John Danaher On GSP: ‘It Was Me Who Suggested Taking On Mr. Bisping’
The Danaher Death Squad’s coach and namesake, John Danaher, said it was him who suggested newly-crowned UFC Middleweight Champion Georges St-Pierre take on Michael Bisping for the title.
In an Instagram post Danaher posted earlier this morning, the DDS coach wrote:
Mr St-Pierre took time off to train and reconfigure himself in a way that would enable him to prove people wrong. He worked with Freddie Roach on his punching power and with the squad on submission skills and tied everything together with Firas Zahabi. Tonight he stormed back into the octagon and finished a great opponent in a heavier weight class above his own in a very dramatic and action packed fight. This fight had it all – striking, takedowns, submissions- all encased in back and forth action. When Mr St-Pierre first mentioned to us his desire to come back, it was me who suggested taking on Mr Bisping.
(Emphasis added)
Following a 4-year hiatus from MMA, Georges St-Pierre made his triumphant return to the octagon last night at UFC 217. In stark contrast to his usual “safe” style, St-Pierre fought a bloody war against Bisping and earned a technical submission over the Englishman via third-round rear naked choke. The win not only earned GSP a Fight of the Night bonus and his first finish in eight years, but it made him the fourth man in UFC history to become a two-division champion.