that takes a long time for any athlete, especially a professional MMA fighter who has pushed through so many injuries in order to fulfill a contractual obligation or simply to gain remuneration.

Most fighters never have the luxury of being able to take enough time off in order to heal all the small, niggling injuries which normally one isn’t even aware of due to spending so much time in an amped-up state. This firing on all cylinders, or overtraining to put it more simply, is most prevalent in professional sports due to the relatively-short career spans available. The athlete wants to maximise revenue from the limited times their bodies can compete at an elite level, and create momentum for their profiles by competing as regularly as possible.

Ring-rust is a factor for some, but after being hit a couple of times, it doesn’t take long to adjust in my opinion, and luckily for Georges – Mike is not well known for his power-punching. His style is much more volume-based, averaging 4.44 significant strikes landed per minute – keeping a high pace and waiting for his opponents to buckle under the relentless pressure.

Although I had sparred with Mike a few times before my stint on TUF 9, it was there in Vegas that I really got a feel for his game. I have heard many people over the years say Mike is over-rated, but let me tell you – he is much more effective in person than he looks on the screen, with a particularly under-appreciated ground game. With only one submission loss in 37 fights, he is very effective at maintaining good positioning on the ground, nullifying any submission attempts, and quickly looking for the scramble to get back to his feet.

What impressed me most about Mike was his work-ethic. Come rain or shine, hung-over or sober, Bisping would always push himself harder than anyone in the room, as if proving a point to himself. And fair play to the man – it has paid off for him… sporting success paid for by blood, sweat, and tears. Widely considered as not being the most skillful or aesthetically fantastic fighter, he has made an incredibly memorable career out of being solid in all areas, always turning up in excellent condition, and displaying that never say quit British attitude. He owns excellent guard-recovery skills, and likes to use the cage to help himself back to his feet… something that I’m sure we will witness against Rush on Saturday.

If GSP turns up with a fully regenerated mind and body, fighting with the hunger and ferocity he displayed back in 2008 (a long time ago – I know), then I pick him to win by decision or TKO. If it’s TKO, then chances are it will be a result of a cut inflicted by an elbow thrown from within the guard. If Georges doesn’t turn up in peak condition and the fire has gone from his belly, which could well be evident if he gets off to a slow start, I say Mike takes it by decision – outpointing GSP in the striking department and finishing stronger in the championship rounds.

Tune in to watch this historic card on Saturday 4th November, which will also feature two other title fights. The Count has been on a roll taking names recently… let’s see if his boxing skills, takedown defense, size advantage, and conditioning will prove too much for the French-Canadian to overcome. Or will GSP regain the spotlight and take his already-cemented Hall of Fame status to the next level by becoming only the 4th man in history to conquer titles in multiple UFC weight divisions?

Sparring session featuring five UFC fighters, Nottingham, UK

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