It was also vastly different from the one described by Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White on a recent October night in Las Vegas, when St-Pierre's manhood, toughness and courage was questioned in front of millions by brash welterweight title contender Nick Diaz.
Moments after Diaz manhandled ex-champion BJ Penn at UFC 137, he called out UFC's reigning welterweight king St-Pierre, who was sitting cageside. The always-controversial Diaz was originally supposed to face St-Pierre, but got replaced by Carlos Condit in that title bout after no-showing two media events.St-Pierre injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee less than two weeks before the UFC 137 match, though, and his fight with Condit was rescheduled for Super Bowl weekend in February. It was, that is, until Diaz grabbed the microphone.
"Where you at, Georges? Where you at, (expletive)?" Diaz shouted as he paced the cage.
"I don't think Georges is hurt. I think he's scared," added Diaz, who most recently held the Strikeforce welterweight title.
Within an hour of UFC 137's conclusion, Diaz was back in the UFC title picture. St-Pierre told White he wanted Diaz, not Condit. The highly anticipated bout is now scheduled to headline UFC 143 on Feb. 4, 2012.
"I truly believe (Diaz) deserves the fight," St-Pierre said Sunday in downtown Montreal, where he was signing autographs and promoting GSP RushFit, which with more than 250,000 sales is the No. 1 fitness DVD ever produced by a professional athlete. "He's a fight that I want and a fight that everybody wants to see. Let's do it."
St-Pierre's tone was much more reserved on Sunday than on Oct. 29 in Vegas. According to White, St-Pierre that evening was fuming as he called Diaz "the most disrespectful human being I've ever met. I'm going to put the worst beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC."
White said he has never seen St-Pierre more animated or worked up in all the years he's known him.
On Sunday, St-Pierre - long removed from the heated atmosphere that night in Vegas - insisted he "(didn't) really think much" about Diaz calling him out. He also said he won't allow himself to take the challenge personally. It's just business.
"It's always the same thing. It doesn't change anything for me," said St-Pierre, who has experience facing trash-talkers, most recently Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 last December at the Bell Centre. "They can say whatever, they can try to get into my head. I'm going to stay the same."
St-Pierre said Sunday that he's just recently back at 100 per cent, having returned to training last week.
He expects to begin his UFC 143 training camp in two weeks, finding time for family during the holiday season, but still working out each day.
By the time he enters the cage against Diaz, it will have been nearly one year since his last match - a win over Jake Shields at UFC 129 in front of nearly 56,000 fans at Toronto's Rogers Centre. The layoff isn't a concern for St-Pierre, though.
"It's not going to be an issue," he said. "I'm going to be good to go. My workout is more tough than the fight."
St-Pierre knows he's preparing for a well-rounded and highly-motivated fighter in Diaz.
"He's a very good boxer, probably one of the best in mixed martial arts," St-Pierre said. "Also very good jiu-jitsu. But I believe I'm better than him everywhere.
"He's fought very well, but I know I have his number. I will beat him."
via: www.montrealgazette.com
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