For years, Georges St-Pierre has been listening to critics talk about his inability to finish fights. As he prepares for his return from a year-long absence to face Carlos Condit in November, the Canadian says he agrees with them all.
In an interview with the New York Post, the long-standing welterweight champion says he is willing to take risks and do far more to win over the fans.
“I agree with the criticism,” St-Pierre told the newspaper. “I want to do better. I want to give more entertainment to the fans.”
St-Pierre is probably the most dominant welterweight in the UFC’s history. However, a shocking loss to Matt Serra in 2007 led the 31-year-old to completely change his approach to the sport, and few fans now think he’s worthy of his “Rush” nickname.
His fighting style is anything but rushed. It’s calm, methodical and carefully planned. He’s had five decisions in his last six fights, which has hardly endeared him to the bloodthirsty MMA community.
Still, the fighter remains one of the UFC’s most bankable stars. His return to fight in his home city of Montreal for UFC 154 has been long anticipated.
However, St-Pierre says that just because he’s going to listen to critics about his lack of exciting finishes doesn’t mean that he’s going to start taking more risks.
“I’ve been training to jump more on opportunities that are open to me,” St-Pierre said. “I’m still gonna fight my fight, but I’m going to be more opportunistic.”
UFC 154 will take place on November 17 at the Bell Centre in Canada.
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