At UFC 217, one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, Georges St-Pierre, made his anticipated comeback to the Octagon after a four-year absence.
Reflecting on various topics, including situations like Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, St-Pierre acknowledged the common wisdom that time is an undefeated force in sports.
However, this didn`t deter `GSP` from stepping back into high-stakes competition for one final performance. His return culminated in a submission victory over Michael Bisping at Madison Square Garden in 2017.
By 2013, St-Pierre had already cemented his legacy, having reclaimed the welterweight title after a shocking earlier defeat and successfully defending it a remarkable nine consecutive times.
His decision to return, having initially stepped away while still at the pinnacle of the sport, resulted in a relatively short comeback. But the choice to step away from fighting permanently was not made impulsively.
GSP Prepared for Life Beyond Fighting Despite Brief Comeback
Retirements in mixed martial arts rarely proceed exactly as planned. While Georges St-Pierre did indeed return from his four-year break, he has remained retired since his final fight, sticking to his decision to end his career.
Had he chosen to retire back in 2013 after his victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, it would have been an honorable departure on his own terms, leaving the sport while still its dominant force.
Ultimately, his final bout – his comeback fight where he captured the middleweight title – provided an arguably even better narrative conclusion, although the aftermath didn`t unfold as initially intended.
St-Pierre vacated the 185-pound title just over a month after winning it due to significant health concerns. This situation meant that he was effectively holding up the division without being able to defend the belt.
The move up to middleweight had unfortunately led to him suffering from ulcerative colitis. After successfully overcoming his health challenges, he officially announced his retirement in 2019.
In a recent interview, St-Pierre discussed his retirement journey, touching upon comments from Joe Rogan, who highlighted the former two-division champion as an exemplary case of a fighter handling the transition out of the sport well.
He humorously noted that his brief UFC return “pissed off everyone, especially Dana White,” but maintained that he has no regrets about how his career ended, even if it wasn`t the original plan. This is largely because he had already prepared himself mentally for that chapter of his life to close.
Reflecting on his mindset, St-Pierre stated: “You have to prepare before it happens and I retired with a smile. At that time, when I retired, I had ulcerative colitis with bad symptoms. I didn`t want to hold the belt because I thought it was disrespectful to the other competitors. So I needed to be sure about what I wanted to do. I relinquished the belt so the other guys had a chance to fight for it.”
He continued: “Fighting is not who I am; it`s what I used to do. Of course, I`ve made peace with it. I will probably never feel that rush of adrenaline, that feeling of winning a fight – it`s incredibly addicting. But I need to channel that competitive edge into other aspects of my life.”
GSP Open to Competing Again Under Specific Conditions
Despite emphasizing that his identity extends beyond being just a fighter, Georges St-Pierre indicated that he would be open to competing again if the right kind of opportunity presented itself.
`GSP` was originally scheduled to compete in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational grappling event in December 2023, but was forced to withdraw from the matchup due to an injury.
St-Pierre mentioned that if a fun matchup arises that is also for a good cause, he would consider stepping back onto the mats, especially now that he is healthy again.
He elaborated: “I`m trying to get back to 100%. If it`s for a good cause, I mean, I would never fight again in mixed martial arts trying to prove I`m the strongest man; that`s over. But, if it`s for a special event, maybe involving charity, something fun for the fans like grappling, where the risk of injury is minimized… I still like to compete but for different reasons. Maybe I will, I don`t close the door on that.”
