! UFC INTERVIEW ! By David Lee UFC welterweight champion Georges St- of marital arts. The UFC is the ultimate BSCM: What’s more satisfying: winning a Pierre, simply known as GSP to his fans, proving ground.” championship for the first time, or defend - isn’t much on material things. In fact, he ing it multiple times? keeps his championship belt in his closet. BSCM: Are MMA fighters best professional As one of the most celebrated champions in athletes in the world today? GSP: “Every time is something different. mixed martial arts today, the 27-year-old When I won it for the fist time, it was great fighter is all about, as he says, fighting for GSP: “I don’t know about that. I respect because it was something I didn’t have. But the name. every athlete in every sport. It demands a now I don’t fight for the belt. I fight for the He also is building his name in the col - lot of sacrifice to be on top. What we do, it’s name. I want to keep challenging myself. I lectibles industry, with cards already like a triathlon of combat sports. It’s not want to make a legacy. I don’t want to fight released in two products within one year, only judo, it’s not only wresting, it’s not only for the belt. I need to fight for the name — including the new Topps UFC Round 1 set. boxing — it’s all mixed together.” fight for the challenge that the guy in front In combination with our review of the first of me will give me. I want to fight the best.” UFC-licensed card product, we caught up BSCM: What sets you apart from other with GSP to talk about his rise to the top of fighters? BSCM: What are your goals at this point in the fastest-growing sport in America, and your career? to get his opinion on mixed martial arts GSP: “I’m not the best at something — I’m entering the trading card world. not the best striker, I’m not the best grap - GSP: “I want to take the fight that will give pler — but I can do pretty much everything me the most challenge. The fight that peo - BSCM: Take us through your martial arts very well. And I always come very prepared ple want to see, the one that the people background and how it brought you to the for a fight.” say, ‘Hey, is Georges good enough to do UFC. this? Is Georges going to be able to step BSCM: You are regarded as one of the most over this obstacle?’ That’s what drives me in Georges St-Pierre: “I started martial arts athletic fighters in MMA. Is your athleticism the sport right now. It can be somebody in when I was 7 years old. My dad used to something that you realized early in your my weight class, somebody in a higher teach me. I went to a school and competed career that would be a big asset for you? weight class. That’s what I like about it — a lot when I was young. I had a problem at just keep challenging myself.” school growing up. I was picked on by older GSP: “I train in different disciplines. I train teenagers. I [took martial arts] to defend in boxing, and some of my training partners BSCM: What sports teams and players did myself. I started to compete professionally are former world champions. I train with you follow growing up, and did you ever col - when I was 19. After that, I did very well pure wrestlers, and some of my training lect sports cards of them? and was recruited by the UFC.” partners rank at the top in the world. I go to m o Brazil and train with jiu-jitsu guys who are GSP: “The Edmonton Oilers, and my c . t BSCM: What made you want to become a world champions. I train in all areas of the favorite player was Wayne Gretzky. I had t e k professional fighter? game and with the best guys in every single some [cards], but it was my dad who bought c e b discipline. I think that’s what makes me them for me.” . w GSP: “Growing up, I was a big fan of Jean- improve more than someone who only w w Claude Van Damme and ‘Bloodsport.’ I trains with the same team all the time.” BSCM: What are your thoughts on the 2 always wanted to be champion in some sort Topps-UFC partnership? 1 Where to Get More GSP Georges St-Pierre has already appeared in the Donruss Americana II Ring Kings set, with his autographed cards selling for $50-$100. GSP teamed with artist Brian Fox to create limited edi - GSP: “I think it’s something good for the fans. You tion giclées (pictured below) that were unveiled at can have a souvenir of the fighter. It’s a plus.” UFC 94. The artwork is available at St-Pierre’s website, GSPFightClub.com, or BSCM: What Topps cards have you seen of your - BrianFoxStudios.com. self, and do you plan on collecting them? The GSP camp also plans to launch a signature bandanas fashioned after the GSP: “I saw the one where I was fighting Karo Parisyan. It was my first fight in the UFC. It’s very ones he wears in his entrance to the nice. I haven’t seen any of the other ones. I don’t Octagon. really collect them, but I enjoy when someone shows it to me.” BSCM: Are you a willing autograph signer? GSP: “I never refuse a picture or an autograph signing for fans. It’s because of them that we can do this job.” BSCM: What fighters did you look up to before you got to the UFC? GSP: “Royce Gracie was my all-time favorite. I just came back from Denver and one of my friends gave me an autograph picture with a message saying, ‘To the champ, GSP, fight a good fight.’ It’s something that I put on my wall.” BSCM: Do you keep some of the C equipment that you’ve worn F U / s throughout your fighting career? e g d e H h s o GSP: “No, I don’t really keep it. J : o t o As a matter of fact, the funny h P thing is, my belt is in my clos - et. For me, the most important thing is the souvenir that I keep of the moment. That’s something that no one will ever be able to steal from me. The belt and other things are only material.” BSCM: Are there enough up- and-coming fighters to grow the sport and licensed col - lectibles like the Topps prod - uct? GSP: “Oh, yeah. It’s getting Y L H more and more popular. I think T N it’s the fastest-growing sport, O M and it’s just the beginning.” D R A C S BSCM: You just beat B.J. Penn, who is T R O the UFC lightweight champion. So P S T what’s next for you? T E K C E GSP: “Thiago Alves is the No. 1 con - B tender. He is a great challenge for me.” 3 1 Knockout or Tap Out? A complete review of 2009 Topps UFC Round 1 Quick Facts 2008, including Forest Griffin vs. Rampage champ Brock Lesnar, and former champions Chuck Availability: Hobby-only product; also available at Jackson and Georges St-Pierre vs. Jon Fitch. Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes. UFC events and UFC.com Victorious Debut depicts fighters who won their Packs per Box: 16 first official UFC bout. Memorabilia Cards per Pack: 8 Topps UFC Round 1 is available at hobby shops, More than 20 fighters have fighter-worn SRP per Pack: $5 UFC events and UFC.com. Topps says that future memorabilia cards in Ultimate Gear. The Hits per Box: Three autographs and three memora - UFC releases will be available in retail outlets. autographed versions are very tough bilia cards Packs carry a $5 SRP. Presale boxes were going for pulls, falling about one every 22 boxes. a little more than $100 on eBay one week before The Fight Mat Relic set features 25 fights with What We Pulled: the product went live — that’s more than $20 pieces of actual Octagon mat from the featured Autographs: Manny Gamburyan, Roger Huerta, above the SRP. fight. Ben Saunders Plans are already in the works for another UFC The one thing about fighters — they don’t Ultimate Gear Relics: Thiago Silva release. Topps was at the filming of “The Ultimate wear much during their matches, so mak - Fight Mat Relics: Joe Stevenson vs. Luke Cummo, Fighter 9” to conduct a photo shoot and autograph ing memorabilia cards of them will be Josh Burkman vs. Sammy Morgan signing with the show’s 16 up-and-coming fighters. tough. On the flip side, memorabilia cards Top 10 Fights of 2008: Diaz vs. Pellegrino, Kelly The photography and autographs acquired there saturate the hobby anyway, so this could actually be vs. Taylor, Pellegrino vs. Tavares, St-Pierre vs. Fitch will be incorporated into the second UFC set. a good thing. Top 10 Fights of 2008 Gold: Pellegrino vs. Tavares Victorious Debuts: Rashad Evans, Cain Velasquez, What We Think Box Value Yushin Okami, Clay Guida Boxes should sell for around $80, and Base Gold Parallel: Fabricio Werdum, Arianny Photos pulling three autographs and three memo - Celeste, Chris Leben, Rameau Sokoudjou, Ed The base photos really show the history rabilia cards in each is a pretty sweet deal.