Watch: When Chael Sonnen recalled his experience of working out with Georges St-Pierre
While Chael Sonnen and Georges St-Pierre never fought in a sanctioned bout, the American remembers what it was like training with the legendary welterweight.
Despite retiring from the sport of MMA, Sonnen continues to have his thumb on the pulse of the combat sports world. Recently, the former UFC title challenger took to his YouTube channel to discuss what it was like when Kenny Florian offered him a chance to train with 'GSP':
"When I come out of the locker room, there's Georges St-Pierre. So, I start working out. Kenny's going with Georges, I'm going with a guy in the class. Then we rotate. Now I'm going with Kenny, and Georges is going with the guy in the class. Eventually, we kind of eased into each other and there was a couple of takeaways."
Watch Chael Sonnen's video below:
St-Pierre definitely made an impression on 'The American Gangster'. According to Chael Sonnen, 'GSP' meticulously practiced techniques until he deemed them to be perfect:
"This was years ago, probably 2013, and I still remember how strong that son of a bitch was. I mean, I'm talking about a weird strength and a lot of it in his grip. When he would grab my wrists, I'm sitting there fighting him to get my arm free. I remember his strength, and another thing I remember about Georges is he would not stop a technique ever, until it was perfect."
Georges St-Pierre and his lasting UFC resume
Georges St-Pierre retired as the reigning welterweight champion in 2013. One of few fighters to walk away with the gold around their waists, St-Pierre represents a special breed of fighter. 'GSP' later returned to the octagon in 2017 on his quest to secure a second world title.
At UFC 217, Georges St-Pierre fought Michael Bisping for the UFC's 185-pound gold. The fight turned into a gunslinger match with both inflicting damage on each other. Despite being cut while in mount, the Canadian eventually got to the back of 'The Count' and put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.
St-Pierre outwrestled a number of NCAA Division I wrestlers in his career, including Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Matt Hughes. However, the fact that 'GSP' is considered the greatest MMA wrestler is still remarkable considering he never competed as a wrestler in college.