15 Questions for Georges St. Pierre
Greg Savage Jul 9, 2009
If he isn’t the greatest mixed martial artist ever, two-time UFC
welterweight champion Georges
St. Pierre is definitely in the conversation. Check out this
exclusive interview to see whom St. Pierre thinks is the greatest
fighter in the sport today as well as his thoughts on his UFC 100
opponent, Thiago
Alves.
Sherdog: What is the toughest part of being a superstar?
St. Pierre: Well, you have some good things and some bad things about it, and the bad thing would be when you want to have a private life, you want to be left alone, it’s pretty hard.
Sherdog: Who has had the biggest influence on
you in your fight career?
St. Pierre: Royce Gracie. He is the one that really inspired me in the beginning to do what I do for a living. He dominated his time. When he fought in MMA, he dominated his time like nobody ever else had before. And for me, he is a pioneer of the sport and he was the first guy that I saw fight and he really inspired me.
Sherdog: I take it the first Matt Serra fight was the lowest point in your professional career. What are some of the things you learned about yourself after that loss?
St. Pierre: I learned that no matter how great of a fighter you are, no matter how great of a champion you are and no matter how many people tell you how great you are … you are only one fight from losing the title.
St. Pierre: When I beat Matt Serra in Montreal -- that is the most memorable fight of my career. It was in my hometown, and I revenged the loss I wanted to get back on my record.
Sherdog: We have seen the UFC expand to mainland Europe with UFC 99 in Germany. France seems to be a likely future destination. Can you envision headlining a show in Paris?
St. Pierre: It would be awesome because my ancestors are from there, and I am French Canadian, so it would be something very special to me.
Sherdog: Away from MMA, what do you like to do in your limited spare time?
St. Pierre: I like to play chess. I like to watch movies, and when I am (in the) offseason, I like to go out with my friends and enjoy a drink with them and dance. You know, I enjoy the clubs.
Sherdog: Who is your favorite fighter to watch?
St. Pierre: Back in the day I really enjoyed watching Kazushi Sakuraba; he was my favorite fighter to watch. Now, I would say, I like to watch my friends like Nathan Marquardt, Rashad Evans, David Loiseau, Denis Kang. Those guys are really interesting to watch.
Sherdog: For your money, who is the best mixed martial artist in the world today? And you can’t vote for yourself.
St. Pierre: I would not say myself. I would vote for Fedor Emelianenko. I think number one would be Fedor Emelianenko, and Anderson Silva would be number two and Lyoto Machida is very good too.
Sherdog: Do you follow any other sports outside of combat sports?
St. Pierre: I do follow a little bit of hockey, ice hockey. I like the Canadians and the Edmonton Oilers; they are my favorite.
Sherdog: Who is John Chambers and why won’t Greg Jackson stop singing his praises to me?
St. Pierre: He is a great strength and conditioning coach and he is amazing. He has made me very powerful and explosive and he has helped my game a lot.
Sherdog: Is McDonald’s still one of your favorite post-fight victory meals?
St. Pierre: Of course (with a guilty chuckle).
Sherdog: You broke B.J. Penn’s body type down in a scientific manner. Have you been able to do the same with Thiago Alves and, if so, what have you discovered?
St. Pierre: I have been discovering a lot of things, but I will know if what I am thinking is really working after the fight. I have put together a great game plan for that fight and I am looking forward to executing it.
Sherdog: Is there any disappointment not being the main event for UFC 100?
St. Pierre: No, not at all. Just being in UFC 100 is a great honor for me.
Sherdog: You have mentioned over and over that Thiago Alves will be your toughest fight yet. Why is this one the toughest?
St. Pierre: He’s the biggest and most skilled fighter that I have fought. He brings a lot of problems to the table and he is a perfect match for me.
Sherdog: Can you give us a prediction for July 11?
St. Pierre: And still welterweight champion of the world, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre!
Sherdog: What is the toughest part of being a superstar?
St. Pierre: Well, you have some good things and some bad things about it, and the bad thing would be when you want to have a private life, you want to be left alone, it’s pretty hard.
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St. Pierre: Royce Gracie. He is the one that really inspired me in the beginning to do what I do for a living. He dominated his time. When he fought in MMA, he dominated his time like nobody ever else had before. And for me, he is a pioneer of the sport and he was the first guy that I saw fight and he really inspired me.
Sherdog: I take it the first Matt Serra fight was the lowest point in your professional career. What are some of the things you learned about yourself after that loss?
St. Pierre: I learned that no matter how great of a fighter you are, no matter how great of a champion you are and no matter how many people tell you how great you are … you are only one fight from losing the title.
Sherdog: What has been your most satisfying
fight of your career?
St. Pierre: When I beat Matt Serra in Montreal -- that is the most memorable fight of my career. It was in my hometown, and I revenged the loss I wanted to get back on my record.
Sherdog: We have seen the UFC expand to mainland Europe with UFC 99 in Germany. France seems to be a likely future destination. Can you envision headlining a show in Paris?
St. Pierre: It would be awesome because my ancestors are from there, and I am French Canadian, so it would be something very special to me.
Sherdog: Away from MMA, what do you like to do in your limited spare time?
St. Pierre: I like to play chess. I like to watch movies, and when I am (in the) offseason, I like to go out with my friends and enjoy a drink with them and dance. You know, I enjoy the clubs.
Sherdog: Who is your favorite fighter to watch?
St. Pierre: Back in the day I really enjoyed watching Kazushi Sakuraba; he was my favorite fighter to watch. Now, I would say, I like to watch my friends like Nathan Marquardt, Rashad Evans, David Loiseau, Denis Kang. Those guys are really interesting to watch.
Sherdog: For your money, who is the best mixed martial artist in the world today? And you can’t vote for yourself.
St. Pierre: I would not say myself. I would vote for Fedor Emelianenko. I think number one would be Fedor Emelianenko, and Anderson Silva would be number two and Lyoto Machida is very good too.
Sherdog: Do you follow any other sports outside of combat sports?
St. Pierre: I do follow a little bit of hockey, ice hockey. I like the Canadians and the Edmonton Oilers; they are my favorite.
Sherdog: Who is John Chambers and why won’t Greg Jackson stop singing his praises to me?
St. Pierre: He is a great strength and conditioning coach and he is amazing. He has made me very powerful and explosive and he has helped my game a lot.
Sherdog: Is McDonald’s still one of your favorite post-fight victory meals?
St. Pierre: Of course (with a guilty chuckle).
Sherdog: You broke B.J. Penn’s body type down in a scientific manner. Have you been able to do the same with Thiago Alves and, if so, what have you discovered?
St. Pierre: I have been discovering a lot of things, but I will know if what I am thinking is really working after the fight. I have put together a great game plan for that fight and I am looking forward to executing it.
Sherdog: Is there any disappointment not being the main event for UFC 100?
St. Pierre: No, not at all. Just being in UFC 100 is a great honor for me.
Sherdog: You have mentioned over and over that Thiago Alves will be your toughest fight yet. Why is this one the toughest?
St. Pierre: He’s the biggest and most skilled fighter that I have fought. He brings a lot of problems to the table and he is a perfect match for me.
Sherdog: Can you give us a prediction for July 11?
St. Pierre: And still welterweight champion of the world, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre!
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