• Are Rory MacDonald and Georges St-Pierre Headed Down the Same Path as Jones vs. Evans

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    Kickass32
    Published on 07-27-2012 03:08 PM
    19 Comments Comments

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    Are Rory MacDonald and Georges St-Pierre Headed Down the Same Path as Jones vs. Evans?

    Posted on July 27, 2012 by Damon Martin



    “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
    ~ Hamlet


    The age-old tale of teammates not wanting to fight one another is always a revalent story in the landscape of mixed martial arts because it always seems to happen.
    The most infamous case of two teammates who once upon a time vowed they would never face each other were Team Jackson fighters Rashad Evans and Jon Jones.
    At the time, Evans was the patriarch of the team, a former light heavyweight champion who had been a mainstay at the gym for years. Then young upstart Jon Jones came along and started his meteoric rise up the ranks of the 205lb weight class, but time and time again through every interview conducted, both Jones and Evans stated they would never fight each other.
    “[I would] absolutely not [fight Rashad Evans]. If Rashad Evans won the belt, which I’m hoping he does, my only goal would be to be the toughest contender there is, and keep whipping butt without being champion. I’d stay at 205 and be the second best. That would be my goal. As I said, I’m hoping he wins, we’re very proud of him. I can’t do it,” Jones told ESPN in late 2010.
    Unfortunately, Evans never got the chance to fight for the light heavyweight title because his planned bout against then champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua was scrapped after Evans suffered a knee injury in training. So with Evans out, his teammate and close friend Jon Jones was offered the opportunity to step in and compete for the title instead.
    Even at that point, Evans still wasn’t ready to say he’d face his teammate because friendship ran deeper than any title, or so we thought.
    “I’m not going to fight him,” Evans told MMA:30 just days after Jones was offered the shot against Rua. “We fight enough in practice. Everybody always said like ‘you’ve got to fight (Jon) Jones’ and I told Jon I was like ‘you know what man, I enjoy working with you as a teammate and I think whatever’s going to be for you, is for you, and whatever is for me, is for me, and the way it shapes out, it shapes out.”
    Jones went on to win the title, but soon after the championship changed hands, both competitors also started singing a whole different tune.
    Rashad Evans exited Greg Jackson’s camp and vowed never to return, and shouted with anger at how Jones had betrayed their pact to not fight each other when in another interview the new champion admitted that if UFC President Dana White wanted the fight to happen, it would have to happen.
    “It’s Dana’s world when you’re a UFC fighter and we live in it,” Jones said when speaking to Versus TV back in 2011. “So, I respect Dana a lot, and if that’s what he absolutely wanted to happen, I guess that’s what would have to happen. Me or Rashad would not want to get fired over the situation. It would just be majorly awkward for us.”
    The awkwardness obviously faded in favor of animosity as every dirty secret, every bad moment that ever occurred between Jones and Evans soon fell into the spotlight as the one-time teammates soon became heated rivals.
    Now, not every teammate vs. teammate situation will end as bitter as Jones vs. Evans did, but it’s hard to ignore the signs surrounding these types of scenarios as the ‘super camps’ continue to fill up with top talent in the same weight classes.
    Take for instance, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and 170lb prodigy Rory MacDonald. Both train under head coach Firas Zahabi at the Tristar gym in Montreal, and both have been quite adamant in the past that they would never, ever face each other.
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    “I’m not interested in fighting him. There are a lot of welterweights. I don’t think we have to do it now. In two years, who knows? Maybe I’ll go to middleweight,” St-Pierre told reporters at UFC 145 earlier this year where he attended as one of MacDonald’s cornermen.
    “He’s a friend, like a brother for me. I just hope the best for him and I know one day he’ll be world champion.”
    MacDonald has been singing the same tune about never fighting GSP, and how out of respect for his team and coaches, he’d take the backseat for now while St-Pierre continues to drive as welterweight champion.
    “It’s like this, Georges has seniority at our gym Tristar, Georges is a friend of mine, we’re training partners together. I don’t know about you but you probably don’t like to beat up your best friend, cut him, watch him bleed, cry, lose money, all that stuff, it sucks,” said MacDonald.
    “But there’s also a thing at our gym, I don’t want to get kicked out for one, I’m newer there, and Georges brought me in as a guy in his own weight division. I have to respect that you know? I have a long way to go in this career of mine, and in the UFC, and I want to wait till I am peaked to carry that title.”
    As MacDonald continues his climb up the welterweight ladder however it’s hard to ignore the similarities between his situation with St-Pierre and what happened not long ago between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.
    Recently, the often soft-spoken MacDonald has started to show the maturing process even when speaking to the media. In past interviews and press conferences, MacDonald seemed to defer to St-Pierre almost in a ‘big brother’ sort of way, learning and growing under the UFC’s welterweight champion.
    MacDonald is starting to become his own man however and that could eventually turn into him being a top contender standing right behind St-Pierre in the divisional rankings.
    “I’ve come to a point in my career where I don’t look up to anybody in this sport anymore,” MacDonald said at the UFC 152 pre-fight press conference earlier this week.
    “Yeah, Georges he’s a good friend of mine, but I don’t look up to anyone. He’s a regular guy and a great training partner for me and me for him so it works good together.”
    There is a calming influence in this situation as coach Firas Zahabi continues to lead and work with both St-Pierre and MacDonald, but Jones and Evans also had a fierce general heading up their training with legendary coach Greg Jackson at the helm.
    Both St-Pierre and MacDonald seem clear when saying they won’t fight each other, and right now it’s not even a matter that has to be discussed. St-Pierre is recovering from knee surgery and takes on Carlos Condit later this year, with another top welterweight contender being crowned in a fight between Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks.
    Meanwhile, MacDonald has his own biggest test coming up at UFC 152 in Toronto as he faces future UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn. Still if MacDonald wins, it’s going to be hard to ignore that he’s slowly but surely creeping up behind his friend and teammate in the welterweight rankings.
    UFC President Dana White has never understood the concept of teammates not fighting each other, especially with the biggest prize in the world on the line. He’s confident if they wanted St-Pierre vs. MacDonald to happen, it would happen.
    “Why are you in this? You’re in this to become the world champion. I guarantee you if Rory looks at (expletive) GSP’s bank account, he’ll want to beat the (expletive) out of him. That’s what it’s about,” White told MMAWeekly.com in April.
    “This is the fight business, not the friend business.”
    Are St-Pierre and MacDonald strong enough in their friendship and statements to stay the course and truly avoid each other for the foreseeable future or do we have another Jones vs. Evans situation brewing just beneath the surface?
    The next year in the UFC welterweight division should be an interesting scenario to watch unfold.

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    This article was originally published in forum thread: Are Rory MacDonald and Georges St-Pierre Headed Down the Same Path as Jones vs. Evans started by Kickass32 View original post
    Comments 19 Comments
    1. Mu_Shin's Avatar
      Mu_Shin - 07-29-2012, 03:59 AM
      Aside from the obvious need for Mr. Martin to learn to use spell-check, this was a good read. Have to really side with Dana White on this one: if you are good enough to compete for the title, you're good enough to fight a teammate for that title. Jon Jones really had it right in retrospect, and as much as I'm a fan of Rashad Evans, I don't really think it was only a sense of honor that contributed to the eventual enmity between the former teammates. Maybe a little envy/jealousy crept in there as well, which we may hope was exorcised in the ring...
    1. BluenoseGreig's Avatar
      BluenoseGreig - 07-29-2012, 03:26 PM
      Surely it is easy to stop the teammate vs teammate problem. If, when these fighters sign with the UFC, they should all have a clause in their contracts saying that they must fight whoever is put in front of them, teammate or not!
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 07-29-2012, 03:27 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by BluenoseGreig View Post
      Surely it is easy to stop the teammate vs teammate problem. If, when these fighters sign with the UFC, they should all have a clause in their contracts saying that they must fight whoever is put in front of them, teammate or not!
      Exactly!!! I just don't understand their mentality...I mean, do you want to test yourself and fight the best, do you want to be a world champion, or do you just want to get into the cage and fight...because they are two totally different things.
    1. BluenoseGreig's Avatar
      BluenoseGreig - 07-29-2012, 03:35 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Kickass32 View Post
      Exactly!!! I just don't understand their mentality...I mean, do you want to test yourself and fight the best, do you want to be a world champion, or do you just want to get into the cage and fight...because they are two totally different things.
      Yes, if you are not fighting to become the best, ie the Champion of your weightclass, then what are you fighting for? As the sport grows this will become less of an issue due to fighters and camps coming from all over the world etc but just now it needs to be addressed.
    1. Rich Davie's Avatar
      Rich Davie - 07-29-2012, 03:40 PM
      Yeah... this "butt-buddy" craze in MMA is unacceptable.
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 07-29-2012, 04:06 PM
      Dana needs to make an example of the fighters....book Fitch vs. Koscheck, even though they don't train together anymore, they still said they wouldn't fight each other...if either one refuse the fight, cut them. Simple as that.
    1. Rich Davie's Avatar
      Rich Davie - 07-29-2012, 04:08 PM
      Exactly.
    1. BluenoseGreig's Avatar
      BluenoseGreig - 07-29-2012, 04:11 PM
      Yup tell them they to fight or get cut, sounds like a good way to enforce it!
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 07-29-2012, 04:14 PM
      Yeah I think if it comes to it, and you need to cut either Fitch or Kos, or both....you don't really lose THAT much and you make a hell of a statement to the other fighters.
    1. BluenoseGreig's Avatar
      BluenoseGreig - 07-29-2012, 04:18 PM
      If they cut Kos, can Daley come back.....
    1. AaronP95's Avatar
      AaronP95 - 08-01-2012, 10:00 AM
      I understand where these guys come from, they train with each other day in, day out, helping each other improve and really they will see each other as essential to their progression in the sport. If someone helps you that much you wouldn't really want to go into a cage and kick the shit out of them because you would feel you were being disrespectful and unappreciative of all the help they have gave you towards getting to your goal. At the same time when it comes to a title there should definitely not be any issue of fighting each other, because in that case there is only the No.1 competitor and the champ involved and either way both are in the top 2 of their division and they would have to fight each other in that case, but when it comes to something like a preliminary bout where there is numerous fighters who can be matched then i dont see why team mates would be made to fight.
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 08-01-2012, 02:21 PM
      I don't by that crap that they train together, blah blah.....NHL players, hundreds of them all from ifferent teams, train toether in the off season, they workout do drills, body contact, yet they don't have any issue playing against each other for the stanley cup....many of these guys do actually drop the gloves with one another as well.

      MMA isn't a team sport...these Sallies need to suck it up.
    1. Brunow's Avatar
      Brunow - 08-01-2012, 02:44 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Kickass32 View Post
      I don't by that crap that they train together, blah blah.....NHL players, hundreds of them all from ifferent teams, train toether in the off season, they workout do drills, body contact, yet they don't have any issue playing against each other for the stanley cup....many of these guys do actually drop the gloves with one another as well.

      MMA isn't a team sport...these Sallies need to suck it up.
      Agreed.
    1. AaronP95's Avatar
      AaronP95 - 08-01-2012, 02:49 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Kickass32 View Post
      I don't by that crap that they train together, blah blah.....NHL players, hundreds of them all from ifferent teams, train toether in the off season, they workout do drills, body contact, yet they don't have any issue playing against each other for the stanley cup....many of these guys do actually drop the gloves with one another as well.

      MMA isn't a team sport...these Sallies need to suck it up.
      Good point but at the same time, when it comes to things like hockey it IS a team sport, it doesnt matter if they are going against their friends, it isnt personal it is just you doing the duty to your team, whereas with mma it is just you and your opponent, you are going out of your way to harm the other person for your own gains. I totally agree with you in that they should fight each other but just trying to put it across from the fighter's point of view
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 08-01-2012, 02:53 PM
      I suppose I can see the fighters side of it....but when it starts to hold your career back, these guys need to reflect on what they want out of the sport...a paycheck, or to be the best.
    1. Brunow's Avatar
      Brunow - 08-01-2012, 02:54 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Kickass32 View Post
      I suppose I can see the fighters side of it....but when it starts to hold your career back, these guys need to reflect on what they want out of the sport...a paycheck, or to be the best.
      Sometimes it depends on who depends on them. Family .., etc.
    1. AaronP95's Avatar
      AaronP95 - 08-01-2012, 02:58 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by Kickass32 View Post
      I suppose I can see the fighters side of it....but when it starts to hold your career back, these guys need to reflect on what they want out of the sport...a paycheck, or to be the best.
      With regards to GSP, what else does he need to get out of the sport, he is one of the most dominant champs the UFC has seen, generally thought of as no.2 p4p in the world and he must be freaking loaded! i really dont think he needs to fight his team mates, apart from his championship obligations but it seems to me he would rather give his belt up than fight Rory
    1. Kickass32's Avatar
      Kickass32 - 08-01-2012, 03:04 PM
      I understand it more if you are on top, but even then, don't you want to keep prooving yourself???...not to mention by not fighting a teamate, you are possibly holding HIM back???
    1. BluenoseGreig's Avatar
      BluenoseGreig - 08-01-2012, 06:55 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by AaronP95 View Post
      With regards to GSP, what else does he need to get out of the sport, he is one of the most dominant champs the UFC has seen, generally thought of as no.2 p4p in the world and he must be freaking loaded! i really dont think he needs to fight his team mates, apart from his championship obligations but it seems to me he would rather give his belt up than fight Rory
      GSP must continue to prove himself, if the guy that everybody thinks can beat him is a teammate, he should be wanting to prove them wrong and show that he is still the best....same goes for everyone.