The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Georges (not a typo) St. Pierre. Who is he? Well, he's Canada's next big thing. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most violent sanctioned contact sport on the planet, was on the brink of bankruptcy and was all set to be sent out to pasture. When they were bought out in 2001 by boxing promoter Dana White and casino executives Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta, the UFC was on its way to the mainstream. No one talks about boxing anymore, and UFC has taken over. They have outsold many boxing and WWE pay-per-views and there is no sign of them slowing down. They now receive mainstream press coverage and continue to expand their operations worldwide.

Canada has perhaps one of the best UFC fighters, at least in the Welterweight division, in Georges St. Pierre. Even if you don't like UFC, I pretty much guarantee you will hear his name a lot more in 2008 once a card comes to Canada. From Montreal, aside from being a skilled competitor he is a true class act. He has charisma, confidence, and a certain charm (a lot of c's!) that fans are drawn to. He came down to Ottawa today (well, technically yesterday as I write this) for a meet n' greet session at Local Heroes. The lineup to see him was long (two hours plus), and they didn't bother to tell us an addition $30 would be charged for a photo-op. You did get a signed 8x10 with your $20 ticket, but not too many people knew about the extra $30 charge. Seeing it was for CHEO, I forked over the dough and chatted with Georges a little. I asked him if UFC was coming to Montreal, he told me "I pray for it!" and "It hadn't be signed." I'm sure he was asked that about 100 times today, but, he was a good sport about it.

Thanks to Neil and Cindy for the invite. And as I like to say, "Good times!"