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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
As Georges St-Pierre gets set to make his return to action next month at UFC 154, he's addressing past criticisms of his fighting style. The long-reigning 170 lb. champ hasn't stopped an opponent since forcing B.J. Penn's corner to throw in the towel after four rounds in 2009, and that was the only stoppage of his current reign outside of the fight in which he recaptured the belt from Matt Serra.
But St-Pierre's not blind to the perception of his style in recent years, and as he nears the bout with Carlos Condit, he's very aware of the issue.
"I agree with the criticism [regarding not stopping enough fights]," St-Pierre said in an interview with the New York Post on Wednesday. "I want to do better. I want to give more entertainment to the fans... I've been training to jump more on opportunites that are open to me. I'm still gonna fight my fight, but I'm going to be more opportunistic."
Of course, it seems every interview for St-Pierre has to feature some comment on Anderson Silva, and it's a topic St-Pierre is getting tired of addressing as he tries to concentrate on Condit.
"I hate that," St-Pierre said. "They talk to me about the next fight and I'm not there. Like I'm supposed to win easy, like it's a joke. Carlos Condit is a dangerous guy. I always respect my opponent. My life is on the line."
"I don't know [about that fight]. I haven’t thought about it. I know he's a big guy. I have to sit down and analyze it."
Penick's Analysis: Finding a moment to capitalize on may be difficult against Condit. The Interim Welterweight Champion is as tough as they come, and has survived some really bad spots throughout his career. He's durable, hard to finish, and just as dangerous on the ground as he is on his feet. This is going to be a very difficult fight for both competitors, and that makes it a fantastic championship bout.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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