Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Just over two weeks ago, UFC 92 set an all-time pay-per-view buyrate record for mixed martial arts, but according to company President Dana White, that mark may not last long. White says that Jan. 31's B.J. Penn-Georges St. Pierre UFC 94 superfight has a good chance of topping it.

"I think it's going to break the record," White excitedly told NBCSports.com in a phone call from Dublin, where he's preparing for this weekend's UFC 93. "This thing's not getting samller; it's only getting bigger. Listen, mainstream to me is when you walk out into town, everyone knows what American Idol is. Everyone knows. Not everyone knows UFC, but we continue to grow. Every event, people who have never seen it before show up live or watch it at their friend's house. And you know what happens next. You're done. You're hooked. You're addicted. The more we get out there, it's only getting better for us."

White's prediction isn't a wild guess. The UFC collects data that allows it to closely estimate event buyrates.

In an effort to get the UFC gospel out to the biggest congregation possible, White and company will be launching UFC Primetime, a countdown-type show that follows St. Pierre and Penn documentary-style through the last several weeks of their training camps. White said it is so real-time that footage taped as recently as Tuesday could be seen on the debut show, which airs Wednesday at 10 pm on Spike. New episodes in the three-part series will air the following two Wednesdays leading into the champion vs. champion clash.

"This is by far the best show we've ever produced," he said. "If you're a real fight fan, the show wil blow you away. You're going to see them just the way they are, their training and hard work."

The series takes an in-depth look into the lives of the two main-event participants. Penn, the UFC's lightweight champ, and St. Pierre, its welterweight champ, will be squaring off in a rematch of their March 2006 bout, which ended in a much-debated, split-decision win for St. Pierre. A rough cut of the first episode, which was provided to NBCSports.com, portrays the contrasts of their upbringings; Penn as a wealthy and laidback Hawaiian with a warrior spirit, and St. Pierre as a poor French-Canadian driven by an unwavering motivation to improve his lot in life.

Sometimes in the back-and-forth banter that is common in fight promotion, fans tend to have a hard time discerning true feelings from hyperbole, but here we see how those words can be taken to heart.

In one sequence, Penn says, “Is Georges St. Pierre a great fighter? Yeah, he’s a great fighter, but he’s a quitter, a front-runner. He’s that bully guy who’s big and strong. Once you push through that — and it ain't easy — but he’s going to fold, he’s going to quit.” 

TALE OF THE TAPE ST. PIERRE PENN Height 5-10 5-9 Weight 170 170 Age 27 30 Record 17-2 13-4-1 Title Fights 4-2 3-2-1 Last loss April 2007 Sept. 2006 Current rank* 4 3 *NBCSports.com pound-for-pound list

St. Pierre responds by telling a story about having to quit college to become a garbageman and make some extra money, then adding, "BJ thinks I’m a quitter? I’m not the one who came from a wealthy family. I come from a poor environment. I’m the one who worked three jobs at the same time in the past. I’m the one who had no money. I’m the one who struggled to be where I’m at right now."

So, too, is Penn's Hawaiian camp the extreme opposite of St. Pierre's Montreal location. While Penn wades in the island's warm waters, GSP is wrapped up in winter gear traveling from gym to gym.

But any idea that the tropical location is softening Penn is destroyed from the goosebump-inducing opening of the show, during which Penn soberly informs St. Pierre that he is willing to fight to the death.

"I’m willing to die," he says. "I’m serious. Georges, I’m going to go to the death. I’m going to try to kill you, and I’m not joking about this."

In those candid moments, you can see each man's true thoughts leak out, personalizing both in a way not seen before.

But ultimately, it is St. Pierre who makes the most salient point in regards to the verbal jousting, saying, "It's easy to talk. It's harder to fight."

White said the UFC Primetime format would only be used for what he termed "huge" fights. The Penn-St. Pierre rematch certainly qualifies, having been long-awaited by fight fans. White says in addition to the expected PPV windfall, the event quickly sold out the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"In my opinion, if you're lucky, you get to see three or four of these kinds of fights in your lifetime, when you have two of the best in the world and they're in their primes physically, mentally and emotionally, at the perfect time in their careers," White said.

With both men already considered two of the best mixed martial artists ever, the fight is one for legacy as much as hardware.

"Not very many people, not very many fighters, are remembered long after they're dead," he said. "But people still talk about John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson. BJ and GSP both have the opportunity to be one of those guys."