https://youtu.be/HvEI-JGu4w8
In the new documentary, “The Hurt Business,” former longtime UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre shed some light on one of the rarely-discussed reasons why he decided to walk away from the sport a few years ago.
In the past, GSP, who left the sport while sitting atop the 170-pound mountain as the reigning Welterweight Champion, pointed to the growing performance-enhancing drug (PED) epidemic in MMA and the accumulative pressures that come along with being a longtime champion of the sport.
In the above clip from the aforementioned documentary, St-Pierre reveals that another factor played into his decision — his growing lack of desire to hurt his opponents.
“Critics said I was fighting more to win instead of finishing the fight and it’s true,” St-Pierre said. “Toward the end, I didn’t have the same anger, I didn’t have the same drive to hurt the guy and to finish it. And it’s a fact. I tried to get it back, but it is very hard and I think the best way to get it back for me is step out, because it’s more an emotion thing.”
GSP continued, “I was fighting more for winning instead of for going through the guy. I needed to step out to let my hunger go up.”
St-Pierre has apparently gotten that hunger up, as he has been talking quite a bit in recent weeks/months about a return to the Octagon, pending his ability to reach a deal with UFC management.
H/T to MMAFighting.com for transcribing the above GSP quote.