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Georges St-Pierre almost called it quits on his legendary UFC run before it even began.
Georges St-Pierre faced the same reality check that many martial arts newbies do, and it really made him reconsider his career ambitions.
The pound-for-pound great fighter opened up to MMA TRUFAN about early adversity he faced in his mixed martial arts journey. The encounter took place at Renzo Gracie Academy and could have cut St-Pierre’s legacy before it event began. It all happened when a St-Pierre, 16 at the time, was paired up with Shawn Williams on the grappling mats.
“I remember [Shawn] made me tap like five times in five minutes. I even remember that he did [a] move called the gogoplata. I didn’t even know what a gogoplata was at the time. I just knew I was getting choked out and I had to tap or else I’d pass out,” the Canadian import recalled. “It was the first time in my life that I ever got my ass kicked by a guy who was like 10 to 15 pounds lighter than me.”
“I felt overwhelmed.I didn’t understand what happened with the gi. I tried to use my strength [and] my size advantage. It didn’t work. Shawn was playing, literally, with me,” he continued. “And then after the class, I told myself in my mind: ‘There is no way in the world I will become as good as this guy. This guy is so good it is unbelievable.’”
A good sport, Williams offered GSP some words of encouragement after their training session.
“He tapped me on the back and he said, ‘You know, jiu jitsu is like a chess game. You’re very strong. You’re very good, athletic. But, I have a lot more knowledge than you do and that’s why I beat you so easy. And if you come back and keep training with us, one day you’ll be just as good,” the two-division UFC champion remembered. “I was thinking in my mind how bad my level was compared to the grandmaster Renzo because Shawn kicked my ass easy. Then Shawn told me when he goes with Renzo, Renzo kicks his ass so I was like: ‘Holy s—t, I have a lot of work to do if one day I want to go pro and be a world champion.’”
“It seems to me at the time [to be] impossible and I almost quit right there,” he added.“It was like seven hours of driving and I had a lot of time to think. And I was thinking like: ‘F—k man, how am I going to do what I need to do?’”
A moment familiar to many who strive for athletic success, St-Pierre found himself teetering at the tipping point of his martial arts future.
“I said: ‘F—k it. I’m going to go back in there, work my ass off and learn a new skill,” GSP concluded. “I got taken out of my comfort zone totally so I told myself: ‘You know what? I gotta go back there, step on my ego, learn these new skills, train with the best and make all of the sacrifices.”