Georges St-Pierre appears to have distanced himself from comeback rumours by claiming he doesn’t miss fighting.
The long-time welterweight champion retired in 2017 after stepping up to middleweight to beat Michael Bisping and claim UFC gold in a second weight division. Since then, he has been consistently linked with a comeback. Most recently ‘GSP’ is being courted by lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov as a potential opponent.
In an interview with UFC.com, St-Pierre indirectly shut down rumours of his return by insisting he never liked to fight and doesn’t miss competing at all.
“I never liked to fight, and I’m not lying when I say it,” St-Pierre said. “I never enjoyed my time in the Octagon, never a second. I did it because I loved to win, I loved the benefits of it, and I loved the freedom. Back then, I was young, there was the money, the girls, the fame, the access to things nobody had. It was the freedom, that’s why I did it. I never did it because I loved to compete and fight. I hated it to the highest level. It’s so stressful that it was unbearable for me. However, I loved the rewards. The greater the risk, the bigger the reward, and that’s why I did it, and I was very good at it and I took advantage of it. Now, I miss the rewards, I miss the feeling of winning. But I don’t miss the feeling of fighting, not even a second.”
St-Pierre reminisced about the early days when he and former middleweight title challenger David Loiseau would both regularly consider their futures in the sport.
“In my early fights, before the fight I would go to eat with my friend David Loiseau, and I was crying,” he said. “‘This is my last one, I promise, I’m not made for this. I hate this stressful life.’” And he was saying the same thing. Then after the fight, we’d look at each other when we won and were like, ‘Yeahhhh, when is the next one? We love it.’ (Laughs) How crazy is this? It’s a very weird thing and I can’t really explain it. I love it, but I hate it at the same time. It’s a crazy lifestyle. The outcome could be so negative for your well-being, but the rewards of it are so great. It’s a crazy gamble. It’s like going all-in every time. I love training, I love the lifestyle, I love everything about it, but the night of the fight, it’s very stressful and I don’t miss that.”
Do you think Georges St-Pierre could be convinced to fight again?