Georges St. Pierre Predicts Knockout Win for Training Partner Brandon Thatch at RFA 7

According to an official Resurrection Fighting Alliance release, UFC champion Georges St. Pierre believes his training partner will perform in a big way when he meets unbeaten Roufusport product Mike Rhodes on Friday night at the 1stBank Center in Denver.

“[Thatch] is going to win by knockout. He’s going to surprise a lot of people tomorrow night,” St. Pierre said in the release. “I believe Brandon Thatch could be in the UFC right now, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to prove it to everyone in his fight tomorrow night.”

Beaten just once in nine pro outings, Thatch rides a seven-fight winning streak into his showdown with Rhodes, who recently stepped in for an injured Leandro Silva. RFA 7 airs live on AXS TV and also features a co-headlining attraction between Chidi Njokuani and Jeremy Kimball.

Normally a member of the Grudge Training Center, Thatch was initially brought into Montreal’s Tristar camp to help St. Pierre prepare for his Nov. 17 title defense against Carlos Condit. St. Pierre then called upon Thatch once again to aid him ahead of his recent outpointing of former Strikeforce king Nick Diaz at UFC 158.

“I brought [Thatch] into my training camp, because I needed a guy who had a similar style [to Condit]. Plus he can switch [stances] and was one of the best strikers I could work with,” said St. Pierre. “He returned to Montreal and helped me prepare for Nick Diaz, and it was good, because we worked really well together.”

Though Thatch was called upon for the purpose of aiding St. Pierre prepare for his bouts, the UFC welterweight king said the prospect also benefited from those trips to Quebec.

“Brandon was working a lot on his ground and wrestling in this camp. He got so much better, and he’s a fast learner. Sometimes he was taking me down,” said St. Pierre. “Brandon and I are close friends now, and I love training with him. He brought a lot to my camp, and I hope I have brought the same to him for his fight tomorrow night.”