“There’s no tears, I’m very happy,” the long-reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said in a press conference early Thursday. Georges hasn’t competed since UFC 217 back in November 4, 2017, where he returned after a four-year layoff to defeat reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping in Madison Square Garden to become the fourth man to hold belts in two separate divisions.
His retirement was a bittersweet announcement for MMA fans around the world. On the one hand, we all wanted to see him continue adding on to his already spectacular legacy. On the other hand, it was nice to see him happy with his career and retiring on top. As the man said himself, “I wanna retire on my own, and not be told to retire.” Several times throughout the press conference, he discussed the importance of athletes retiring on top and not waiting too long to do so. He also stressed that it is far more important in combat sports as opposed to other sports where you’re not getting punched in the face.
He was an ambassador for the UFC on a level that we rarely see. Reporters throughout the press conference referred to him as the most famous athlete in all of Canada. GSP always acted with class and respect, which was frequently mocked by his trash-talking opponents. But that was always part of what made him great. He wasn’t a savage brawler, he was a martial artist that meticulously picked apart his own game as well as his opponents’ to improve.
Having started out as a striker with a karate base, GSP went on to set the record for the most takedowns landed in the UFC. Many of his opponents claim no one blends striking and grappling as well as him. Nowadays, we’ve seen several fighters, Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw just to name a couple, who’ve mastered this as well. But those two exist in the new era of MMA, where one dimensional fighters get eaten alive. GSP did it early in his career, where people were still asking, “what style does this guy have?” when they saw a fighter they weren’t familiar with.
GSP revolutionized the sport of MMA as not a test of what style works the best, but rather which individual can best master every style. While he wasn’t the first man with that philosophy, he was one of the only men of his time to implement it effectively.
Part of the reason why he was so efficient was his pure love for martial arts. Many UFC fighters appear more interested in the fighting aspect of the sport. GSP was more in love with the grind and the pre-fight breakdowns. The fight itself wasn’t what he loved, it was the challenge of figuring out the best way to defeat his opponent.
Despite retiring, GSP intends to train on a near daily basis, as he did during his four-year layoff. He simply loves martial arts and plans to help others train and grow in the sport. This left speculation as to whether or not he’d be willing to return.
The infamous reason for this speculation is his and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomev’s shared interest in fighting each other. GSP has been on record saying he wants to be the first three-weight champion. He believes Khabib is the greatest fighter in the world right now and therefore the biggest challenge.
But as a result of him vacating the middleweight title without defending it, due to his Ulcerative Colitis, UFC president Dana White has shot down the fight the fans want to see. Of course, at this point, we all want Tony Ferguson vs Khabib too, which is the fight that needs to happen.
Despite Khabib campaigning for the Ferguson fight (don’t let his sketchy manager’s quotes fool you) the undefeated Russian took to social media begging GSP to go to war with him in November, but alas Dana still was not interested.
When asked if he would return to the cage to fight Khabib, GSP told reports he was going off the grid on vacation, but “I don’t know mentally where I’ll be in a few months.” He’s certainly open to entertaining the idea, but if only for a grand scale return, “Like a movie scenario,” as he put it.
He doesn’t want to continue his career, just take it one fight at a time. Before, he was hungry, discussing how angry he was. He wanted to beat everyone at all times. Now, he is content and satisfied. The worst thing for an athlete is to be satisfied with their career so far. And with a smile on his face, GSP admitted, “I am damn satisfied.”
When he was younger he would put plastic bags in his shoes, go out into the snow and run his sprints screaming “WAR.” Now he’s got money and doesn’t do things like that anymore. He was a victim of bullying as a child, which turned him to martial arts. Now he’s the greatest martial artist on the planet (a subjective opinion) and there are no more bullies for him to stand up to.
Before he had the desire to prove everyone wrong. Now it’s just something he’d like to do if he could. Unfortunately, Dana White won’t let that happen at this moment.
One thing is for certain, though, if GSP does return, it will not be for the money. It will be for the legacy. It will be to showcase to the world that even at his age, currently 37, he is still the greatest of all time. It’s just not in his nature to return to the sport half-assed or unmotivated.
Perhaps in time, when the lightweight division sorts itself out, if GSP is not too old, we should all take to social media and show Dana White just how much of a money fight this will be. It’s been proven time and again that big numbers will change Dana’s mind on just about anything.
But for now, it’s time to leave the champ at peace. He’s done enough for us, asking for more would just be selfish. And with his issues with Ulcerative Colitis, perhaps fighting isn’t a good thing for his future (the stress of fight camp was one of the causes). All we can do is show him our love and gratitude.
Thank you Georges St-Pierre. You are an inspiration to us all, and you will be missed by the masses. Enjoy your time on the beach, not getting punched in the face.
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