Exclusive: Georges St-Pierre lends words of advice to Israel Adesanya about UFC hiatus
Georges St-Pierre recently weighed in on Israel Adesanya's decision to take an extended hiatus from fighting and shared some advice with the former UFC middleweight champion.
Adesanya is considered one of the best strikers in the promotion and was known for his dominance in the 185-pound division. However, the two-time middleweight champion saw his title snatched away by Sean Strickland at UFC 293. 'Tarzan' shockingly outpointed the Nigerian-born Kiwi over five rounds to end his second title reign.
In the aftermath, Israel Adesanya admitted that Strickland was the better fighter that night and that he needed to take some time off to heal his body and mind before returning to action. While many questioned Adesanya's decision, Georges St-Pierre fully supports the 34-year-old's move.
'Rush' is familiar with the idea of taking time off from MMA to recover physically and mentally, having gone on a four-year-long hiatus from 2013 to 2017 before returning to win the middleweight title against Michael Bisping at UFC 217.
In an exclusive interview with Giancarlo Aulino for Sportskeeda MMA, the former two-division champion addressed Adesanya's UFC hiatus and shared some words of wisdom for 'The Last Stylebender':
"Take your time. Go and rest. Let this bubble inside of you grow until you feel very, very hungry, and when you're hungry, come back and let it out."
Georges St-Pierre on Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington at UFC 296
In the same interview, Georges St-Pierre shared his two cents on the highly anticipated Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington title fight. The two are set to clash at UFC 296 on December 16 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The matchup will also mark the return of 'Chaos' after close to two years away from action. Covington last faced Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022 and got his hand raised via unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Edwards is on an incredible 12-fight unbeaten run and is coming off his second consecutive victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286. He will defend his welterweight title for the second time against Covington.
Georges St-Pierre expressed his appreciation for both fighters and said:
"They are both incredible fighters. They got the tools to beat each other, for sure. I think it will come down to who is the most well-prepared. It's an exciting matchup. I can't wait to watch it."
Georges St-Pierre was scheduled to face Nick Diaz in a grappling match at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational card this December. However, both men were forced to pull out due to injury, and their bout stands postponed.