GSP: I brought Brazil to help me out in Canada - Now I'm going for the knockout

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Props: Portal do Vale Tudo (PVT)

In an interview published this Wednesday, GSP tells Marcelo Alonso from Portal Do Vale Tudo (biggest mma site in Brazil) he's working hard for the upcoming UFC 124 rematch against Josh Koscheck, scheduled to happen December 11 in Montreal. He also talks about bringing reinforcements to his training camp, moving up in weight and p4p rankings.

"I want nothing less than a knockout or a submission win over Koscheck." Georges St-Pierre.

Check out the rest of the translated (by me) interview after the jump.

What can we expect from your next fight? How is your training for the fight agains Koscheck?

I want nothing less than a knockout or a submission win over Koscheck. I care a lot about winning, but I also care about how I win. I want to finish him before the end of the fight this time.

Is there any difference between your last training camp and the current one?

The main difference is that I have better training partners, my schedule is more organized and I also know a lot more about my opponent. Now I'm more experient and my technique has improved. I can't wait to fight him again. He said some bad things about me and I'm going to answer inside the octagon with my fists.

Ximú was telling me about your popularity in Canada. Do you think the Canadians are going to break another public record for the UFC?

I think so, MMA is very popular here. The country has a very small population, but we have a lot of good fighters. Many people do it in the States, and it is very difficult for us. Because we're not Americans, we have to work a long way until we get there. It's similar to what you Brazilians go through to fight in the United States. It'll be a great fight and I think I'll have the support of my people. I'm really looking forward to fight there.

You're probably the only foreigner fighting in the US who is more loved than the american fighters. How do you explain that?

To me, the moment I gathered more fans was the moment I lost to Matt Hughes. Before that, when I fought in the US for the first time, they kept shouting "USA ! USA !". After that, the second time I fought Matt Hughes, the crowd was more by my side. I guess people tend to relate to the guy who sometimes loses, but finds the strength to overcome and come back to winning. It's easier for them to relate to someone like that, because that's real life. Regular people love their jobs. They lose their friends in a car accident and that happens in real life, so I think it's easier to project on someone who loses sometimes than to project on a guy who always wins. Muhammad Ali was very popular, because everytime he lost a fight, he managed to come back to winning. Mayweather never lost, so people don't admire him. Everyone likes someone who can overcome adversity. It represents real life.

You always come to Brazil to train and develop your ground game, but this time you didn't come. Would it be because you want to finish the fight standing up this time?

I may not have traveled to Brazil this time, but I brought Brazil to Canada. I brought Gustavo Ximú, also trained a lot with Renzo Gracie and Bruno Fernandes, who's one of my coaches in Montreal. I didn't travel, but I have Brazilians in my training sessions. I intend to go back there in December. This time not to train BJJ, but because of the country itself and because I have a lot of friends in the gym that I haven't seen in a while. Gustavo, Buiú and all the other guys. I can't wait to get back there, see my friends again and enjoy the country I like so much.

Let's talk about Ximú. Do you think he has space in the UFC?

Definitely. Sometimes you need to be a little lucky, be in the right place at the right time. I'm sure one day the doors will open for Gustavo, and if I have the chance, I'll promote him. I know his in contact by e-mail with Joe Silva, and I'm sure one day he'll fight for the UFC. Like I said before, life is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I think his time will come. I know the great fighter he is, has talent and skill to fight for the UFC. I'm sure opportunities will come.

Is there a real chance you would go up in weight to fight Anderson Silva?

I don't wanna move up in weight now. One of the reasons is Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, who's also coming back. Now, Jake Shields is in the picture too. It's very clear that if I ever move up, it would be very difficult to go down again and reclaim my title. If one day I move to middleweight, I wanna stay on top. I'm not saying I'd never do it. It will probably happen, but it will be in the right moment. Right now I have a training partner, Nate Marquardt, who will fight Yushin Okami. He is my friend and training partner, so he deserves another shot at the title. Again, not saying never, but right now it's out of my radar.

About Anderson and Vitor Belfort, what do you expect for this fight?

It's hard to say. They are both excellent fighters. Anything can happen. Anderson exposed a lot in his last fight, but Vitor is also a very different fighter from Chael Sonnen. Vitor is very explosive. If the fight ends in the first round, Belfort will win. If it goes towards the final rounds, Anderson Silva will have the best chance.

I would like to ask you about the Oscar of MMA. What is your pick for Fight of the Year?

I'll tell you the truth. I don't watch enough MMA to point out what was the best. I practice MMA everyday of my life, so at night I try to do other things and I have interests beyond MMA. That's because I train everyday. I just heard Brock Lesnar lost, but I haven't seen it yet, so I'm not the right person to answer this kind of question.

Who do you think is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?

There are a lot of guys who can be the best p4p, but some names come to mind. Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, now Cain Velasquez. I think Mauricio Shogun Rua is very good, too. If I made the p4p rankings, it would be different every month. It all depends on the athlete's performance, and sometimes the performance depends of who you're fighting. It's about the matchups and many other things.

Thank you for your time. I'll see you in Brazil by December.

Thanks to all in Brazil. Thank you for your support. Special thanks to Gustavo Ximu for helping me out!

It seems GSP has been hearing all the rants about not being able to finish his fights...

So, will he be able to finish Josh Koscheck or will the self-proclaimed bad boy "rush" in and get the title?

Looking forward for the discussion.