MMA Universe

Respect.

Remarkably, that's the underlying theme as we head into tonight's UFC 129 main event between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and number one division contender, Jake Shields.

Neither man has tasted defeat in several years. St. Pierre in 2007 (Matt Serra) and Shields in 2004 (Akira Kikuchi). But somehow, someway, that's just not good enough for the critics.

St. Pierre is too careful. He can't finish fights. Shields is too one dimensional. He doesn't deserve a title shot.

Hogwash.

Two of the best 170-pound fighters on the planet are going to step inside a cage tonight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, before a packed house of 55,000 screaming fans. Both of them have been up against many of the toughest opponents the sport has to offer and came out with their hands raised.

It wasn't always pretty. It wasn't always exciting. But, it was remarkably efficient ... and dominant.

St. Pierre has run the entire gamut of opponents during his time at the throne in the welterweight division.

Strikers? Chewed up and spit out. Grapplers? Eaten for breakfast. Grinders? Been there, done that.

The only challenge left for the iconic French-Canadian to overcome at 170-pounds is a submission specialist; one who presents a mixed bag of tricks that could very well usher in a new day in the UFC.

Enter Jake Shields.

You wouldn't know that by listening to the pundits, though. Outside of a few rebellious experts, the collective thought process is Shields is nothing more than another notch in St. Pierre's belt.

The fans? "Hardcores" want to give him a chance but can't bring themselves to think it. Most "Casuals" couldn't even pick the American out of a lineup.

Nevertheless, he IS dangerous. Perhaps more so because of the lack of belief in his abilities. The fact remains, however, that for all the impressive wins on his resume and for how well-traveled Shields is, he's never been on a stage this big in front of an audience this large.

And they're begging for his blood.

As much as he would love to silence the live crowd, which is sure to be deafening, St. Pierre would love to do the same to his outspoken critics that are always asking for more.

A finish would be ideal but if GSP does away with Shields, he will have done everything there is to do in his current weight class.

You can't ask for much more than that.

Tonight, April 30, 2011, the winner of Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields for the welterweight championship will not just walk out of the Octagon with the title around his waist; he'll walk out having earned -- the hard way -- what so many have refused to give them up to this point.

Respect.

A look at the UFC 129 fight card line-up shows that Randy Couture's retirement match will take place third on the main card of the live pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast.

The world's largest mixed martial arts promotion will bid farewell to a pioneer of the sport, a man who is already a Hall of Famer. In the very next fight, though, the co-main event of the evening, UFC fans will be introduced to a potential legend in the making -- Jose Aldo.

The current featherweight champion of the world will take center stage to defend his title for the very first time inside the Octagon when he throws hands with Canada's own, Mark Hominick.

Aldo is no stranger to big fights, nor the spotlight; he headlined the one and only PPV offering from the now defunct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) against the most popular star in the history of that organization, Urijah Faber.

And he destroyed him.

He even did so in front of "The California Kid's" hometown crowd in Sacramento. An impressive feat, no doubt, but performing well in a significant fight in front of 12,555 fans at the Arco Arena is a far cry from making his Octagon debut defending his title against a tough-as-nails opponent in front of his hometown crowd of 55,000 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Tonight, pressure is spelled A-L-D-O.

Aldo rose to fame, as high as he could go considering the circumstances at least, within the WEC, a promotion known for thrilling battles waged by miniature killers.

There was no better example of this than "Scarface," who absolutely obliterated everything and everyone in his path. Our very own Sergio Hernandez described his early WEC days and the plight of the hapless foes he ran over:

The most impressive facet of all these victories is Aldo's killer instinct. I think of fights like Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar where one of the fighters is hurt and beaten on for an extended period of time. You know the fight is pretty much over unless a miraculous comeback can be achieved; you just have to wait it out.

It's not like that with the UFC featherweight champion. You get hit and it's only a matter of seconds before you go down.

Mark Hominick has heard this talk, of course. He's heard that Aldo is a quiet but deadly force to be reckoned with and his status as a pound-for-pound great is cemented further and further with each assured victory, no matter the opponent.

But "The Machine" is no push-over. Not by a long shot.

Hominick has seen the bright lights of the UFC. He's been under the microscope, defeating top lightweights Yves Edwards and Jorge Gurgel back in 2006. In fact, to this day, he's never tasted defeat inside the Octagon.

A winner of five consecutive fights, four of them finishes, the Canadian kickboxer presents a formidable challenge to Aldo's throne.

For as much as pundits are in a rush to put the featherweight champion atop the always troubling pound-for-pound lists, Hominick is in just as much of a hurry to take it all away.

And he'll get the chance to do so tonight, April 30, 2011, in front of a gigantic audience of loyal fans cheering him to victory. 

It won't be easy for him to unseat the king of the 145-pound division. Far from it. But it will be just as difficult for Aldo to protect his crown.

The pressure is on. Who will rise to the challenge?

Stay tuned.

For the episodes one and two click here and here.

Sounds like a new trend is forming.

Just on the heels of UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner requesting video monitors for judges at the upcoming UFC 130 event, it appears he will do the same for UFC 131.

The Commissioner of the Vancouver Athletic Commission, Jonathan Tweedale, informed SB Nation MMA of the news earlier today, saying, "The Commission will be considering that request in the near future."

Is this a long overdue measure to help solve the judging issues that too often plague MMA? Or is the problem with the untrained eye and not the perspective?

That's what the "Smooth" one says. Henderson vs. Bocek will kick off tonight's (April 30) UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" main card on pay-per-view.

How does a professional athlete, after so many years of sacrifice for glory, make the dreaded decision to bring an end to a legendary career?

For Randy Couture, it was simple; he wants to get out while the getting is still good.

It helps that he's 47 years-old, an age any layman would normally begin the process of coming to grips with their own mortality. Hell, in some ways, Couture's entire career, which began at the ripe age of 33, could feasibly be considered a mid-life crisis.

And it may have taken him 14 years but "The Natural" has finally found peace with his life and is ready to move on to what he feels is his true calling as he progresses through the later stages of his life -- Hollywood.

Couture briefly grappled with the idea of leaving MMA in his rear-view after swiftly dealing with James Toney last August, but ultimately decided the allure of a bout against Lyoto Machida was simply too powerful to ignore.

For his part, "The Dragon" feels honored to send "Captain America" on his merry way. He'll give Randy everything he can handle, as he's on a two-fight skid and fighting for his Octagon life, but it would be difficult to find a classier final opponent.

It's also rather fitting that Couture's swan song will come at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Not because of geographical placement but because the arena will hold a staggering 55,000 grateful fans.

The stage is set ... and it couldn't get any bigger.

Tonight's contest is not only a fight designed to give one of the most beloved fighters in the history of the sport a proper send-off, it's also chock full of divisional relevance.

Because, let's face it, the possibility that Couture changes his mind if he is to emerge victorious is, at the very least, worth considering.

A win would give the former two-division champion a four-fight winning streak, his longest in over a decade. Maybe not enough to earn him a title shot in a weight class loaded with potential challengers but undoubtedly enough to award him another dream fight of sorts.

Like, say -- Fedor Emelianenko.

Of course, that's rampant speculation ... but a possibility nonetheless.

This fight holds equal importance for Lyoto Machida, who hasn't actually won a fight since Oct. 2009. During that span he's lost twice, a devastating knockout at the hands of Mauricio Rua that cost him the light heavyweight title and a close decision defeat to Quinton Jackson.

Another failure inside the Octagon, crazy as it may seem, may force the Karate master back to his native land of Salvador, pink slip in hand.

His track record speaks for itself, however, and he just might be safe either way. The fact remains, though; defeating Couture would go a long way in restoring confidence in the once unstoppable Brazilian.

No matter the outcome, tonight promises to be a memorable one for all involved.

We saw the inside of the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as it underwent preparation to host UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" tonight, April 30, 2011 (click here if not), and now here's a look at the finished product just hours before the show is set to get underway.

55,000 strong will pack the arena to cheer on their hero, Georges St. Pierre, as he attempts to defend his welterweight title for the sixth consecutive time against perhaps the most highly credentialed challenger he's ever fought, Jake Shields.

Props: Sergio Non of USA Today

For fans of mixed martial arts, this past week has been a slow crawl of steadily rising anticipation for tonight's UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" event, going down at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Georges St. Pierre is all set to defend his welterweight title against former Strikeforce and EliteXC Champion Jake Shields. 

Jose Aldo will also make his long awaited Octagon debut in the first defense of his freshly minted UFC featherweight championship against knockout artist and Canada's own, Mark Hominick.

In addition, Randy Couture will lace 'em up one last time when he tangos with "The Dragon" Lyoto Machida.

It's been a flurry of non-stop news, analysis, quotes, predictions and previews for the past week and it's certainly understandable if you missed out on a few stories.

But don't worry, Maniacs, we've got you covered. 

In cased you missed any or all of it — or just want to keep the discussion alive — below are links to all the major storylines heading into tonight's broadcast.

In we go:

UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Fight card and line-up

Results and live fight coverage

Predictions and previews:

UFC 129 predictions for "St. Pierre vs. Shields" from the man himself, Nostradumbass

UFC 129 predictions from MMA mania staff, readers and fellow MMA media members

Fight preview: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields

Fight preview: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick

Fight preview: Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida

Fight preview: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz

Fight preview: Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson

UFC 129 Prelims preview and analysis for Facebook and Spike TV specials

Fight card: Ben Henderson's quest for new life against Mark Bocek

Fight card: Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz do battle for relevancy

Fight card: Randy Couture's retirement match against Lyoto Machida in Toronto

Fight card: Jose Aldo makes his UFC debut in defense of his featherweight title against Mark Hominick

Fight card: Georges St. Pierre vs Jake Shields fight for more than the title ... respect

UFC 129 press conferences:

Post-fight press conference for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Pre-fight press conference for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Pre-fight press conference video highlights with GSP and Jake Shields

Staredown pics from the pre-fight press conference

Press conference and fan event video for UFC 129

Pre-fight press conference open to the public

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields staredown video from press conference announcement

UFC 129 weigh-ins:

UFC 129 weigh-in results for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Weigh-in video highlights for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Weigh-in photos gallery for "St. Pierre vs. Shields:

Weigh-ins staredown pics from GSP-Shields, Couture-Machida and Aldo-Hominick

Steven Seagal rubs shoulders with Jon Jones backstage at the weigh-ins

UFC 129 odds:

UFC 129 dds and betting lines for ''St. Pierre vs. Shields''

UFC 129 news:

Details on how to watch UFC 129 live online and PPV

UFC Facebook streams the entire preliminary card for ''St. Pierre vs. Shields''

UFC 129 Prelims on Spike TV announcement

UFC 129 shatters the record for gate and sells 55,000 tickets to "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC 129 start time changes and reminder for April 30

UFC 129 pre-fight press conference recap and highlights

Quick Pic: Jake Shields training with Chael Sonnen

Pic: A look at the Rogers Centre in Toronto as undergoes preparation to host UFC 129

Pic: A look inside the Rogers Centre just hours before UFC 129 is set to get underway

Video: A look inside the Rogers Centre just hours before showtime at UFC 129

Chael Sonnen and Matt Lindland training with Jake Shields to get him ready for GSP

Jake Shields sends a message to Georges St. Pierre and all of Montreal

UFC Primetime returns for "St. Pierre vs. Shields" at UFC 129

UFC Primetime ratings for episode one of "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC releases VIP tickets for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC 129 prelims on Spike TV

UFC 129 poster for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Special UFC 129 poster for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC Central debuts for UFC 129 on UFC.tv for "St. Pierre vs. Shields" coverage and analysis

UFC fan expo announced for Toronto

Q&A schedule and participants for Toronto fan expo announced

Grappling matches announced for Toronto fan expo

Train with Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn and Anthony Pettis at Toronto fan expo

Fighters and Strikeforce booth announced for Toronto fan expo

UFC sued by Hobby Star Marketing over "Fan Expo" name

UFC Fan Expo: Day one in Toronto with Harris Masood

UFC Fan EXpo: Day two in Toronto with Harris Masood

Randy Couture receives his license to fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 129

MMA Mania readers make their fight picks for Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields

UFC 129 editorials:

Saturday Night's Mania Event: Georges St. Pierre is so good he makes great fighters like Jake Shields look bad

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre dominates the UFC welterweight division

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields sneaks past Martin Kampmann to earn his title shot at UFC 129

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre dominates BJ Penn at UFC 94 -- but not without controversy

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields jumps to the Strikeforce middleweight division

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre brutalizes Matt Serra to reclaim the welterweight title

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields runs roughshod through EliteXC

Road to Toronto: Matt Serra knocks out Georges St. Pierre in the upset of the century

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields wins the Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre knocks out Matt Hughes to become UFC welterweight champion

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields is outgrappled in Japan and loses his Shooto title

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre pushed to his limits by B.J. Penn at UFC 58

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields avenges a loss and wins gold all in one fight

Road to Toronto: Georges St. Pierre falls short against his idol Matt Hughes

Road to Toronto: Jake Shields gets serious about MMA by moving to the welterweight division

History in the Making: Jose Aldo becomes king of the featherweight division

History in the Making: Jose Aldo rises from the slums to super stardom

History in the Making: Mark Hominick and Yves Jabouin light the blue cage on fire at WEC 49

History in the Making: Lyoto Machida era begins with a bang against Rashad Evans at UFC 98

History in the Making: Randy Couture clashes with Fedor Emelianenko (shut up, it's fun)

History in the Making: Randy Couture outlasts Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31

Ultimate Submissions: An in-depth look into the highs and lows of Georges St. Pierre's grappling

Ultimate Submissions: Deconstructing Jake Shields and American jiu-jitsu

Quote 'em all: The stars of UFC 129 sound off

Chuck Liddell predicts Jake Shields will finish Georges St. Pierre

Before they were stars: Jake Shields earns a fight against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129

Jake Shields is prepared for an all out war against GSP

Jake Shields will start thinking of moving up to middleweight if he beats GSP

Jake Shields thinks he's going to submit Georges St. Pierre after an all out war

Meet UFC 129 underdog Jake Shields

Jake Shields top five submissions that earned him a title shot at UFC 129

Jake Shields probably has the best jiu-jitsu in MMA

Jake Shields plans to spoil a Silva vs. St. Pierre superfight

Jake Shields believes he's ranked top-five pound-for-pound in the world

Jake Shields is a pretty easy fight for Georges St. Pierre

Georges St. Pierre is not going to be able to hold Jake Shields down

No one can help GSP when the cage door closes at UFC 129

Firas Zahabi: No one in the world can touch Georges St. Pierre at welterweight

Georges St. Pierre could weigh as much as 193-pounds for Jake Shields fight

Georges St. Pierre will regulate Jake Shields with the Gi-funk era

Georges St. Pierre haunted by Matt Serra knockout loss heading into Jake Shields fight

Georges St. Pierre ain't scared to fight Nick Diaz, homie

Georges St. Pierre doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of Roy Jones Jr.

Georges St. Pierre says Jake Shields has the best submissions in the game

Georges St. Pierre training with Roger Gracie and Braulio Estima for Jake Shields fight

Georges St. Pierre is going to make Jake Shields look like a little girl

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields will end in an upset

Georges St. Pierre can't look past Jake Shields to an Anderson Silva superfight

The Natural: A retirement tribute to UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture

Randy Couture sounds off on fighters union and key issues facing UFC

Is Randy Couture the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time?

Randy Couture's last fight to be against Lyoto Machida ... maybe

Randy Couture ready to retire (again) on his own terms

Randy Couture is really going to retire ... seriously ... he really is this time

Dana White would really have to step up to keep Randy Couture from retiring

Watching Chuck Liddell get knocked out prompted Randy Couture to call it quits ... on his terms

Randy Couture doesn't want to end up like Chuck Liddell

Randy Couture wants to grab a hold of Lyoto Machida, choke him and make him tap

Dana White: Randy Couture is too competitive to stay retired

Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture is not going to be a wrestling match

Lyoto Machida wants to begin a new era starting with defeating Randy Couture

Lyoto Machida just might be the guy to defeat Jon Jones

Lyoto Machida feels no pressure heading into fight against Randy Couture

Lyoto Machida focused on keeping the fight standing against Randy Couture

Dana White: Money started messing with Lyoto Machida's head

Jose Aldo is finally healthy going into UFC 129 ... and hungry

Why will Mark Hominick give Jose Aldo problems? It's very technical...

Mark Bocek can do like no one else and submit Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson out to prove WEC lightweights belong in the UFC

Vladimir Matyushenko is going to try to knock out Jason Brilz at UFC 129

Sean Pierson won't need a badge to bring justice to Toronto on April 30

Exclusive interview with Rory MacDonald

Ivan Menjivar ready to put his name in the history books against Charlie Valencia

Pablo Garza belongs with the top featherweights in the UFC and he wants to prove it

Firas Zahabi: One trainer with five fighters competing at UFC 129

UFC 129 videos:

UFC Super 7 Q&A with all seven reigning division champions

Dana White video blog episode one

Dana White video blog episode two

Dana White video blog episode three

Dana White video blog episode four

Countdown to UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Extended preview for UFC 129

Countdown to UFC 129 preview for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Dana White breaks down UFC 129 on ESPN's "Rome is Burning"

Roll Call: The cast of UFC 129

The biggest fight card ever, UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" in Toronto

Chuck Liddell puts together the fight card for UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC Primetime episode one for ''St. Pierre vs. Shields''

UFC Primetime episode two for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

UFC Primetime episode three for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

ESPN MMA Live video preview of "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

ESPN Sport Science video with Georges St. Pierre

UFC 129 behind-the-scenes with Jake Shields, Miguel Torres and more

UFC 129 open workouts for "St. Pierre vs. Shields"

Dana White awards a lucky fan the chance to put the belt on GSP inside the Octagon if he wins

UFC betting: Put your money on Georges St. Pierre over Jake Shields

Dana White talks GSP vs. Anderson Silva and Randy Couture retiring

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields fight breakdown with Randy Couture

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields fight preview with Dana White

Jose Aldo vs Mark Hominick fight preview with Dana White

Mark Bocek vs Ben Henderson fight preview with Dana White

Georgest St. Pierre wants to finish Jake Shields

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields fight talk

Georges St. Pierre trains with Renzo Gracie

Georges St. Pierre insane training for Jake Shields

Georges St. Pierre collective training videos for Jake Shields fight

Georges St. Pierre will still be welterweight champion after UFC 129

Dana White: You'd have to be out of your mind to think Jake Shields can't beat GSP

The Shoot! Jake Shields is taking that belt from Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129

Jake Shields is going to make GSP fight off his back at UFC 129

Jake Shields doesn't give a damn about pissed off GSP fans

Boo him or cheer him, Jake Shields is going out to beat GSP

After a few back and forth rounds, Jake Shields will finish GSP

Phil Davis helps Jake Shields get ready for GSP

Jake Ellenberger says GSP vs. Shields will be a bad fight

The Shoot! The story of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture

Randy Couture is happy to end his career against Lyoto Machida

Randy Couture will fade away when he's done fighting

Randy Couture is not going to stop coming forward against Lyoto Machida

UFC breakthrough: Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia retrospective

Lyoto Machida is not just going to walk through and destroy Randy Couture

Up close and personal with Jose Aldo episode one

Up close and personal with Jose Aldo episode two

Up close and personal with Jose Aldo episode three

Jose Aldo will definitely beat Mark Hominick at UFC 129

Jose Aldo's hands aren't as fast as Mark Hominicks

Mark Hominick will make Jose Aldo move backward at UFC 129

UFC fighter diary featuring Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson vs Mark Bocek will be a true mixed martial arts fight

Ben Henderson has to prove he's for real at UFC 129

Vladimir Matyushenko wants rematch with Lil' Nog when he's done with Jason Brilz

Rory MacDonald motivated to beat Nate Diaz at UFC 129

Jason MacDonald excited to return at historic UFC 129 event in Toronto

That, my friends, should be enough to keep you talking -- at least for the time being.

What has been the biggest story heading into this event? The world looking past Jake Shields and not giving him much of a chance to win? Randy Couture calling it quits for the final time ... or will he? Something else?

Sound off, Maniacs.

It ain't easy getting older and trying to remain relevant in a young man's game.

Just ask Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz, two battle-tested warriors who will hook 'em up on the main card of tonight's (April 30, 2011) UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Both men have been in the game for more than a decade and competed against many of the best the sport has to offer. In the case of Matyushenko, he's a former International Fight League champion who at one time also competed for the UFC light heavyweight title.

That was all the way back in 2001, which resulted in a decision loss to "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz. Much has changed since then, a fact never more evident than in "The Janitor's" latest foray into the upper echelon of the 205-pound division.

Vladdy took on Jon Jones in Aug. 2010 and was absolutely manhandled, losing in less than two minutes to the phenom who would eventually win the division championship.

As for Brilz, he dominated the regional scene for most of his career, losing just once in 19 fights before getting the call from the world's largest fight promotion. He scratched and clawed his way to a 3-1 record before an injury to top dog Forrest Griffin opened a vacancy in a big match up against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

This was "The Hitman's" time to shine. Alas, he came up short when it mattered most.

That's not to say he didn't give a valiant effort. To the contrary, he put on the performance of the night, hanging around for all three rounds and more than holding his own against the gritty and grizzled Brazilian veteran.

However, whether anyone agrees with the decision or not, Brilz lost what was undoubtedly the biggest fight of his life.

And that's the recurring theme for these two aging work horses.

They're both extremely talented and highly proficient in what they do: Matyushenko is an accomplished freestyle wrestler with solid boxing, while Brilz won a state championship during his time at Nebraska.

While that's all well and good, neither man has ever truly gotten over the hump. And at the ripe ages of 40 (Matyushenko) and 35 (Brilz), respectively, time is rapidly running out to make something happen.

That's what tonight represents when they step out in front of 55,000 insane-o Canadian fans. Of the 12 fights on the card, only two do not involve a native of the Great White North. This is one of them.

The fans in the stands, as well as the fans at home, may not have much of a reason to feel vested in this fight. In the end, that's what is at stake inside the hallowed halls of the Rogers Centre ... relevancy.

A loss could mean the end of either fighters hopes of ever contesting for a major championship in MMA.

Should be enough to get up for, eh?

Are you ready for some f***ing fights?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will air the entire UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields" fight card TONIGHT (April 30, 2011), beginning at 6 p.m. ET with a live video stream on Facebook.

Once the Facebook stream ends, two more barnburners from the undercard will air live at 8 p.m. ET on Spike TV.

For those of you who are new to this whole "pay-per-view" (PPV) thing, there are tons of ways to watch the main card tonight. You can call up Comcast or your local cable provider and/or satellite and order the PPV on your television.

For the Internet dorks among us, you can also stream the event on your computers using UFC.TV, Yahoo! Sports or UStream, among others.

If you're like me and you need your UFC 129 as soon as possible, who you gonna call?

MMAmania.com to the rescue.

As usual, we'll have complete results and live fight coverage including round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of all the UFC 129 action before, during and after the event.

Details on who's fighting, when they're fighting and how to keep yourself updated after the jump.

UFC 129 main card -- 9 p.m. ET on pay-per-view:

170 lbs.: Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields
145 lbs.: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick
205 lbs.: Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida
205 lbs.: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz
155 lbs.: Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson

UFC 129 Spike TV "Prelims" -- 8 p.m. ET on Spike TV:

170 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald
170 lbs.: Jake Ellenberger vs. Sean Pierson

UFC 129 Facebook "Prelims" -- 6 p.m. ET on UFC Facebook page:

185 lbs.: Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen
135 lbs.: Ivan Menjivar vs. Charlie Valencia
155 lbs.: John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson
170 lbs.: Claude Patrick vs. Daniel Roberts
145 lbs.: Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin

To watch the UFC "Prelims" on Facebook, (if you have a Facebook profile) simply "like" the UFC Facebook page and check out the "Live Video" tab on the left-side menu.

Again, remember that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 129, beginning with the Facebook prelims at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 30.  

In addition, we will be your one-stop-shop for all the post-event coverage and highlights immediately following the show.

To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields," be sure to hit up our event archive right here.

UFC 129: "St. PIerre vs. Shields" from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is set to go down TONIGHT (Sat., April 30, 2011) live on pay-per-view (PPV).

Immediately following the event, company president Dana White and a handful of participating fighters will be on hand for the UFC 129 post-fight press conference, which is now embedded below (after the jump) for an approximate 12:15 a.m. ET start time.

A replay will also be available below for those who turn in early or miss the live broadcast altogether.

Be sure to tune in for post-fight reactions from all the major players as well as up-to-the-minute results of all the post-fight bonuses, including "Fight of the Night," "Knockout of the Night" and "Submission of the Night."

Check it out below:

Live stream and replay courtesy of UFC.com. For UFC 129 live results and play-by-play click here.

Dana White expressed concern over the UFC’s decision to move up the PPV time for the biggest event in the company’s history. The move, announced in March, was done to accommodate the East Coast markets so that audiences would not have to stay up until 1am.

Although a calculated risk White believes it was the right move. Yet, he is not sure that everyone knows that the PPV has moved up one hour.

Via MMA Junkie:

…White is concerned word hasn’t made it throughout the MMA community, which could have a major impact on PPV sales for this weekend’s event. “It’s the most dangerous thing we’ve ever done,” White said. “It’s scary as hell for me.”

Payout Perspective:

While the UFC has blanketed cable television with commercials and its UFC Countdown and UFC Primetime episodes leading up to today’s event, there still may be those accustomed to the 7pm start time. It may have been nice to have started the new time one or two PPVs earlier so fans would get used to the change.  Still, the new time will probably garner more East Coast audiences. As I’ve argued for the west coast, it will be hard to tune into the earlier fights on Facebook and Spike since they are mid-afternoon. But, most people should be able to tune in (or at least DVR) for the PPV tonight. One thing to look at tonight is the ratings for Spike TV’s prelim fights to see if the move up an hour hurts its viewership.

Enjoy the fights!

Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields."

Quick results of the preliminary fights, which will air via video stream on Facebook.com, will begin to flow around 6 p.m. tonight (April 30, 2011) and round-by-round coverage of the main card pay-per-view (PPV) action is set to start at 9 p.m. ET!

Remember, too, that a live "Prelims" special will air on Spike TV  at 8 p.m. ET.

If you're going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 129 results post and not this one.

Comments in this thread are turned off.

Enjoy the show, Maniacs!

You would think being involved in the very last fight, at the final event of a successful promotion, in what turned out to be a candidate for "Fight of the Year," would be a good thing.

In the case of Benson Henderson, it wasn't.

Not only did the dynamic young Colorado native lose his lightweight championship, he was posterized by Anthony Pettis in the process, who, in the final moments of the last fight in WEC history, landed one of the most amazing head kicks in MMA history.

Henderson came up short in one of the biggest fights of his life and what's worse, was more or less humiliated in the process. Worse still, is the staying power of that kick.

To this day, if you type in his name on Google, three of the top five search suggestions revolve around that fight. It doesn't take a genius to know that it's not a good thing when enough people are searching for "Ben Henderson gets kicked in the face" to make it a featured result on the largest website on the Internet.

Part of the reason for that is that night in Arizona marked the last time "Bendo" was in the cage plying his trade. That ends tonight when he climbs into the Octagon for his debut in the world's largest fight promotion against Mark Bocek.

He's not only getting the chance to impress against a top contender at 155-pounds. He's also getting the opportunity to erase the memory of that cold, painful December night.

WEC 53: "Henderson vs. Pettis" will long be remembered not just for it being the final event put on by "the promotion with all the little guys," but for the "Showtime off-the-wall Kick" Pettis landed on Henderson.

Unfortunately, there are likely quite a few fans, even those educated in the sport, that don't realize how highly credentialed Ben Henderson actually is.

Two championships, multiple fight night bonuses and awards and an over 80-percent finishing rate in his 12 career fights are just a few of his notable accomplishments.

At just 27 years-old, and despite those achievements, the lightweight wrestler has his entire career ahead of him. But erasing the memory of that kick off the cage will go a long way in establishing him, once again, as a top contender at 155-pounds.

To do that, he'll need an impressive victory in his UFC debut against savvy submission specialist Mark Bocek. It won't be easy; the Canadian will be on his home turf, fighting in front of 55,000 fans in the same city he was born and raised.

Not only that, Bocek is extremely motivated, as he's knocking on the door that leads to the upper echelon of the division after a "Submission of the Night" winning triangle choke of jiu-jitsu wizard Dustin Hazelett.

It's an intimidating setup for Henderson but a necessary one. After all, what better way to forget such an astounding failure than with an equally convincing triumph?

Jake Shields had finally made it to the big show.

But despite being the former Elite Xtreme Combat (Elite XC) welterweight champion and the most recent Strikeforce middleweight title holder, he was not given an immediate shot at Georges St. Pierre when he made his UFC debut in Oct. 2010.

He had to earn it. And he had to do it the hard way.

Road to Toronto is a special series leading up to UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields."

We'll take a look at some of the most important moments in the careers of the champion (Georges St. Pierre) and his challenger (Jake Shields), including the ups and the downs and the highs and the lows. We'll examine the instances in time that have helped shape the men that headline this Saturday's (April 30, 2011) card, the biggest in UFC history.

We are mere hours away from the big event. The fighters are likely making last-minute adjustments in their hotel rooms and trying to rehydrate before they step into the cage. 

Let's take a look at the fight that landed Shields in the position he's in today:

By July of last year, news broke that Shields had officially signed with the UFC. And not only had he jumped ship from Strikeforce, but he was returning to the weight he had fought at for almost all of his career:

170 pounds.

He signed on to fight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121: "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" in a fight that UFC head honcho Dana White said would "likely" be for a title shot.

The California native fought tooth and nail against the "Hitman" in a fight that may not have impressed fans or convinced them that Shields was deserving to face "Rush;" however, it's the same kind of fight that the former Strikeforce champion was supposed to lose, but ended up winning.

Similarly, when he lost his Shooto title, he wasn't expected to win the Rumble on the Rock tournament ... especially with names like Anderson Silva, Yushin Okami and Frank Trigg competing.

But against all odds, he did.

When he made the jump back up to middleweight, he wasn't supposed to be able to beat Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller and especially Dan Henderson. These men were too big for him. Shields belonged at welterweight, right?

But against all odds, he did.

And when he finally signed to with the UFC, Shields was supposed to be exposed now that he was in a much deeper talent pool.

Instead, he gutted out a win against a very game Dane.

Let's take a quick look back and see how it all went down.

To start the fight, Shields rushed Kampmann early and took him down. He attempted to get into side mount, but "Hitman" had enough grappling chops to prevent him from doing so.

From half-guard, Shields managed to get mount, but Kampmann exploded out and both fighters ended up on their feet. He shoved the former Strikeforce champ against the cage and landed some knees to the body. He attempted a guillotine, but was taken down.

"Hitman" was then forced to let go of the submission attempt so he could get back to his feet. He didn't want to spend too much time on the mat with the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) expert.

The two traded kicks on their feet and the Dane sprawled out of a takedown attempt. Shields landed a couple of inside leg kicks and shot in again, but was stuffed by his opponent as the round ended.

The second round opened and Shields almost immediately shot in. He, like his opponent, didn't want to spend too much time in a position in which he didn't feel comfortable.

The takedown was again stuffed, but "Hitman" was pressed against the cage. He threw a knee that connected in a big way and the California native dropped to his knees. He's still had enough sense to attempt to get Kampmann down despite being rocked.

Shields ended up in side control, but Kampmann popped back up quickly. They clinched and "Hitman" landed several knees to the body before slamming another knee into his opponent's skull. Shields dropped again, but was soon back onto his feet.

The Cesar Gracie student was now bleeding and looked up at the clock. He couldn't take too many more knees like that.

Another takedown and Shields ended up in Kampmann's mount. He did little with it before the Dane exploded out. The round ended with the American eating a counter hook and a jab. He looked exhausted.

With only five minutes remaining in the fight, Shields had another takedown attempt stuffed. Kampmann landed a weak head kick and sprawled to avoid another takedown.

Kampmann was pushing the pace at this point. A weak takedown landed the American in a bad position. He turtled up and the Dane landed punches to the head and knees to the body. Another aborted takedown landed the American in an equally bad position.

"Hitman" teased with a D'arce choke, but was denied. He landed some elbows and punches from up top, but somehow Shields -- as exhausted as he was -- was able to sweep his opponent.

Kampmann tried to stand, but Shields -- from behind -- dragged him down and teased a rear naked choke. The fight ended with the Dane stuck in a body triangle with Shields punching from behind.

Shields ultimately earned the split decision victory that night and with it, a welterweight title shot. It wasn't the prettiest win, but the Cesar Gracie black belt proved he could hang in the UFC.

Which leads us to tonight.

The 32-year old has a history of doing the unexpected and is hoping history repeats itself in Toronto. When everyone else counted him out, he believed in himself and trained harder.

Will we have a new champion tonight? Or will "Rush" prove too much to handle for Shields?

Only time will tell. One thing, however, is for certain: Looking at Shields' career, there's very little argument that he doesn't deserve this shot.

He is a former Shooto middleweight champion, former Elite XC welterweight champion, former Strikeforce middleweight champion, and Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament winner.

Tonight he gets the chance to add the biggest accomplishment to his resume:

UFC Welterweight Champion.

Photo via ufc.com

A man who had never been defeated in the UFC, Jon Fitch, was brutalized for 25 minutes.

A man who had given Georges St. Pierre fits three years prior, B.J. Penn, quit on his stool.

It seems like UFC 69: "Shootout," when a Matt Serra haymaker found its mark, was the last time we saw GSP The Mortal Man. Now we were watching GSP The Indestructible Machine.

Road to Toronto is a special series leading up to UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields."

We'll take a look at some of the most important moments in the careers of the champion (Georges St. Pierre) and his challenger (Jake Shields), including the ups and the downs and the highs and the lows. We'll examine the instances in time that have helped shape the men that headline this Saturday's (April 30, 2011) card, the biggest in UFC history. 

Today is the big day!

Before we order the pizzas and crack open the beers, let's take a look at the sheer domination "Rush" has held over the welterweight division for the past several years:

With the company's milestone 100th event (by number, at least) coming up, the UFC would have been insane not to put its two biggest draws, Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre, on the card.

It did just that.

The welterweight champion's opponent that night was Brazilian Muay Thai wrecking machine Thiago Alves. He was on a seven-fight win streak, ending five of those by (technical) knockout. One such finish was a beauty of a flying knee that almost made Matt Hughes forget the numbers 12 through 17.

Nonetheless, at UFC 100, "Rush" completely dominated his opponent. When everyone said he had to take the fight to the ground to avoid getting knocked out by the danger striker, St. Pierre chose to stand at times, confident in his own stand up skills.

In fact, by the second round, Alves' face was covered in blood, a testament to the power GSP had in his hands. The champion was also able to drop the Brazilian in the third round, all the while absorbing very little damage himself.

The only round that Alves made semi-competitive was the fourth. He had the champion on his back, but again, "Rush" escaped without taking too many blows. 

Oh, and he had torn a muscle in his groin that round, too.

Despite the injury, the champion went on to win a one-sided unanimous decision against the challenger. But his professional demeanor, coupled with his dominant performances, brought up the concern that perhaps fans would tire of St. Pierre.

To help alleviate this, the French Canadian's next opponent was the brash and cocky Dan Hardy, a British striker who had no qualms about speaking his mind.

He, like Fitch, was undefeated in the UFC. But unlike Fitch, he had twice as few fights in the Octagon and against lesser competition. The fight was looked at as a bit of a farce since Hardy really only had the proverbial "puncher's chance."

The fight went exactly as everyone thought it would.

Hardy never even got the chance to throw that one big punch. He was on his back almost the entire time. And despite solid armbar and kimura attempts from the champ, he couldn't finish the Briton off.

GSP had failed to keep fights from going to the judges several times before, but this time was different. Hardy was hot shotted into the title picture and wasn't in the same league as the welterweight kingpin. If you didn't think so before they locked horns, the fight proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The same criticisms that Jake Shields received prior to his Strikeforce run -- that he was too careful and unable to finish fights -- were now being lobbed at "Rush."

By the time he signed on to fight Josh Koscheck, he was recycling opponents he had already beaten. Koscheck proved no match for St. Pierre in 2007. And while the former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant had improved since that time, so had St. Pierre.

He had improved so much, in fact, that instead of trying to outwrestle the wrestle as he did before, he put on a boxing display. He jabbed Koscheck's face into oblivion, shattering his orbital bone in the process.

From Koscheck's official Twitter account comes this grotesque image. The frizzy-haired trash talker still won't be able to fight for at least a couple of months.

But again, GSP was criticized for his performance.

Why didn't he put Koscheck away when he was obviously in such bad shape? How did one of the most exciting fighters go from decisions being the exception to the norm?

Finishes are important in the sport. They're important to the fans. They help prove a fighter has that killer instinct, that extra something that only comes out when the cage door is locked.

Georges St. Pierre can put on another dominating peformance tonight (April 30), but without a finish, I fear his star may begin to lose some luster.

At the weigh-ins yesterday, he told the audience not to blink. Perhaps he has heard some of the criticisms himself and decided to do something about it.

And with a superfight with Anderson Silva possibly on the horizon and millions of dollars to be made, GSP can't afford to be viewed as a "lay and pray" wrestler.

Because to be quite honest, he's not that at all.

Photo via ufc.com

 

In tonight’s main event at UFC 129, George St. Pierre will defend his title in a much anticipated match up with top ranked contender Jake Shields. This fight is on paper the stiffest test St. Pierre has faced since he throttled the second best welterweight in the world, Jon Fitch.

In months of speculation and anticipation of this fight, the MMA world has debated this topic with keen eyes and heavy interest. The talks of the improvement in St. Pierre’s stand up skills have pushed him upon a pedestal levels higher then he already stood above his challengers.

But against a jiu-jitsu wizard like Jake Shields, we should start to take notice of St. Pierre’s grappling skills. Not just his smothering top game, but his ability to transition from the bottom and to defend takedowns. Also, his skills in defending and performing submissions.

For another chapter in the Ultimate Submissions series, follow me after the jump and we will put a scope on the grappling abilities of the champion.

Georges St. Pierre started his career in January of 2002. He found himself on the winning end of a technical knockout stoppage late in the first round of that fight. It wouldn’t take him but about nine minutes before he captured his first title, winning his second fight by arm bar for the UCC promotion.

With very minimal wrestling and grappling experience to his name, St. Pierre did not enter the sport with the vast background most prospects tend to have. His combat experienced was limited.

From Wikipedia:

He started learning Kyokushin karate at age seven from his father and later from a Kyokushin Karate Master to defend himself against a school bully. He took up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after his karate teacher died and also trained in boxing. Before turning pro as a mixed-martial artist, St-Pierre worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club in the South Shore called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees.

St. Pierre continued his success in the smaller promotion before being called up by the UFC in his sixth fight. The UFC would offer him no tune up fight, pairing him with 10-2 and highly acclaimed Karo Pariysan. Parisyan, an accomplished Judo player, was a favorite based on experience alone.

St. Pierre overwhelmed Parisyan, landing six out of eight takedowns in the fight and severely out struck his opponent. This was a bit of a surprise to most being that St. Pierre was relatively unknown and it was his debut fight for the promotion.

The surprises would not end there.

The UFC would call on Jay Hieron to face St. Pierre next. Hieron was undefeated as well and had a legitimate wrestling background to his credit. It wouldn’t matter in this fight, however, as St. Pierre shrugged off three takedowns in the early going and would use that sprawl to batter and stop Hieron in less than two minutes. The win would propel St. Pierre up the ladder in what would be his first title opportunity.

This is where we begin with the low points of the grappling career of Georges St. Pierre.

A star-struck challenger, Georges St. Pierre would enter into a title fight with welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes in just his second year competing in mixed martial arts. Hughes, already a veteran in the sport with a record of 36-4, was the heavy favorite over the young St. Pierre.

The fight would see all but a second of the first round.

Hughes earned two takedowns in the round and none more important then the final one. He would pass to dominant position on St. Pierre and would secure a submission via arm bar at 4:59 of the very first round.

 

You see in the clip that while Matt Hughes is passing through to side mount of St. Pierre, St. Pierre begins to scramble. During the scramble St. Pierre has already began to attack the arm of Hughes, Hughes uses this to his advantage when he is able to isolate the attacking arm and swing over to execute an arm bar.

St. Pierre does not hold on the extra second and he taps out. The referee calls the fight as the round ends and St. Pierre suffers his first career defeat.

"Rush" would go back to the drawing board, at still a young age and experienced in the sport he would refine his technique and would rattle off seven straight wins before his next loss, a monumental upset at the hands of Matt Serra.

But that fight was not lost in any way based on grappling. His next grappling low would come against his rival, long time nemesis Josh Koscheck.

Josh Koscheck was 9-1 heading into the St. Pierre fight. Koscheck had one of the most impressive wrestling backgrounds in the sport and was quickly becoming a handful for all of his UFC opponents. In the early goings it looked to be as if he would also provide some trouble to St. Pierre.

 

Koscheck shows in this clip why he was so acclaimed as a powerhouse wrestler in the sport. He had snatched on a single leg and explodes impressively into a double leg takedown, resulting in a body lock and dominant position. Koscheck remains to be since that fight the only person to win a round on the current welterweight champion St. Pierre.

Koscheck would continue with his moderate success in out grappling St. Pierre in his efforts to gain takedowns.

    

This will show how little St. Pierre has suffered in terms of poor grappling. St. Pierre has progressed drastically since the submission loss to Hughes. Even in the clip of this second Koscheck fight, St. Pierre makes it extremely difficult to gain a takedown and forces Koscheck to lose plenty of energy. He did not allow Koscheck to do any considerable damage on the ground as he was able to still win the round as well as the remaining rounds in his thorough beating of Koscheck over five rounds.

The most recent low point of St. Pierre in grappling terms was the fight with Dan Hardy. In that fight St. Pierre was a perfect eleven for eleven in takedowns and passed the guard a whopping 26 times.

Impressive, right?

St. Pierre attempted six submissions, but did not complete any. It wasn’t that they weren’t close to being finished, St. Pierre -- even while being a perfectionist -- failed to succeed while appearing to be primed and ready to finish the fight. While studying under many acclaimed teachers, including Renzo Gracie and John Danaher, his jiu-jitsu had been improving drastically, which made this next and final low even the more surprising.

Dan Hardy was outmatched to begin with. His jiu-jitsu skills while existent were not in the same league as St. Pierre’s.

St. Pierre makes a few mistakes in this clip. He has his legs very loose, he crosses his feet in his efforts to secure the body. He also allows Hardy to push his right foot away from his body, enabling him to twist and escape. St. Pierre could have rolled with him to further torque on the arm.

Coming from a black belt in jiu-jitsu, we all expected him to finish any submission that close against a severely outmatched Hardy.

However, just like his counterpart this weekend Jake Shields, George St. Pierre has plenty high points in the grappling department. Maybe not as noticeable since he hasn’t finished many fights by submission, but it’s the minor details that have won him over by many grapplers.

    

St. Pierre has dominated plenty grapplers, from the early fights of Sean Sherk and Mayhem Miller to B.J Penn and Matt Serra. Georges has made it known that his wrestling and positional grappling is hard to stop and seemingly impossible to match.

He has also made it a point to avenge his losses and low points with emphasis and viciousness.

In both clips above you see the grappling and wrestling prowess that St. Pierre has developed. From the guy who was out grappled early in his career by Hughes and the guy who was finding himself beneath Koscheck in their first fight he answered back with dominant performances in the rematches.

He was able to take down both fighters, but not just take them down … St. Pierre was able to hold them down and implore effective ground and pound attacks.

   

After the failed submissions on Dan Hardy many questioned St. Pierre’s finishing abilities. The thought that St. Pierre doesn’t have the ability to finish a fight via submission should be put to rest by simply looking back to his victory over an accomplished grappler in Matt Hughes.

In the clip St. Pierre is going for North South position, he seems to be attacking with a kimura. With Hughes on his side, St. Pierre has the position for the kimura,  with his base out wide and arms away from his body. As Hughes straightens his arm to fight the kimura, St. Pierre is able to transition to an armbar. As Hughes rolls out of the armbar, GSP slides his leg in front of Hughes' face to isolate the arm. From there it forces the tap out.

But St. Pierre’s grappling isnt limited to submission attempts.

 

In the clips above St. Pierre is beating and battering his opponents. But those aren’t two ordinary opponents -- B.J. Penn and Matt Serra are two world class jiu-jitsu practitioners. St. Pierre is able to keep them from being mobile and avoid any sort of defense/offense from either guy in the area they are well respected in jiu-jitsu.

St. Pierre uses his strength and awesome use of leverage to neutralize the grappling abilities of his opponents in a way that is smothering and overwhelming, which leads to frustration and breaking down of the wills of his opponents.

For anyone who believes (As I do) that Jake Shields will get St. Pierre to the ground, let us not forget that Georges is a black belt and does know how to defend from his back.  

 

As we see in the clip above Jon Fitch has top control over St. Pierre, you can see Fitch beginning to pass the guard by sliding his knee over St. Pierre's leg. As soon as he does, St. Pierre starts to transition to a deep half guard, by grabbing the leg and pulling Fitch off balance, forcing him to plant out both hands on the mat. St. Pierre is then able escape his head right out from behind Fitch and then threatens taking the back. And as Fitch turns back into GSP, he turns the half-guard into a single leg for the sweep.

Beautiful jiu-jitsu displayed by St. Pierre from underneath one of the best positional grapplers in the division if not the sport. St. Pierre has the knowledge and abilities to perform high level moves especially with the recent addition in his training camp adding Roger Gracie and Braulio Estima to his long list of training partners.

Only time well tell if Georges St. Pierre will be able to match the grappling skills of the challenger tonight.

Lucky for us, the wait is almost over.  

Just in time for the most attended mixed martial arts event in North American history, UFC 129: "St. Pierre vs. Shields," the world's largest combat sports promotion will debut its own show, "UFC Central."

Hosted by former WEC announcer Todd Harris and sports reporter Molly Qerim, as well as UFC fighters Kenny Florian and Stephan Bonnar, the news and analysis show will air tonight at 8 p.m. ET for free exclusively on UFC.TV.

Harris will run the show, while Florian and Bonnar impart their knowledge to provide UFC 129 fight breakdowns and Qerim will give backstage reports throughout the telecast.

Once the pay-per-view broadcast begins, "UFC Central" will only be available exclusively to those who ordered the event on UFC.TV. Those lucky fans will be subject to live interviews with fighters, as well as commentary from the show's analysts.

More on "UFC Central," including Dana White's thoughts after the jump.

"UFC Central" will be offered as a seventh video feed and fifth audio feed, leveraging UFC.TV's multi-camera view and multi-audio feed experience. During the live event, fans will have the option inside of UFC.TV to select "UFC Central" as the main broadcast. Or, they can drag and drop it into picture-in-picture or quad view so that "UFC Central" can be watched and/or listened to alongside the broadcast of the main fight card.

Immediately following the live broadcast, "UFC Central" will be once again offered for free at UFC.TV with post-fight analysis from Harris, Florian and Bonnar, among others.

UFC President Dana White is very enthusiastic about the new show.

"We are really excited for the debut of UFC Central this Saturday during the biggest weekend in the history of the sport. The UFC.TV experience allows us to test many different types of programming options, such as UFC Central, with the end goal of making for a better fan experience. Nothing will get you closer to the full UFC event experience."

Enjoy, Maniacs.

Remember, too, that you can follow all the action live and interact with out readers throghout the night in our UFC 129 results thread right here.

Today is the big day.

After all the build-up, all the pre-fight chatter, all the analysis and predictions from fans and bloggers around the world, Georges St. Pierre is ready to defend his title against Jake Shields in front of the largest crowd in North American MMA history.

GSP wouldn't be where he is without his head trainer, Firas Zahabi.

The Canadian Muay Thai champion holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) from John Danaher and won two provincial gold medals in freestyle wrestling. He's been in charge of training St. Pierre ever since his last loss to Matt Serra. The champ is 8-0 since then so I'm assuming Zahabi is going a fine job.

Firas was a guest on Pro MMA Radio this week and he discussed what it's like training the pound-for-pound king. He started out as one of St. Pierre's sparring partners and he still spars with "Rush" to this day.

"It's humbling, very humbling. Luckily he likes me so it's fun. He's a big, strong guy and he's really got his game tight and he's touched all his bases. I don't think anybody in the world can touch him at this weight. Nobody."

One of the biggest compliments Zahabi gave on St. Pierre was his passion for the sport and his desire to learn everything about mixed martial arts that he can.

"He has a lot of tricks in his bag that he's never shown but the opportunity to use them never arises. He has a wealth of knowledge. You could ask him anything about jiu-jitsu, anything about kickboxing, anything about karate. You could ask him about a kick and he'll give you the name of it in Japanese. He's a scholar of mixed martial arts. He really is. You could ask him the history of fighting, he'll know. He's a very cerebral guy, a very intelligent guy and there's a lot he hasn't shown... a lot."

The head of Tristar Gym is known for his innovation in training elite athletes. Zahabi believes we're just getting started with the current level that mixed martial arts athletes are at.

"There's so many ways to train the human body. I don't just study martial arts, I also study sports science. I really think there's a lot of ground to cover and I always liken it to the NFL. If you look at what they've done in the last 50 years, they've really taken it to an elite level. MMA's gonna do the same thing in the next 50 years. I like to try and discover those methods and stay on the edge. There's a lot of trial and error. I use myself because I do train a lot and I like to see if it does make a difference in a trained athlete. You can always make a difference with an untrained athlete, it's the trained athlete that's hard to make a difference."

Zahabi has worked with Georges throughout his entire fight career but it was one major loss that got the Muay Thai champion promoted. Since then, he's done everything in his power to make St. Pierre the most complete mixed martial artist on the planet. GSP isn't the only fighter who's benefited from Zahabi's training either.

"I've been training with Georges since he's been pro. After he lost to Serra, he asked me to take over. I taught him to box first because he was more of a direct karate guy. His striking was more physical and I taught him more to jab and with footwork, to find angles. You saw with Kenny Florian and Gomi, and Miguel Torres' last fight. The jab is the first thing I teach. Blocking is the last resort, you counter it with a jab. It's very important to cut people's combinations or they'll just keep attacking you. Georges cut Koscheck's combinations and never gave him a chance to go on an effective offense."

If you watched the Primetime series on Spike TV, you probably noticed the champion trying something new out, gymnastics. His head trainer believes it's very important to mix things up and keep your fighter on his toes.

"I had done gymnastics in the past and I know that Georges, you spend so many hours in the gym working out, it's hard to get motivated. If you're not motivated to do something, you're gonna cut your workouts short, you're gonna leave, you're gonna lose interest. To keep the spark alive, the interest alive, to give him something different other than that physical training because he's done so many years of it, we introduced him to gymnastics and he loved it. He took to it immediately and he was fascinated by it. If you love something, you do it more. I feel gymnasts are the best athletes. Runners have endurance, the goal of a sprinter is to be fast but for gymnasts, their goal is to be the best athlete. The more athletic you are, the farther you can go in mixed martial arts so I took him to the best in terms of athleticism."

While many fans are using Jake Shields' last performance against Martin Kampmann as an excuse that he will not have a chance against GSP, Zahabi isn't believing it one bit. No one is underestimating the challenger.

"I see the weight cut was a huge factor. I've seen all of Jake Shields' fights. I never missed a Jake Shields fight even before he was gonna fight Georges. He's definitely not going to run out of gas on the 30th. He's not going to make that mistake twice. Everyone is expecting the best Jake Shields that's ever been. That's a dangerous guy. He can beat Georges St. Pierre if he makes a mistake. Don't count this guy out. He's that dangerous."

The Tristar leader also disagrees that Jake Shields' striking is poor. He feels there's a method to Jake's madness.

"Koscheck might be a more powerful puncher but I think Jake is a more technical striker. Koscheck has more success on the feet but the throws to end the night. Jake doesn't stop throwing. He's more conservative but doesn't extend himself. He's harder to score on because his takedowns are relentless. He's a chain wrestler and he goes from move to move to move. Jake Shields, if he holds you, he won't let you go, that's his style. His striking is very tailored to getting in that distance, creating clinch and takedown situations."

While just about everyone agrees that the gameplan of Jake Shields is going to involve takedowns and putting the champion on his back, Zahabi feels it's going to be easier said than done.

"I'll tell you one thing, Georges is the most difficult human being ever to put on his back. I have a ton of great wrestlers come in and try it. You need a crane, or a forklift or something to put this guy on his back. It's extremely, extremely difficult. I think statistically, he's the most successful in MMA. We bring All-American wrestlers into the gym and I make them swear to me that they'll put him on his back before sparring. I send in several elite guys to put him on his back. Believe me, it's incredibly difficult. Georges is just on another level. He's gifted for this."

St. Pierre has taken some flack from critics for his recent inability to finish fights. Firas firmly stated that a decision victory is never the goal.

"My ultimate goal is that all my guys win in the first 10 seconds. If it doesn't happen, we go back to the drawing board and find out why the fight wasn't finished. None of these guys are gunning for controversial split decisions. We brought in Freddie Roach to work with Georges, polish up his mechanics. We want to get to the point where every fighter in my gym is winning in 10 seconds."

Zahabi closed the interview by informing the listeners on just what exactly sets GSP apart from the other welterweights in the world.

"He's got it all and he works hard to get it all, His hard work and work ethic separates himself. He does everything he has to do and not just the things he likes to do. That's what sets him apart."

For more on Firas Zahabi as well as his fight pick for the Aldo-Homick featherweight title bout, check out the replay of MMAmania.com's exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio by clicking here.