White: 'GSP bigger worldwide than Gretzky'

Canadian Press

tsn.ca

How big is UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre worldwide? Just ask UFC president Dana White.

"Georges St-Pierre is the most famous athlete to ever, ever -- in the history of the world -- come out of Canada," said White, throwing in an F-bomb for emphasis.

Called on the assertion, White readies for the debate. Bring on the names, he says.

How about The Great One?

"Let's fly Georges St-Pierre and Wayne Gretzky anywhere else in the world other than America and Canada. Who gives a s---?" White told The Canadian Press.

"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."

On the domestic front, White points to UFC 124 next Saturday, when St-Pierre defends his title against brash American Josh Koscheck in his hometown of Montreal at the Bell Centre.

UFC 124 promises to be the biggest gate in mixed martial arts history and, with 23,000 on hand, break the North American MMA attendance record.

"If that doesn't go to show you the popularity of Georges St-Pierre," White said.

The first Montreal show, UFC 83 in April 2008 which also featured GSP, drew a then-record North American MMA crowd of 20,011.

The UFC boss also notes the strong U.S. ratings for the recently concluded Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter," which featured St-Pierre and Koscheck as rival coaches.

Despite a lack of fireworks between the two on the reality TV show, the season was the show's third-highest rated behind Seasons 10 (with heavyweight Kimbo Slice front and centre) and Season 3 (featuring bitter rivals Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz as coaches).

White also points to St-Pierre's deal with Under Armour and a recent appearance in an ad for ESPN's SportsCenter. Not to mention the fact that the Canadian has shared his jiu-jitsu expertise with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of former United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Thanks to the UFC, St-Pierre's exploits are beamed to some 150 countries worldwide when he fights. Mixed martial arts has truly gone global.

And St-Pierre has a lot going for him.

He has won 13 of his last 14 fights, including his last seven, and has successfully defended his 170-pound title four times.

With a record of 20-2, the 29-year-old fighter is a winner whose MMA arsenal is bristling with weapons. In what some see as a brutal sport, he is a class act who refuses to trash-talk. He cleans up nicely, as content in an Armani suit as he is in the cage.

And brought up by blue-collar parents, he remembers his early career when he juggled school and several part-time jobs -- from bouncer to working for a floor recovering company -- while training.

He stays out of the headlines and looks after his family, paying off their mortgages.

St-Pierre has a savvy manager in Shari Spencer, who also nurtures the career of UFC lightweight title-holder Frankie (The Answer) Edgar.

"I've said before that he's sort of the safest way to enter the sport," Spencer said of St-Pierre. "Because brands are reluctant to affiliate themselves with something that some people still consider a bloodsport. The guy that wears the suit, that never trash-talks, is sort of the easiest way to dip your toe in MMA waters, so to speak."

"My biggest challenge is still the sport itself," she added.

How the UFC delivers its product also makes a big difference to the perception of its stars. In the Philippines, for example, all of the UFC product including pay-per-view cards are shown on regular TV.

St-Pierre was mobbed when he went there.

"It really was like Beatlemania," Spencer said. "It was surreal."

St-Pierre is still getting used to his celebrity status. While he can live his life in Montreal without being bombarded, it becomes a lot harder to hide with a fight card approaching.

Spencer has not pushed marketing him in Quebec, looking for deals that cover more ground. Also, she says his home is his haven, so why strip that comfort zone away.

Spencer looks for quality not quantity in endorsement deals. In addition to Under Armour, St-Pierre endorses Gatorade, Affliction Clothing and Mission Skin Care.

Others are in the works.

Whereas other fighters plaster their fight shorts with logos, St-Pierre opts for a cleaner look. On Saturday, his shorts will only be adorned with his own logo and URL (www.gspfightclub.com).

His walkout T-shirt will be his own Affliction signature shirt and his gi will feature Affliction and Mission Skincare logos. The pre-fight banner that will be shown behind him when he is introduced in the cage will feature, and his banner will feature his logo, URL, Steven Wong (who directed the documentary "The Striking Truth" that features St-Pierre) and the logos of the gyms where he trains.

On the TV front, he was invited to appear on ABC's revival of "The Superstars" but had to pull out because of a minor training injury. An appearance on the TV show "Entourage" also fell through because of scheduling.

St-Pierre has done some small film work roles and Spencer continues to gets scripts, including one written entirely for him. Spencer says she sees more movies in his future, but is cognisant of the fact that a large role is a big-time commitment for a fighter.

"It hasn't been a priority at this point," she said.

In Canada, St-Pierre did not make Yahoo's top 10 list of athlete searches this year, with Tiger Woods, Sidney Crosby and boxer Manny Pacquiao leading the way. The UFC ranked fourth among sports searches, behind the NHL, Vancouver Olympics and the World Cup.

White's mind is made up, however. For him, GSP is The Great One globally when it comes to Canadian athlete exports.

"You think people all over the world know who Wayne Gretzky is," White finally asks an unconvinced Canadian reporter. "Really. And you think if they both flew in on a plane, people would flock to go see Wayne Gretzky?"

White sticks to his guns, even when reminded Gretzky has been off the ice for more than a decade.

"You are hockey delusional," he said with a laugh and another F-bomb.

"This dude is a billion times more famous than any other athlete that's ever come out of Canada. Including Wayne Gretzky."