Ignore retirement talk, GSP says as he leads UFC into next 20 years
To celebrate the UFC's milestone 20th anniversary, the man that has been tasked as its drawing card is Georges St-Pierre. Even as whispers and rumors of retirement continue to float around him, St-Pierre remains the organization's most consistent gate attraction, its perfect frontman, soft-spoken, tailored and professional.
Now 32 years old and with a divisional record eight straight title defenses behind him, St-Pierre has history within his sights. With just three more defenses, he will eclipse Anderson Silva's mark for most consecutive championship defenses. One of them could come on Saturday, when he is scheduled to meet Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
While getting there, he has had plenty to contend with. For one, he has had to prepare for the crushing power displayed by Hendricks, who has the fourth most knockdowns in UFC welterweight history. But that's physical, and GSP has experienced nearly everything that is possible in a cage. The other is mental. Before his last fight with Nick Diaz, and now this one with Hendricks, confidantes have told the media that St-Pierre may soon walk away from the sport. That with one more win, he may leave on top.
Such conjecture is often bothersome to those who are the focus, but if answering questions about his future beyond Hendricks are bothering him, St-Pierre shrugs it off as though it's a weak jab. Even though such a decision is his to make, even though speculation caused by his friends' statements has run wild, he insists he is not bothered by what could otherwise be a distraction.
"It doesn't matter to me," he told FOX Sports. "Not at all. I always say I'll retire the day I'm tired. It could be in one week, it could be in 5 years or 10 years. I'm very happy right now.
"I think it's probably because the reporters ask them what they think Georges should do," he continued. "They give the answer they think I should do. But it's their opinion, not mine. It doesnât bother me. It's nothing bad. I don't think [they] said anything bad. Itâs nothing bad. People just took it the wrong way. I'm the one in control. I do whatever I want to do."
And what he still wants to do, he insists, is to fight, Johny Hendricks and beyond. Why else, he asks, would he just invest big money to install a fully sized Octagon in his home TriStar gym?
"If you ask the opinion of what I should do with my life and career to a lot of my friends, I'm sure a lot of them will have different opinions of what I should do," he said. "But I'm very happy right now and I'm planning my next fight and not my retirement."
That he would be the one to launch the UFC into the next 20 years is fitting.
At the time the eight UFC quarterfinalists walked into the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, what they were about to do had mostly just been debated in theory. Which fight style was the most effective in true combat? Until then, it was an argument fought with words, not actions. No one really knew for sure, and what they would discover would immediately rock the martial arts world.
Tuesday Nov. 12, 2013 is the 20th anniversary of the inaugural UFC event. The seismic shift since then can be seen almost daily in mixed martial arts cages and rings all across the globe. Every professional is in some ways a descendent of that day, but if there is one who perhaps best epitomizes the lessons learned and the evolution of fighting, it is St-Pierre, who still counts UFC 1 winner Royce Gracie as the most instrumental figure in setting him on his path.
St-Pierre can still remember going to his friendâs house and watching it on VHS.
"Right away when I first saw it, I knew thatâs what I wanted to do," he said.
If Gracie was part one of the evolution of martial arts, St-Pierre is its v.2, arguably the most well-rounded, technically perfect fighter the sport has ever seen. He can out-strike you, put you on your back, or tie you up in knots. And defensively, he can counter or avoid nearly everything.
His name appears at or near the top of every important UFC statistical category. He ranks in the top 10 all-time in wins (tied for No. 1 at 18 with Matt Hughes), takedown accuracy (No. 1 at 75%), takedown defense (No. 7 at 88%), and strike differential (No. 4 at +2.53). Even his eight career knockdowns are among the most all-time (tied with several others for No. 9).
His record of achievement makes him the right man to headline UFC's 20th, but it's also part of what makes many question just how long he'll keep going. After doing so much at such a young age, both the limits and possibilities of accomplishment seem difficult to comprehend.
But GSP may not go so quietly. Consider that after 20 UFC fights, after nearly a decade in the octagon, the moment of which he is most proud is not defeating his idol Matt Hughes, gaining revenge over Matt Serra, or even headlining an event that drew over 55,000 fans. It is surviving a head-kick knockdown from notorious finisher Carlos Condit just last year.
"That's the moment in my career I'm most proud of," he said. "I came back from great adversity, a kick to the head and a barrage of punches. It was amazing."
That is just as good a sign as any that St-Pierre still has the fire within him to compete. Another is when he says "I'm not afraid of Hendricks' skills," including his power punching.
While he admits that he would one day like to retire as the champion, he says that in an unforgiving sport, that is mostly an idealistic goal. Given what he's accomplished in his career, he may one day turn it into a more realistic one.
Twenty years young, a sport marches onward, its most transcendent figure out front. This is the way St-Pierre wants it, the way he needs it. As someone who watched Royce Gracie fight and came along for the ride, St-Pierre has the unique perspective of understanding both history and future, mostly because he's been part of both.
"One-hundred percent, I'm as motivated to defend the belt as I was when I was first trying to get it," he said. "As the sport grows, I'm fighting in the most prestigious organization in the world against the most dangerous guy in front of everyone. You cannot get more pumped for an event. I love what I do for a living. I feel very fortunate to be able to do it."
