Former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre has put on an illustrious career within the sport of mixed martial arts. With that in mind, the French-Canadian phenom has since come forward to reveal that he actually does not enjoy stepping inside the cage.
Speaking to longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, St-Pierre offered his thoughts on the matter.
“I hate fighting. I really do. I know a lot of people don’t believe me, but I’m going to try to explain the best I can.
“In every job, there’s no perfect job, do you agree? There’s no perfect job that you like everything about it. It’s impossible. My job, as a professional athlete in Mixed Martial Arts, I fight normally — when I was very active — twice a year.
“In 365 days, there are two days that I hate the most: The days that I’m fighting. It’s freaking unbearable. The feeling of uncertainty. You don’t know if you’re going to be humiliated, you’re going to be the victor, or you’re going to be the loser. I care so much about it, that it’s freaking unbearable. As much as I try to dismiss it, it’s unbearable.”
“I like the fact that I’m a free man, I’m my own boss. I do whatever I want, I have access to certain things, VIP stuff, that most people don’t. My quality of life, the money, I didn’t have it before, now I do. I love my job, and I’m very happy about my job, but there’s this thing I hate about my job that I hate the most… It’s fighting. I hate it.
“I love the study of fighting. I love the science of it. The tactical, the physical. I love to train, I love to walk in the room, and feel strong. I know if something happens, I’m the man — even if it’s an illusion, with a bullet, nobody is faster than this. I like the lifestyle. I don’t do it for the fight, I freaking hate the fight.”
“I had this talk with Rory MacDonald at one point. I was like ‘hey why do you like fighting?’ He said ‘I guess I like to fight, you (don’t) like to fight?’ I was like ‘F—k no! I don’t like to fight!’ and everyone in the room turned around and looked at me like I was crazy.
“‘You guys are all crazy, if you think I like to fight in a cage in front of millions of people! Maybe humiliated, knocked out, or die? Are you crazy?! I don’t like to fight, are you nuts??’.”
“I like to win! When you win, the feeling is unbelievable! It’s so good, that it’s worth… this. But I hate it, man!”
“I hate the day (of the fight). The closer it gets to the day, I love it, but I start to hate it more. It’s like a hate that builds up, a bubble of hate. By the time that it’s time to freaking walk out, the millisecond that it’s about to fight (it’s gone).”
