While some have fingered coach Greg Jackson for Georges St-Pierre’s inability to finish off lesser adversaries, others have focused their attention on the unprecedented exposure the UFC’s reigning welterweight king has garnered.
Although the financial ramifications of posting another loss could be devastating, his manager Shari Spencer claims the fear of defeat is not what’s caused three consecutive unanimous decisions victories.
“From a marketing perspective, I think there are many fighters who are extremely marketable but don’t have the record that Georges does – [although] losses don’t always affect your marketability,” Spencer told Sherdog of her prized client. “He’s also said that when he lost to Matt Hughes, he ended up getting many more fans than when he was winning.
“Randy Couture has a few losses on his record, and he’s one of the best-loved fighters of all time. … I don’t think our corporate sponsors are expecting a win or they’re going to pull out. We don’t feel that weight at all. Not at all.”
Since being upset by Matt Serra in April 2007, St-Pierre has thrived both inside and outside of the Octagon – with Spencer masterminding his plan of attack for the mainstream world. Although she’s helped GSP land deals with Gatorade and Under Armour, to go along with a couple ESPN commercials, she gives all the credit to the baddest 170-pounder on the planet.
“I think he’s less of a typical stereotype of what the mainstream thinks of MMA and at one point what I thought of MMA – that it’s mainly testosterone-laden, tatted up, pierced guys,” Spencer said. “That’s what most people still think. Slowly but surely, we’re chipping away at that perception.
“Here you’ve got a good-looking, clean-cut guy, wears a suit at the press conference, doesn’t trash talk. He’s much more mainstream America than the sport is. I think that’s why he has that ability.”
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