Georges St-Pierre is frequently discussed among the all-time greats in combat sports, and he\u2019s thankful that he fought in an era alongside other UFC stars on that list.<\/p>\n
When St-Pierre walked away from competition for good in 2017, he left behind a legacy that included nine straight defenses of the UFC welterweight title, a middleweight title win, and a sterling 26-2 record. \u201cGSP\u201d is lauded for his masterful all-around game, cerebral approach, and unwavering consistency, but he points to the championship standards constantly set by him and his peers as a key reason for his success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pressure, it\u2019s very hard to maintain a good level of performance under pressure, and when I was competing at the time, I was very fortunate to have colleagues like Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, other champions that were forcing, that were raising the bar, because you always see that in sport that when someone breaks a record, soon after others keep on going,\u201d St-Pierre told Sportsnet<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s what happened during my era.<\/p>\n \u201cI had Anderson Silva, and I had Demetrious Johnson and other champions that were staying there, so it forces me to stay in there because when you\u2019re a champion you no longer compete against the next opponent, you compete for your legacy against other guys of other divisions and even other sports to, from a competitive standpoint, have a better legacy. So that\u2019s what sports is about, it\u2019s performance.\u201d<\/p>\n During Silva\u2019s 17-fight win streak, he notched 10 consecutive middleweight title defenses, a record that was later broken by Demetrious Johnson, who successfully defended the UFC flyweight title 11 times in a row. Those numbers are unlikely to be challenged anytime soon as the longest active championship streak currently belongs to flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja at four. Seven of the 11 UFC champions are yet to defend their current belts.<\/p>\n Immense success brings immense pressure, something St-Pierre understood and thrived upon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s crazy,\u201d St-Pierre said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s brain works different and also knowing that I\u2019m at my best fighting under pressure, I was willing to put myself under more pressure knowing that it will make me perform better. So that\u2019s a sacrifice that I needed to make. So the preparation, of course, a big part of it is physical, but there\u2019s a big part also that is mental, and like everything else in life, the more well you prepare yourself, the better you slip the odds in your favor for success.\u201d<\/p>\n St-Pierre has often spoken about feeling fear before a fight even as he continued to knock off opponent after opponent. As it turns out, embracing fear as well as the growing expectations of the combat sports world were all part of St-Pierre\u2019s winning formula.<\/p>\n \u201cI know it\u2019s hard to understand maybe coming from a more normal background than being a fighter, but one of my strongest assets, which made me champion was my pride, my ego,\u201d St-Pierre said. \u201cIt was very important for me. I used to really care about what people thought of me and it was very important. I didn\u2019t want to disappoint anybody. But at the same time, it drives you crazy in society. You cannot live your life, it\u2019s not always about performance, and being a fighter is very selfish. It\u2019s me, me, me, performance, so that\u2019s why when I retired I made peace with it.<\/p>\n \u201cI changed. I realized that the only thing that is important for me – I care a little bit what people think of me, but what really matters to me is to care about what people that I love and who love me think about me. People that I don\u2019t know, I can\u2019t please everyone, and that\u2019s when I realized that it\u2019s time to let go and retire.\u201d<\/p>\n Good. Raja Jackson, son of Rampage, is under arrest following his vile attack<\/a> on pro wrestler Syko Stu.<\/p>\n Hollywood. Veteran MMA heavyweight Maurice Greene is jumping from fighting to the silver screen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Streaming. UFC owners explain why the promotion didn\u2019t strike a deal with Netflix<\/a>.<\/p>\n Matchmaker. Arman Tsarukyan gives his pick for who Ilia Topuria will likely fight next<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hateful. Oscar De La Hoya isn\u2019t holding back with his criticism<\/a> of Canelo Alvarez.<\/p>\n Khalil Rountree getting ready for UFC 320.<\/p>\n The Smashing Machine in theaters this October!<\/p>\n SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE<\/p>\n GSP is the GOAT. But you all knew that.<\/p>\n If you find something you\u2019d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee<\/a> or @JedKMeshew<\/a> on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n