GEORGES ST-PIERRE Best Welterweight Debate, Life After UFC, Khabib || P4P Kamaru Usman Henry Cejudo

He has that look on his face that you don't know if you're scared, you don't know if you are, you know the adrenaline is pumping and it looks like you've been sleeping the whole time. day, you know, and everyone, every time you see, you look at guys, there are some guys now because that's the sport, so yeah, the sport is so big, there are guys that entertain now, but back then you see guys with that look and I saw you, you had a look like that's coming and you're the one defending your title, yeah, and the fight starts and you just start building and you're mixing it up and you hit them with the Jabs and you, I think you beat them a couple Sometimes, I think maybe that's it. fight, yeah, and I wonder how he's able to beat guys for you when you give it because I know the feeling when you're there and the referee looks at you and says, are you ready?

I don't even give you a CH to say no I'm not ready they just leave you ready you ready you ready let's go so you know they don't give you that time so for you how does that feel feeling when they tell you that you are? Ready, let's go and get in the fight because, like Henry was saying before, if you're one of those guys that has to get in the fight if a guy is coming at you with extreme intensity, yeah, how does that work? How do you control that? That's how it works for me.

If I can back up a bit, I'll explain my thought process to you. I always wake up the morning of a fight and don't sit down. well because I don't sleep well the night before because I do too many scenarios in my mind of if he does this I'm going to do this and at some point there is a flash that comes to my mind and that's what I see myself doing well. and sometimes I see myself losing by not doing it as well, but I would say that for the people listening to us, I use the theory of James L.

James L is a philosopher and I would also say that he has revolutionized ways. from thinking CU we all know that our mind can dictate our body, let's say I'm thirsty, my mind tells myself, I take the water and drink, but also my body can dictate my mind and that's what James L says, so He says that if you start acting like someone, you will become that person in some way, so every morning I wake up I feel like I'm not feeling well, I feel like I'm resting because I had a bad night's sleep, but I always put on a m y When I walk into a room for breakfast with my team, everyone knows I had a brilliant night's sleep and I don't want to be there, but they always ask me, "Hey, how are you feeling, George?" Answer the same.

I feel great. Tonight will be a good day. Let's kick some ass. I can't wait and everyone laughs because they know I'm Li. I'm lying because all my guys are training. My trainers know what I'm like, so as the fight gets closer it's like a funnel, but things get worse and worse. I have more stress, more stress and this stress starts to build up as soon as the fight is announced, but now it sets. worse and worse and and and it gets worse until I get to the locker room it's unbearable like I see some guys get knocked out coming back to the locker room in disarray like at some point in the stretches, you say, damn, I.

I'm next, but you don't want to act like that, so you pretend like everything is normal and everything, but deep down you're scared and terrified, and what I do is to put myself in the perfect mind zone. It's when I know I'm next, you know, so the peak, the epitome of my stress, is I would say right before I go in when I know, let's say, the fight before mine, because normally in my last fights of my career I was fighting for the title, so when I know I'm next, what I know is that the UFC guy is about to kick in the door and say: Hey, S Pier, are you next?

I tell my coaches. one minute I go to the bathroom and I didn't go to the bathroom to pee or do I ever do it but but I go to the bathroom because I have a ritual I look in the mirror and I start talking to myself and before I used to put on my handkerchief, my G while I I did, but now we no longer have the opportunity to have that, so I look in the mirror and tell myself all the reasons why I am going to win. I am stronger. that he I'm faster than him I have better trainers than him I'm better prepared I've made all the sacrifices I've trained this guy this guy is a fucking killer and I could do it right there's no way I would have done the same thing I tell myself every time of the reasons why I'm GNA to win that fight and when I leave the room I'm uh I'm different now that I'm on cruise control and I trust my instincts until I go to the octagon, I walk in and now I really trust myself and when I'm in the octagon and Rose announces, I look at my opponent and tell myself the key word, the objective he's going to set for me. champion because, for example, when I fought Michael Bisping I knew that he was bigger and stronger than me, so I didn't want to stay in front of him because I know that would be a bad choice for me, so I was like move, move all the time. time. all the way speed speed speed speed kill move move all the way so I repeat these thoughts in my mind until I go to face it and I tell myself I don't want to sound arrogant but that's what I do. m I say it to myself right when I face it I say it's going to be a bad night for you I'm going to be the worst nightmare speed speed speed all the way all the way out speed speed speed all the way all the way speed kill speed K and then we back up now the referee goes, are you ready, ready?

And that's how I increase my confidence. I speak to myself. Heard it's as surreal as that. You say that because I. I never heard you say that but I'm like and I and I I didn't learn all this I wasn't taught these things yeah I do almost the same thing yeah unfortunately I lost the fight uh Edwards the second fight because that fight I just had a lot of stress about me, but I was in the bathroom and I was in the mirror and I was pacing back and forth. I look at myself in the mirror because I look at myself and I put myself on stage and I'm talking to myself in the mirror, but even before that, I do it to my face, that's why most of the time when they bring you in I come back because most of us were main events of our last fights and I'm sitting there once my I'm I'm crossed I'm I'm I'm talking in my head they don't listen to me but I'm talking in my head and I'm talking to the GU in my head and then we back off and then it's time to go, but it's a mental process and I'm in this process all the time and I think a lot of it has to do with preparation, it comes from preparation, you, you. you know, we did it once and then the interview and he did it out loud is a Jon Jones when before he fought DC he told Jo, he told DC in an interview, he said, "I'm going to go out and something like and like I".

I'm going to go out and humiliate you and beat you up and there's nothing you can do, Danielle Cor and I said to myself, I said he just did it, but he did it out loud, but you know what I mean, some guys like McGregor do it. do. It's also strong, yes, but I, I just did it on me. I think you need to have something like that going against you to be confident and develop your confidence at some point, it's not because you're an arrogant person, it's just a way. to build your confidence, not only not so much, but even what John said when you say something that's powerful, it's almost like you're signing that contract whether you know it or not, you're even selling it in blood because now that's what you just said when he said it.

I don't think there are any fighters. I don't think there's any really, really real wrestler that saw him and saw him say that live and he didn't believe him. In his mind he was completely convinced that this is what I'm going to do to you, yes, and he said, well, he said, "I'm going to hit you with every single malicious technique I know, yes, but, but, "You know what it is." what he said I was like, oh, he means that, yeah, oh, he means that, but you know what George, you had the same mentality too. I'm going to tell you where George Shier Matt Hughes 2 was, there was that.

That time in that fight, I remember you. I remember I actually saw that fight live. This was early in M's first two years, early to mid-2000s, and I remember George saying, "You know he's not as good as I'm willing to fight like my." The head got me, I was able to get the deal, I was able to lose it and you said next time I'm going to beat this guy, so it was like you stated it and I think when you talk about Jon Jones, what did he tell Cormi he was? like you've said it before too, yeah, so it's almost like it brings everything back so you can give John credit, but at the same time George is what changed from that first fight to that one. second fight and obviously ended up stopping Mat Hughes, yes, I think confidence is very important because if I make an analogy, someone, an athlete, can have all the skills in the world, but if they don't have the confidence, it's a bit like someone .

Whoever has a lot of money in his bank account but has no way to access it, needs confidence and there are guys who are very, very talented, but when the lights come on they lose all confidence, they don't know how to do it. build that and it is very important if you want to be successful in sports or in everything, every situation is the art of war, even when we say you are going to ask a woman or a woman on a date, if you go without covid, your chance to being successful is none is zero you have to be sure you're going to ask your bus for a raise you're going for you know anything you know you're going to interview for a job if you look down and your employer will see it and be like no, I don't want that guy. , everything you do, you have to do it with confidence, it's very important, so that's it, it was Matt Hughes' one to two, you just give him credit, you became more confident, that's how it was.

It was more of a belief because you'd already been there with them or it was more like no, I'm not going to lose again. I think he was a little better than when I fought him. first time in terms of skills in terms of knowledge, but I think what made the big difference is my confidence, but even watching One George you're like you're fooling him when I F when I fought Matt the first time I couldn't even. I couldn't even look him in the eyes when I did the St with him. I was going into that fight not to lose instead of going there to win and it was, uh, I was a very different person than the first one.

The second one, yeah, I think it has a lot to do with, obviously, mentally, they build this guy, he's, he's that guy, he's, he's Matt Hughes, he's, he's the baddest, scariest guy. and no matter what you do, you know what they and many people say. no, oh, just block it, ignore it, ignore it, you can't, you can't, you're a human being, you know, it's like reading comments, 99 people say, oh, you're the

best

of all time, but one person says you suck. that's the only one you really think about so it's almost hard to build them up in your head and then you go in and you play it a little safe in a way, but then when you're done and feel the guy and I and I'm saying this from experience because right in my last fight and you feel like the guy you are like he's not that good, I mean he's good, but I'm better, I know I'm better in some way it's not that he's not that good it's that you're Better than you thought you were I'm better than I thought and I have more to give that I didn't really give and that's how I felt in this, my last fight with Chamaya, you know, they build him up, he's the scariest guy and that defends the wolf, you don't know, and I was in a place where I called for the fight before, I went with Dana and Hunter, I sat with them in the office and I said, hey, I want that guy and they said: "Ah , it doesn't make sense to us, you know, and I understand their perspective." I understood it at that moment because to me, he is a young star.

We're building, I went in and cut that train and it's not good for a business, it's not good for a business, you know, and they partially knew, you know what, especially because when I call for a fight, they know what I'm going to do. I do to the guy and what I'm mental at that time because I only asked for maybe two fights, you know, one of them was in Mfal, the second fight, so I just asked and they did it. It doesn't make sense to them, but eventually months and months at CU I wanted to camp, let me prepare for the guy and fight him, but months and months later they didn't have one and they called me in two weeks and hey, you want to fly there. and I fought with the guy and said I'll let you know in the morning so I'm going to the gym I call some guys I'm Spar we Spar yeah come on I'm not as bad as I thought come on did you do it ?

You take risks like that, what he says, like what Kamar says, because in reality, when people find out what he had before fighting, they are going to stumble, but are you one of those kamakazi? I'll kind of accept the fight, I took some fight and I had injuries, uh, I mean, not not injuries that would really make a big difference, but injuries that I would have now that I'm thinking about it. Maybe I shouldn't have taken it or personal problems when you have personal problems, even that's even worse because I'm going to tell you why I think I see it as a triangle, you know, you have your emotions, your mental.

And your physique, if one of them doesn't work well, it affects everything. For example, if you have an argument with, I'll give you an example. If you have an argument with someone, I don't know like your loved one or someone dies. You who worry emotionally are not 100%. %, yes, it will affect your mental and it will affect your physical because maybe you are not going toI don't think, I think people underestimate what 10,000 rats can do and of course you have for me 10,000 oh yeah 10,000 rats for me personally I'm going to 50 hawks of course and then I'll move on to 10,000 rats because 10,000 rats don't matter to me four lions 10,000 rats after 20 minutes those lions will be just holes and then you have the gorillas actually they are not, they just flatten themselves for a while they will get tired the only difference between the ox and the rat is the rat the ox can attack to the rat but the rat cannot attack the hawk yes, but you need two to defend yourself I have air defense and I have ground defense.

It isn't true. You will survive for now. Yes you're right. You're probably right. Henry. Where are you going? “I’m going to go with that rifle,” you might add. just a couple of rifles mate you know no he's got a rifle he's bound b b let me reload why there's 10,000 Chase rats coming at you or four lions or five G well maybe all four lions uh whatever I can choose , maybe I have the four lions and I'm against the wall and who wants to get something. I think Henry dies in 10 minutes. You know, you know, he's a c, yeah, it's a tough scenario to call.

I don't know, I don't know, but the. rat I haven't thought of the Rat that way through the rat or the New York rats either, not just the normal lab mice, the little white ones, we're talking about the New York ones, who seem to know the awesoms and raccoons, but are you saying that? all the animals that are your opponent, their goal is to kill you, yes they are all attacking you, you choose two, the rest will try to kill you, but man, a lion coming, I think I don't know if the rats will do it. be able to stop our Lion Wait if our lion likes 10,000 brother, that's ridiculous, yes, but a lion is going to run at you, okay, but how much, how much, look at a lion how to fight, how much resistance It has a lion, yes?

In an arena you don't need much final resistance, it's an arena and I've seen one lion and five. I have seen five hyenas. You know, yeah, they mess with a lion and he can't really attack them all, but now you have. 10,000 New York rats and I keep saying because New York rats are something different, rats coming at you, which I am, I'm going crazy with rats and hawks. I want to at least have Ariel and I have ground support that could not be bad, not bad, I think they could have attacked the Hawks from above and the rat from below.

I'm going to send at least five Hawks at the guy with the rifle, go kill him first, attack him because he's going to shoot you. I don't want him to shoot me, so uh, but George, um, you've known that for a long time, like I mentioned. before when we started, it's uh, you know, CU I I I grew up in the sport watching you even though we're not that far away. Separated in age, but you've been here for a long time looking at each other and doing your thing and it's because of that admiration for where I was, just as a man, I want to compete against that guy that I want to be.

I want to be the guy that beats that guy and it was all from that respect and admiration, you know, to where now I feel like it's very different, you know, these guys now don't respect art, they just want to be the artists that they want. . being Superstars that in a certain sense we were also, you know, but I mean that that's where that thing came from that I wanted to challenge you and I wanted to fight you, that has always been where it came from, it was nothing, it was never a place of lack of respect because for Ed competitive, can I say that advantage?

Can I say something tomorrow? I think he's uh I think he's really good guys you know how often do you get a chance to have Walter's top two weights of all time? to step in and you know, we feed off each other here, see you at the UFC event. I'm sure we'll see that they always put us next to each other, which is great, yeah, so I just want to tell you. I know I love you and respect you a lot and even now I'm getting to know you a lot more and more and seeing you more.

I love you and I respect you and to be able to learn from you and hear from you in a sense, it's been a it's a pleasure and this conversation has been a pleasure, you know, I'm sure you know that, so you know people can stop the

debate

, you know, this is my man here, you know, you know, you know what he, what he's done is legendary. He is going to be recorded in the books forever. I think I think in all sports, I mean, things kept getting better because you know, it's like Einstein says in science, if I've seen further than others because I'm standing on the shoulders and a giant, it's the same thing.

Like my predecessor, I learned from them. I didn't have to repeat the same mistake they made because I learned from them and obviously when I grew up, I was in Montreal, Canada. I wanted to learn Jiu-Jitsu. learn a damn juji gami Amar I needed to drive to New York pay the members should go to the hzo graci academy and live in the class to learn it now can you can I take my cell phone hey look at that Move you can learn you know technology does the much better things, that's why I think athletes' performance improves.

So people sometimes ask me who is the

best

. P because he found the best one for me, the one that made the difference for me. because he inspired me was r Rice Gracie, I think Rice Gracie would have done well and anyway octagon no, I don't think so and I think the best pound for pound in that sense hasn't even been born yet because things will start to get better , you already know. respect, they are made to be defeated, but as of now, CU, obviously, and George, you are a very modest person, like who is your goat, Mountain, who is your top four, but no not in Pioneers, not like in what you I just said who, but pound for pound, when, but based on what you've seen, you're like, oh, that's different, oh, he's fine if you respect the time, for the moment, being the person I've done with something. which I don't think will be done again at the moment, I think it's where GRA is is number one for me, I grew up watching it, but if you ask me in terms of where we are now, I think it's difficult It's difficult to find someone better than Jon Jones.

Jon Jones is such a good guy. Jon Jones is extremely talented but he is also extremely tough. People have no idea how tough he is. I have trained with him. I've seen it happen. the routine is so incredibly hard, I remember the fights he had, I think with Victor Belur, I think he dislocated his arm and he fought even with a dislocated arm, even one of his fights, his toes were broken most of the time when I have a guy who is very talented he doesn't come with toughness Jon Jones is the complete package he has it all Elite Striker Elite grapple is good all around of course there are things that people will say oh yeah he did this he did that, but in terms of who's the godfather and he came back beating Seral Gun the way he did, yeah, tough, it's hard to have an argument, okay, that's one of the four, who, who would it be, who would it be? the other boy you would be. like graci C uh J Jones, a guy also that you beat is Demetrius Johnson, oh yeah, Demitrius Johnson is one of the same ones, you know, man, you fought him, I think he beat one of you and he beat you, you you conquered once he is another. guy who I think moved on and he's older and he's still beating the young guys like he's saying it's amazing yeah Demitri's ability to mix was like a mix it was on you but fast forward that's what Demetrius Johnson You know why it's so fast.

It's like, oh, I remember fighting him, I think one of the keys because obviously he put me out the first time and I think one of the keys when I saw when I fought with Demit the second time, I think I can't react. to everything he's doing because he's too fast, he's going to mix everything up, something hits me, hits me, but something that I felt safe with is the fact that he didn't have that crazy power, but you did. brilliant. work, the second fight, you, you were very well prepared, I remember seeing it, I thought, oh my God, you use your takeown and everything was perfect, you become their perfect nemesis, yeah, one SAT I tripped them five times, so shout out to DJ, I'm sorry, I'm not sorry.

Well, I mean, here, George, we, of course, can sit here and talk to you forever. You know you have so much knowledge and it's a great talk to be able to learn and hear so much from you, but you know we. I have to let you go, we don't want to occupy you all day, but you know, thanks for joining us here pound for pound. I mean, we're still getting started, but it's an honor to be able to talk to someone like you, so man, everyone watching, thank you, thank you everyone for watching. I'm your host Henry Cejudo aka Triple C, the Nigerian nightmare, Kamaru Usman and of course the legend GSP GSP, yes we're dating.