By Mike Johnston @MikeyJ_MMA
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is perhaps the most popular athlete in mixed martial arts history. He is the star of a new documentary; he just released a series of instructional workout videos; has appeared in action films; was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter reality series; and has starred in commercials for Gatorade, Under Armour and ESPN. So what else is in the pipeline for the Canadian superstar? An album perhaps?
“I am an opera singer. Didn’t you know that?” St. Pierre said with a laugh after the premiere of Steven J. Wong’s film The Striking Truth, starring GSP and his close friend David Loiseau. Despite all of the success, attention and extra curricular activity he is involved in, St. Pierre remains dedicated to his primary business endeavor, fighting. “No, no, I don’t have nothing else [in the works]. I’m focused on my career in mixed martial arts.”
The Saint-Isidore, Quebec native is cerebral both inside and outside the octagon and said it is often difficult maintaining mental toughness while trying to balance his professional and personal life. “It’s very tough, but I never give up,” said St. Pierre. “It’s a genetics thing. I mean my dad was like this, my mom, my family. And I think it’s the social environment that I grew up in that makes me that way.”
St. Pierre said mental fortitude and his relationships with his team of coaches and training partners are extremely important. Those bonds have contributed to his continual triumphs and it translates to how he goes about living his personal life. “I think it’s important to help each other. You give and you get at the same time so I think [having a close-knit team] is important. Life is the same way and [training] should be representative of what life is,” said St. Pierre.
With all of the media requests, pictures and autographs, the pressure to market the still-misunderstood sport of MMA, not to mention the vigorous physical training, St. Pierre’s unwavering resolve is prevalent in his success. He also understands that being in the public eye is part of the job.
“I try to be as a good a role model as I can be,” said St. Pierre. ”For me it’s more than fighting. My job is everyday 24/7. Like I said, when I became champion, that’s something I accept. That’s a reality of my life and I want to be a good role model for the kids because I know there’s a lot of kids looking up to me. And, I hope I give a good example to follow and hopefully I can inspire people to do good things in life.”
On April 30 at UFC 129 at the Roger Centre in Toronto, St. Pierre defends his 170lb title against standout grappler Jake Shields. In order to prepare for Shields, GSP plans on travelling the globe. He will be training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with one of the best in the world, Roger Gracie. “I’m going to England next week for that purpose,” said St. Pierre. “After England, I’m going to go to Montreal then New York like all the time. Mostly in Montreal.”
Whether on camera or off camera, inside or outside the octagon, Georges St. Pierre –like Wayne Gretzky or Steve Nash- is a Canadian athlete that fans of all ages and nationalities can look up to.
For more information on The Striking Truth visit strikingtruth.com. For more on Georges St. Pierre visit gspfightclub.com, and for more UFC/MMA news and updates follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter.
“I am an opera singer. Didn’t you know that?” St. Pierre said with a laugh after the premiere of Steven J. Wong’s film The Striking Truth, starring GSP and his close friend David Loiseau. Despite all of the success, attention and extra curricular activity he is involved in, St. Pierre remains dedicated to his primary business endeavor, fighting. “No, no, I don’t have nothing else [in the works]. I’m focused on my career in mixed martial arts.”
The Saint-Isidore, Quebec native is cerebral both inside and outside the octagon and said it is often difficult maintaining mental toughness while trying to balance his professional and personal life. “It’s very tough, but I never give up,” said St. Pierre. “It’s a genetics thing. I mean my dad was like this, my mom, my family. And I think it’s the social environment that I grew up in that makes me that way.”
St. Pierre said mental fortitude and his relationships with his team of coaches and training partners are extremely important. Those bonds have contributed to his continual triumphs and it translates to how he goes about living his personal life. “I think it’s important to help each other. You give and you get at the same time so I think [having a close-knit team] is important. Life is the same way and [training] should be representative of what life is,” said St. Pierre.
With all of the media requests, pictures and autographs, the pressure to market the still-misunderstood sport of MMA, not to mention the vigorous physical training, St. Pierre’s unwavering resolve is prevalent in his success. He also understands that being in the public eye is part of the job.
“I try to be as a good a role model as I can be,” said St. Pierre. ”For me it’s more than fighting. My job is everyday 24/7. Like I said, when I became champion, that’s something I accept. That’s a reality of my life and I want to be a good role model for the kids because I know there’s a lot of kids looking up to me. And, I hope I give a good example to follow and hopefully I can inspire people to do good things in life.”
On April 30 at UFC 129 at the Roger Centre in Toronto, St. Pierre defends his 170lb title against standout grappler Jake Shields. In order to prepare for Shields, GSP plans on travelling the globe. He will be training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with one of the best in the world, Roger Gracie. “I’m going to England next week for that purpose,” said St. Pierre. “After England, I’m going to go to Montreal then New York like all the time. Mostly in Montreal.”
Whether on camera or off camera, inside or outside the octagon, Georges St. Pierre –like Wayne Gretzky or Steve Nash- is a Canadian athlete that fans of all ages and nationalities can look up to.
For more information on The Striking Truth visit strikingtruth.com. For more on Georges St. Pierre visit gspfightclub.com, and for more UFC/MMA news and updates follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter.
I LOVE HIM! I just hope he doesn't retire after losing to Silva
ReplyDeleteAwesome GSP is the man!
ReplyDelete