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Goerges St-Pierre explains why his loss to Matt Serra was so humiliating, and how it made him the fighter he is today.
Former UFC welterweight king Georges St-Pierre has just two losses on his professional record, but GSP has said it was the defeat to Matt Serra that was the “most humiliating thing” in his career.
St-Pierre (26-2) is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest mixed martial artist of all-time. During the Canadian’s reign as welterweight champion he dominated the best names in his division, such as Carlos Condit, B.J Penn, and Matt Hughes, often winning every round of his fights.
In the first defense of his welterweight title after winning it against Hughes in 2006, GSP faced Serra, who was a massive underdog and many considered to be a stepping stone for St-Pierre. Serra defied the odds and stopped “Rush” by first-round TKO.
“There is a saying that nothing can make you weaker than a victory, and it’s true. That’s what happened when I beat Matt Hughes,” St-Pierre told BT Sport. “My loss [against Serra] made me much stronger because I learned from it, but my victory weakened me. I was the new face of the UFC, I was young and I was the guy who just beat Matt Hughes. Everyone saw in me an aura of invincibility, and I started to believe in it.
“Nobody gave him a chance, including myself. I went there and he clipped me with a very good punch and I was never able to come back into the fight. I learned a big lesson again, it’s not always the best fighter that wins the fight, it’s the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.”
After the loss, St-Pierre would go on to win back his 170-pound title and defend it nine times before vacating it in 2013. Four years later and St-Pierre returned to the sport but not at welterweight, instead he moved up and defeated Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title. Ultimately, St-Pierre felt the loss to Serra made him the fighter he is today.
“It was the most humiliating thing in my career,” St-Pierre said. “I felt I let down everybody, even though it turned out to be a positive experience because it made me who I am today, a much better fighter and martial artist.”