In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, MMA legend Georges St-Pierre gave fans a look into his mindset and lifestyle following retirement.
Years removed from competition, the former two-division UFC champion revealed that his training today serves a purpose far beyond preparing for fights:
I do it now not to be the strongest fighter in the world.
I do it more for the therapeutic use. And it helps me be a better person.I do fasting. I do all these training because it makes me feel good.
It’s very therapeutic for me. It’s a way of living.
No longer training for title belts or main events, GSP explained that his routine now centers around self-improvement and mental clarity:
I’m a martial artist. I don’t train because I have a competition.
I train because I love it and it helps me be better in my own skin.
He stressed the importance of opening doors for rising talent – something he took seriously during his own time as champion.
Reflecting on his retirement in 2017 after beating Michael Bisping for the middleweight title, GSP recalled the choice to vacate the belt soon after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis:
I could have held the belt if I wanted to.
But I didn’t want to hold the the division because it was I knew it was a lot of young contenders and I knew I could stay with the belt and parade with the belt and get all the money to sponsor for a year, but I didn’t want to do that because it would have put the division on hold.
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