Georges St-Pierre says he could still fight in the UFC if he wanted to
Georges St-Pierre last competed in the Octagon in 2017 when he defeated Michael Bisping to win the UFC Middleweight Championship in the main event of UFC 217. The win also marked St-Pierre's first title since he vacated the UFC Welterweight Title in 2013.
St-Pierre was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and despite having retired from the sport almost three years ago, GSP discussed his induction and also weighed in on a possible return to the sport, while speaking with the South Morning China Post.
Georges St-Pierre opens up on potential return to the UFC and fighting
In his recent conversation with the South Morning China Post, Georges St-Pierre discussed his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame and stated that the sport of MMA consists of a lot of mental warfare.
The UFC Hall of Famer noted that throughout the prime stages of his career, his opponents tried to intimidate him through trash-talking but, of course, it didn't have any effects on Georges St-Pierre, who was most scared of "not being good enough". (H/T: MMA Mania)
“In my sport there is a lot of mental warfare. There is a lot of trash talking. There is a lot of intimidation. A lot of my opponents tried to intimidate me. It didn’t work. I’ve always been scared, of course, but I am scared of not being good enough, of not performing, or not being as good as I want to be. That’s what I am scared of. I am scared of myself in a way.”
GSP further claimed that he retired from the sport not because he couldn't fight, but instead of the constant stress that he lived in. Stress which at times was unbearable for the former UFC Welterweight Champion, who never really enjoyed himself while fighting.
“I retired not because I can’t fight any more. I could fight again if I wanted to and I believe I could probably be one of the best, maybe the best. But I stopped because of the stress. It was an unbearable feeling for me, so I never enjoyed it, the moment of competing and fighting. That’s something that, a little bit, I regret. I should have enjoyed it more."- GSP added.
Could GSP return to the Octagon?
A return for Georges St-Pierre, at this point, is pretty much a big no. However, in the past, there have been talks of a potential fight between GSP and the undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
If the money is right, you never know!