Joe Ferraro

Talk of retirement by Georges St. Pierre has the whole MMA world questioning its seriousness.

The news from the world of MMA comes at us in a fast and furious pace, as do the variety of questions surrounding the sport's top competitors.

Below are some answers to a summary of questions that I have been fielding since my return from UFC 116. They surround the upcoming heavyweight championship bouts between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture and James Toney and George St-Pierre's recent statements that he is considering retirement.

The first burning question surrounds whether or not Cain can defeat Brock, and if so, what are my thoughts on the game plan he should develop.

We all know that anything can happen in a prize fight, but the strategy I believe Velasquez should use against Lesnar is one of patience.

It was obvious that Lesnar's striking has yet to achieve the level that his boxing instructor, Peter Welch, is hoping for. In the Shane Carwin fight, Lesnar did not want to exchange in the pocket; knowing that anyone who tried it beforehand, ultimately failed.

While Cain's wrestling is top notch, and the current training partners he has brought in are of Olympic calibre, it should be considered Plan B against a heavyweight champion who has consistently proven that his best asset is when he is able to take his opponents to the ground.

Velasquez may be best served to use all five rounds, picking away at Lesnar in the stand up realm, using his footwork to get in, and get out, landing punches and some kicks (to keep the champ guessing).

He doesn't have to win by knockout or submission, he just has to win -- even if it's just one round at a time. Footwork is key here, and if he can frustrate Lesnar enough, the knockout may present itself. Above all, do not be overzealous, just be patient.

The second burning question is whether James Toney can actually pull off the upset versus Randy Couture.

My initial answer is 'yes' as "Lights Out" has a puncher's chance at catching the MMA pioneer with something early on. Couture has been dropped quite a bit in his last few fights, and against fighters that do not match up with the punching power and technique of Toney.

Couture's game plan on the surface is simple - clinch or shoot in for a takedown, put Toney on his back, and finish him off. The question is: Can he do that before he gets rocked? Again, the answer is yes. History has shown us that if "The Natural" wants to take someone down, he will.

I'm going to wait to make my final assessment on this bout once I'm able to garner some more info on Toney's training. Yes, Couture is my initial pick, but as I've done in the past, I may change my mind once I am able to dissect all of the pertinent info before fight.

The final burning question is whether or not Georges St-Pierre is serious concerning the recent remarks he made to MMA Junkie, that he is considering retirement.

St-Pierre made the comment during a radio interview, where he articulated that being declared the MMA pound-for-pound king is the final goal he has set for himself. If, after his bout with Josh Koscheck in December, he is not labelled as "The Man" and Anderson Silva still is, then he would like to face off against "The Spider" in a superfight, be it at welterweight, middleweight, or somewhere in between.

If successful, this would mean that GSP would have cleared out the 170-pound weight class, defeated the sport's best fighter and with the plethora of opportunities that would open up for him (outside of MMA), the Canadian would likely hang up his gloves.

What would be left for him to do? Take on contenders that simply are not on his level? Do we want to see that?

If he fights and defeats Silva, I say he will retire. But like many of the world's best, I believe he would make a triumphant return, that would make for an incredible second stint in the sport. That is, of course, if he doesn't pursue another one of the items on his bucket list: to seriously try and make Canada's Olympic Wrestling team.

But I digress.

The bottom line is this: GSP is not going anywhere, anytime soon. There are still plenty of bouts for him to compete in, and by the time the stars align for a bout with Silva, we are talking at least another year from now.

Miscellaneous MMA News and Notes

***** On Tuesday morning, I met with Tom Wright, the Director of Operations for UFC Canada. We discussed a variety of MMA related issues and visions for the future of MMA in Ontario. He mentioned that later in the day, he would be travelling to London, and while he was there, he showed up at Adrenaline MMA, where WEC Featherweight Mark Hominick posted a pic of Wright getting some MMA training in.

***** Wanderlai Silva stated he will likely return next year and if his opponent happens to be Chris Leben, he believes the fight will not last long. "The Axe Murderer" believes that based on Leben's guard game displayed against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, he is no match for him and his experience.

***** Sherdog is reporting that Keith Jardine's first fight since being cut from the UFC will be against Trevor Prangley, on September 11th, as part of Shine Fight 13, in Lubbock, Texas.

***** Coming off his victory over BJJ Black Belt and Canadian lightweight Mark Bocek at UFC 111 in March, AMA Fight Club's Jim Miller finally achieved black belt status this past week. It was an old school non-ceremonial surprise for Miller, whose next bout will be versus Gleison Tibau on September 15, as part of UFC Fight Night 22. This card airs immediately before the Season 12 debut of The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP versus Team Koscheck and features a main event between middleweights Demian Maia and Alan Belcher. Also confirmed on the card is a rematch between Mac Danzig and Matt Wiman, as well as a lightweight scrap expected between Cole Miller and Ross Pearson. Other rumoured bouts include Efrain Escudero versus. John Gunderson, Jared Hamman versus. Kyle Kingsbury and Nick Catone versus. Tomsz Drwal.

***** While many of us continue to wait for the WEC to add the flyweight division to their promotion, MMA Weekly has the latest from General Manager, Reed Harris. While the wait continues, most of us are crossing our fingers that it is going to be sooner, rather than later.

***** More fodder for why I believe Fedor Emelianenko may never sign with the UFC? On July 25th, M-1 Global, a company he has a stake in, is presenting a reality show (sort of similar to The Ultimate Fighter series) that will air in Russia, an potentially in Eastern Europe. History has shown if you mess with Dana White and his business, well...you know the rest.

***** As for Fedor's current employer, Strikeforce, CEO Scott Coker gives his thoughts on Fedor, as well as Jake Shields, Batista, Lashley and much more.