Georges St-Pierre 'training hard' and 'starting to get the feeling' to come back
By Ryan McKinnell
21 hours ago
Cagewriter
If you are wondering if former UFC superstar Georges St-Pierre is ready to return to the Octagon, he has a significant update.
“I’m training hard," GSP told Montreal's Réseau des sports (h/t to MMAFighting for translation). "As you can see, I have some bumps and bruises, I didn't get these from falling down stairs."
St-Pierre, who is by all accounts one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, last fought at UFC 167 in Nov. 2013. On that night, which coincided with the UFC’s 20th anniversary celebration, “Rush” won a five-round, split-decision battle against Johny Hendricks.
Then, during the post-fight press conference, the champ walked away in a shocking announcement that left fans, media, and UFC owner Dana White in shock.
He said it was for personal reasons, and he needed time to clear his head. With that, he relinquished his title and the Georges St-Pierre era in the UFC was apparently over.
Over the last couple years, St-Pierre has hinted at other motivations behind his departure – namely, rampant performance-enhancing drug usage in mixed martial arts.
Now, with the UFC partnering with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the sport – at least on the surface – seems to be making a change for the better.
That's something GSP is glad to see, but he still has regrets about the changes he could have implemented while champion.
"Many of my regrets in life have nothing to do with things I have done, but rather things I didn't do," he said. "And if I have one regret, it's that I didn't speak up sooner. In fact, I've been talking for a while, but they ignored it. At the end, I wanted to make the drug tests public. I should have insisted on that well before.
"We have to eliminate the technology factor in the sport," St-Pierre said. "The sport needs to be based on talent, technique, athletic talent and not based on who has access to better technology. If I train with a team who supplies me with doctors and biochemists, obviously I am going to have a huge advantage. People have no idea, it makes a big difference. If you take a person and you add force, power, endurance and a new way to recuperate ... it's insane."
So, with these changes in place, it appears St-Pierre is more open than ever to the thought of a UFC return.
The sport is presumably cleaner, St-Pierre is training back at his home gym in Montreal, and he is, rather incredibly, just 34 years old.
Before he left the sport, GSP defeated every fighter his generation could offer. And now, the next generation better start practicing their wrestling defense.
"I'm starting to get the feeling, more and more, to come back,” he said. “I watch the fights to see what's going on in my division, and I'm staying in shape. It's like a knife that I have to keep sharp just in case I ever decide to jump back in the mix. It's not for sure that it won't happen in 2015, but I'm not sure yet."
Outside of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, the UFC is short on superstars. If GSP decides to throw his hat back in the mix, you can bet your bottom dollar that the UFC will be rolling out the red carpet for the future hall of famer.
By Ryan McKinnell
21 hours ago
Cagewriter
If you are wondering if former UFC superstar Georges St-Pierre is ready to return to the Octagon, he has a significant update.
“I’m training hard," GSP told Montreal's Réseau des sports (h/t to MMAFighting for translation). "As you can see, I have some bumps and bruises, I didn't get these from falling down stairs."
St-Pierre, who is by all accounts one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, last fought at UFC 167 in Nov. 2013. On that night, which coincided with the UFC’s 20th anniversary celebration, “Rush” won a five-round, split-decision battle against Johny Hendricks.
Then, during the post-fight press conference, the champ walked away in a shocking announcement that left fans, media, and UFC owner Dana White in shock.
He said it was for personal reasons, and he needed time to clear his head. With that, he relinquished his title and the Georges St-Pierre era in the UFC was apparently over.
Over the last couple years, St-Pierre has hinted at other motivations behind his departure – namely, rampant performance-enhancing drug usage in mixed martial arts.
Now, with the UFC partnering with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the sport – at least on the surface – seems to be making a change for the better.
That's something GSP is glad to see, but he still has regrets about the changes he could have implemented while champion.
"Many of my regrets in life have nothing to do with things I have done, but rather things I didn't do," he said. "And if I have one regret, it's that I didn't speak up sooner. In fact, I've been talking for a while, but they ignored it. At the end, I wanted to make the drug tests public. I should have insisted on that well before.
"We have to eliminate the technology factor in the sport," St-Pierre said. "The sport needs to be based on talent, technique, athletic talent and not based on who has access to better technology. If I train with a team who supplies me with doctors and biochemists, obviously I am going to have a huge advantage. People have no idea, it makes a big difference. If you take a person and you add force, power, endurance and a new way to recuperate ... it's insane."
So, with these changes in place, it appears St-Pierre is more open than ever to the thought of a UFC return.
The sport is presumably cleaner, St-Pierre is training back at his home gym in Montreal, and he is, rather incredibly, just 34 years old.
Before he left the sport, GSP defeated every fighter his generation could offer. And now, the next generation better start practicing their wrestling defense.
"I'm starting to get the feeling, more and more, to come back,” he said. “I watch the fights to see what's going on in my division, and I'm staying in shape. It's like a knife that I have to keep sharp just in case I ever decide to jump back in the mix. It's not for sure that it won't happen in 2015, but I'm not sure yet."
Outside of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, the UFC is short on superstars. If GSP decides to throw his hat back in the mix, you can bet your bottom dollar that the UFC will be rolling out the red carpet for the future hall of famer.
