Former NHL enforcer recounts wrestling UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre: “I couldn’t do anything”
A former NHL enforcer recently recounted his famous wrestling match against Georges St-Pierre, which was part of mainstream sports discussion in Canada. The exhibition took place at 'GSP's gym and demonstrated the then-welterweight champion's power and technique.
Georges Laraque was among the most feared enforcers in the NHL during his career, so it was interesting to see whether he would be able to hold his own with a UFC fighter. With that in mind, he and 'Rush' competed in a friendly wrestling match to show how skilled the then welterweight champion was, especially against a much larger man.
During his appearance on 'Joe Tilley's Great Canadian Sports Show', the former Montreal Canadiens forward described how the wrestling match came about and what it was like competing against the UFC Hall of Famer. Laraque mentioned that the promotion wanted to show how tough St-Pierre was and noted that he was significantly outmatched against 'Rush'. He said:
"The UFC really wanted to show how tough Georges St-Pierre was and people were like, 'If he makes an NHL fighter look bad in the octagon, it'll show how tough that he is'. But obviously, I don't know any technique about wrestling and stuff, so when we were wrestling in the octagon I couldn't do anything because...that's his forte...Anybody that is a UFC fighter that has some experience, I wouldn't stand a chance with them."
Check out Georges Laraque's comments below:
Georges Laraque discusses friendship with Georges St-Pierre
In addition to the wrestling match, former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque discussed his friendship with Georges St-Pierre and noted that they've been friends for a year.
During the aforementioned appearance, Laraque mentioned that their friendship dates back to well before 'GSP' became a champion and that the UFC Hall of Famer would go out of his way to improve as a fighter. He said:
"Georges [St-Pierre] is a good friend of mine, doesn't live too far away from me. I've been friends with Georges way before he was a UFC star. I remember back in the day when Georges, when he lived in Montreal, he would fly to Edmonton to train with people...nobody knew who he was and I would give him tickets and jersey to come and watch the Oilers games. So I saw [him] working his way up to become a UFC champion."
Check out the wrestling match between Georges St-Pierre and Georges Laraque below: