(Exclusive): "It's normal to be afraid" - UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre opens up about what he would tell his younger self
Georges St-Pierre has left an incredible legacy in the UFC and is regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. However, like many other athletes and fighters, the UFC Hall of Famer experienced some moments of doubt.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, he spoke about receiving the prestigious Order of Sport and being inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
'Rush' also reflected on his legendary career and shared the advice he would give to his younger self, who debuted against Ivan Menjivar at UCC 7: Bad Boyz in 2002. The former two-division UFC champion said:
"It's alright to be afraid, it will never go away. The only thing that will change is that you will learn how to deal with it and accept it. And you will be better at making it an ally and use it to increase your performance." [7:09 - 7:28]
The Canadian clearly followed his own advice. He set the UFC record for most welterweight title defences and submitted Michael Bisping to win the middleweight championship after a four-year layoff at UFC 217.
It's refreshing to hear that even a fighter of Georges St-Pierre's caliber went through moments of uncertainty. However, he learned to use it to his advantage rather than allow it to affect his performance.
Check out the full interview here:
Georges St-Pierre offers advice to former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya
In addition to sharing advice he would give to his younger self, Georges St-Pierre offered advice to Israel Adesanya. This comes after the latter announced that he will be taking an extended layoff from competition.
Like 'GSP,' Adesanya is one of the UFC's biggest stars and dealt with the added stress that comes with having a lengthy title reign. During the aforementioned interview, the Canadian mentioned that the former middleweight champion should take his time to recharge and regain his hunger for competition.
St-Pierre said:
"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. That's how you do." [3:15 - 3:32]
