GSP: Maybe I’ll fight again, maybe I won’t
Georges St-Pierre: “I will come back for maybe 1, 2, 3 fights. Maybe zero. Maybe I will not come back and I’m okay with that.”
Former champ champ Georges St-Pierre is 37, and on the short list of potential G.O.A.T.s. He appeared recently on the La Sueur podcast and discussed what might be next.
I could [come back] but to tell the truth, it’s less and less tempting for me, said St-Pierre as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. I did not think I would say that one day: I’m getting older. I don’t want to fight a young guy that hasn’t made it on the legacy side, that isn’t a name. I would have nothing to win. Every time we enter the Octagon, it’s a risk. you could have a bad day. .. We are always a mistake away from the KO or a serious injury, so it’s always a risk and the risk must be worth it.
I’m not interested in coming back, fighting a rising star, and destroying that guy. It give me nothing and I destroy the dream of a rising star. Both of us are losing then, we are just earning more money. If I come back, it’s not necessarily for more money but for legacy.
Khabib said that he would like to fight me before the McGregor fight. It did not interest me at that time. He was not famous, he did not beat someone with a title or with a name. Now that he beat McGregor, it’s better. [But] I’m not the guy who calls out people. It’s not my personality. I know people are talking about that fight; however, I know the UFC would not be interested in that fight at 155 [pounds]. They know that I’m at the end of my career. I have not many fights left. I will come back for maybe 1, 2, 3 fights. Maybe zero. Maybe I will not come back and I’m okay with that.
When I set goals I said that I didn’t want to be pushed out of the sport. I wanted to retire on my own terms and on top. If I do that now, I would have accomplished my mission.
However, the competitor inside me is still here, so when I see the young guys getting ready for a fight after a workout, with me feeling good and strong, it makes me want to come back. That’s where it’s the most difficult for me. I want to go back there. I feel fit, at my top. I feel better than when I was 25. But when I’m with my family and all, that’s less tempting. When I wake up in the morning, I’m asking myself: ‘Do you really want to go back in that circus?’
In wholly positive news, GSP is healthy.
I’m feeling great physically, in great shape like never before,” he reported. “[Ulcerative colitis] is very serious but I’ve fully recovered from it. I don’t need to take my medication anymore.”