Mixed martial arts is a hot topic right now in Canada. UFC lands in Montreal again this weekend and expects a crowd in excess of 23,000 and a gate of over $5 million. The UFC also announced it's hitting Ontario for the first time in April. That event at Rogers Centre is expected to pull in a record crowd, in excess of 30,000. The Canadian fanbase has a lot of might, so much so that Dana White is convinced the nation's top fighter is bigger than any athlete in the country's history. From The Canadian Press:
"Georges St-Pierre is the most famous athlete to ever, ever -- in the history of the world -- come out of Canada," said White. [...]
"Let's fly Georges St-Pierre and Wayne Gretzky anywhere else in the world other than America and Canada. Who gives a [expletive] [about Gretzky]?"
White evens knows Gretzky. He's say it's nothing personal, but the truth is the truth. White continued:
"I like Wayne Gretzky. I was just with him, his wife and his kids a month ago over at one of the casinos here in Las Vegas. Super nice guy. Got nothing against him. Fly him over to England, fly him over to Asia, fly him to anywhere in Europe, Georges St-Pierre gets mobbed, nobody knows who the hell Wayne Gretzky is."
It's an awesome compliment for St. Pierre, but it also puts him in an odd position. How do you defend yourself without sounding like you're a braggart and dumping on Gretzky? Said St. Pierre:
"But the thing is hockey is not a popular sport in every country though. So it's hard to say, I don't know. Maybe global-wide because MMA is in every country of the world and hockey is not but I don't know."
GSP was asked about the topic several times during Thursday's UFC 124 prefight press conference.
White's said this for a while, but now he's turning up the heat. Does he really believe what he's saying? Probably. Remember, he's also not a huge sports fan beyond fighting and has been immersed in MMA for a long time. That said, it doesn't hurt to get Canadians debating the GSP vs. Gretzky issue. It may even get a few non-MMA fans to buy UFC 124 on pay-per-view wondering, "who is this St. Pierre guy?"
It's an interesting debate. Can someone be the most famous athlete to come out of a nation if he's not even close to being the most popular in his own country?
Marvin Musquin Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll Bill Nilsson
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