Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

MONTREAL - Fighting in front of his hometown fans, it is no surprise that Georges St. Pierre is in the spotlight for his UFC 83 main event match.

Even Dana White couldn't steal it away from him. The eminently quotable UFC President is under the weather with a cold, and instead of risking the health of the fighters he would share the podium with at Thursday's press conference, the workaholic took a rare sick day.

But while White's absence left the podium one man short on potential one-liners, St. Pierre's opponent and media-friendly Long Islander Matt Serra filled in for his boss.

In the back-and-forth of press questioning, it becomes more and more obvious that while GSP graciously accepts the spotlight as part of his job, Serra is the one more comfortable with the attention TV cameras and reporters are providing in the final 48-hour stretch prior to their Saturday night welterweight championship fight.

St. Pierre has admittedly shut off his cell phone and put himself "in a box" to take away any and all distractions. For the next two days, he will spend his time visualizing the fight, cutting weight and then re-hydrating his body. Meanwhile, Serra gladly speaks to anyone with a microphone or notebook and is easy with a laugh. You would hardly know that the biggest night of his life is two days away. In short, the two men couldn't approach their big day any differently.

Need further proof? Try these two nuggets when asked about their current mental states:

"It's the calm before the storm," St. Pierre said. "I'm very nervous. I'm nervous and scared to fail but that's normal. I have butterflies, but I have to make the butterflies fly in formation."

"I'm really excited and looking forward to it," Serra said. "This is one of the biggest events in MMA history. How can I not be? I want to soak it all in."

The main event rematches the 26-year-old interim champion St. Pierre (15-2) against the 33-year-old champ Serra (9-4) and is getting major attention on local and national media outlets. Coupled together with the NHL's Canadiens hoping to wrap up their Eastern Conference playoff series against Boston tonight, the city is absolutely buzzing.

St. Pierre mentioned that he saw several Canadiens players on the way to the arena, and they all wished each other luck in their upcoming battles.

But luck, of course, is just a small part of the equation in sports. Talent is the real key to success, and UFC lightweight Roger Huerta, who helped St. Pierre in training along with  Nate Marquardt, says St. Pierre is a sight to behold in the gym.

"He's one of the most physically talented guys I've ever trained with," he says. "Some of the things he does in the gym are amazing. He's as prepared and sharp as he's ever been in his life."

Meanwhile, St. Pierre's trainer Greg Jackson said he believes that GSP's creativity in the ring could be the deciding factor.

"Matt has a heavy right hand, and Georges will be on the lookout for that, but he has so many tools and weapons he can use."

With all the attention and the betting line going strongly in St. Pierre's favor, what kind of chance does Serra have fighting on enemy soil? Kenny Florian, who will be making his pay-per-view debut on color commentary filling in for Joe Rogan, thinks the fight might be closer than people think.

"There's no question Matt has to cut off the distance to St. Pierre and stay inside," he says. "He's done it once before, and he's proven he has power. GSP is a phenomenal athlete, but in this sport anybody can win or lose."

Some have recently questioned St. Pierre's desire to stand up and trade, pointing to his willingness to engage decorated wrestler Josh Koscheck in his area of expertise in a recent win. No. 1 contender-in-waiting Jon Fitch was one of those, who told NBCSports.com last month that saw tentativeness in GSP in the striking game.

To that, GSP replied, "Maybe you should ask Jon Fitch again after Saturday night."

Seemingly lost in the background are the rest of the fighters on the card. Ex-middleweight champion Rich Franklin and Travis Lutter will tangle in the co-main event.

"You sure get a lot less questions up here [on the podium]," Franklin said when asked if there was any difference training for a fight that wasn't the main event. "Georges definitely has the spotlight on him, and it's difficult to deal with all the demands on your time. I'm happy being where I am."

Franklin and Lutter will highlight the rest of the card, which will also feature Michael Bisping making his debut at the middleweight division. Bisping will be taking on Charles McCarthy. With a wide-open division, the opportunity is there for Bisping to earn a few wins and vault right to the top where Anderson Silva sits alone, undisputed at the top of the heap.

"I'm going to have to earn my way there," Bisping said. "These are new challenges for me, so I'm going to have to take care of business on Saturday night and then see what the future holds, but I'd definitely like a crack at the title one day."

Full UFC 83 card
UFC Welterweight title match:
Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre
Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter
Michael Bisping vs. Charles McCarthy
Alan Belcher vs. Jason Day
Marc Bocek vs. Mac Danzig
Joe Doerksen vs. Jason MacDonald
Ed Herman vs. Demian Maia
Rich Clementi vs. Sam Stout
Nate Quarry vs. Kalib Starnes
Jonathan Goulet vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Brad Morris vs. Cain Velasquez

Quotes
"For the record, I don't hate the French. I watch a lot of bad movies and I love Will Ferrell. I got nothing against the French. Lighten up!" – Matt Serra on his perceived insult of GSP, calling him "Frenchy"

"Yes, I can beat him, but it doesn't mean I'll get the fight if I beat Rich. If they let me do it, I'm game." – Travis Lutter on whether he can beat Anderson Silva in a rematch

"Not much. Uh-oh, what are you going to do, throw curse words at me? I don't understand much. Nothing really." – Matt Serra on if he understands any French

"The belt is in my closet. It doesn't mean a thing to me. The real champ is there, but after Saturday, I will be the new champion." – Georges St. Pierre on why he didn't have the interim title belt with him