By Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA
**Stay tuned to CanadianProFighter.com for my exclusive 1-on-1 interview with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.**
CLICK HERE for a slideshow of the premiere
The premiere of Steven J. Wong’s documentary The Striking Truth took place in front of a packed house at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Friday night in downtown Toronto. Some of MMA’s biggest names were on hand to take in the festivities.
The documentary tells the stories of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Canadian MMA pioneer David Loiseau. Both St. Pierre and Loiseau were on hand along with the director Wong, their MMA trainer Firas Zahabi, UFC welterweight Sean Pierson, former UFC champion Carlos Newton, and former UFC fighter Jeff Joslin. Even former mixed martial artist Justin Bruckmann, who fought St. Pierre in 2002 and Loiseau twice in 2000, was there to support his former foes. Following the screening, there was a brief fan Q&A with the director and the two stars. Popular MMA analyst ‘Showdown Joe’ Ferraro of Rogers Sportsnet hosted the event.
The enthusiastic crowd met the film with cheers, laughs and even some tears. Although UFC, MMA and GSP fans will flock to this film, it has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience since the film is more a human interest story than a sports documentary. More or less, the focus of the film is St. Pierre’s rise to stardom and the struggle to maintain it; as well as Loiseau’s shortcomings in the later stages of his career and his determination to earn back some of the glory he lost.
Fans who see the film, fans will view St. Pierre, Loiseau and fighters in general in a different light. In interviews and on TV the champ embodies the GSP persona. In the film, however, he is Georges, a cerebral family man. The film reveals that the best moment of his life wasn’t when he won the UFC welterweight championship. It was the day his parents found out that he had paid off their mortgage and all of their debts. The veil is lifted off this superstar athlete.
The doc should inspire audiences and could even help some viewers learn to deal with anxiety problems. With appearances by Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Matt Serra, ‘Big’ John McCarthy, Greg Jackson, Firas Zahabi, Phil Nurse, Mauro Ranallo and ‘Showdown Joe’ Ferraro, The Striking Truth is destined to become a hit among the MMA community.
Although there is no scheduled date for a wider release, Wong said that it would be in theatres prior to UFC 129 in Toronto. Wong also said that he would be collaborating with St. Pierre again in the future on a project called “The GSP Story.”
For more information visit strikingtruth.com and follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter.
Here is the official Movie Trailer
CLICK HERE for a slideshow of the premiere
The premiere of Steven J. Wong’s documentary The Striking Truth took place in front of a packed house at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Friday night in downtown Toronto. Some of MMA’s biggest names were on hand to take in the festivities.
The documentary tells the stories of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Canadian MMA pioneer David Loiseau. Both St. Pierre and Loiseau were on hand along with the director Wong, their MMA trainer Firas Zahabi, UFC welterweight Sean Pierson, former UFC champion Carlos Newton, and former UFC fighter Jeff Joslin. Even former mixed martial artist Justin Bruckmann, who fought St. Pierre in 2002 and Loiseau twice in 2000, was there to support his former foes. Following the screening, there was a brief fan Q&A with the director and the two stars. Popular MMA analyst ‘Showdown Joe’ Ferraro of Rogers Sportsnet hosted the event.
The enthusiastic crowd met the film with cheers, laughs and even some tears. Although UFC, MMA and GSP fans will flock to this film, it has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience since the film is more a human interest story than a sports documentary. More or less, the focus of the film is St. Pierre’s rise to stardom and the struggle to maintain it; as well as Loiseau’s shortcomings in the later stages of his career and his determination to earn back some of the glory he lost.
Fans who see the film, fans will view St. Pierre, Loiseau and fighters in general in a different light. In interviews and on TV the champ embodies the GSP persona. In the film, however, he is Georges, a cerebral family man. The film reveals that the best moment of his life wasn’t when he won the UFC welterweight championship. It was the day his parents found out that he had paid off their mortgage and all of their debts. The veil is lifted off this superstar athlete.
The doc should inspire audiences and could even help some viewers learn to deal with anxiety problems. With appearances by Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Matt Serra, ‘Big’ John McCarthy, Greg Jackson, Firas Zahabi, Phil Nurse, Mauro Ranallo and ‘Showdown Joe’ Ferraro, The Striking Truth is destined to become a hit among the MMA community.
Although there is no scheduled date for a wider release, Wong said that it would be in theatres prior to UFC 129 in Toronto. Wong also said that he would be collaborating with St. Pierre again in the future on a project called “The GSP Story.”
For more information visit strikingtruth.com and follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter.
Here is the official Movie Trailer
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