It’s never too early to start thinking about retirement, especially when you make a career out of using your head as a punching bag. MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre has said that he likes to set goals for himself throughout his career, many of which he’s met and some that he hopes to fulfill going forward. Last Friday, St-Pierre (20-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) expressed to MMAjunkie Radio that fame and money aren’t his top concern and said he won’t be afraid to hang it up when he feels he’s accomplished enough:
Of course, the money’s there,” he said. “The difference between me and a lot of fighters … (is that) a lot of fighters fight for the fame. They fight for the money.
“Yeah, the money is there. It’s pleasant. The money is there. It’s good that I have this security. I have a lot of money now. It’s good. But there is a lot of things I can do outside of mixed martial arts … because of the name that I reached with MMA, that the UFC helped me to have.
“The fame is the same thing. I didn’t have it in the beginning, and now I have it. But if one day I reach my goal of becoming the best pound-for-pound (fighter) of all-time, it will be time for me to retire. But I don’t know right now, at 29 years old, if I want to retire. So it’s better I have to stick around.”
Many already consider St-Pierre to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but that’s not the way he sees it. The welterweight champion gives that honor to middleweight king Anderson Silva, who he said he one day hopes to share the octagon with. St-Pierre said that it’s not something he’d be willing to do in the immediate future, since it would require gaining weight and then losing it again if he wants to continue his career. That being said, his vision is as clear as any fighter across MMA and he’s right about one thing, defeating Silva should, and would, earn him unanimous respect as the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter.
If I go up in weight, it’s going to be hard to go down,” he said. “If I put on lean muscle like I already did recently … it’s going to be hard to come back down. So it’s not like I go up and I go down. I have to be very careful with what I do.”
If one day I fight at 185 pounds for a superfight to know who is the best pound-for-pound in the world, (and) if I reach my goal, then my goal will be reached,” St-Pierre said. “There will be no point for me to still compete because I’m not going to have a goal left.”
St-Pierre is currently finishing up his coaching duties on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” in Las Vegas and will more than likely fight top contender Josh Koscheck at the end of the year to continue the tradition of a season-ending fight between coaches. The point is this: if you’re a UFC hardcore, St-Pierre’s aspirations give you something to look forward to. Thus far, he appears to be a man who remains committed to achieving his career goals, and his desire to move up in weight and fight Silva is a treat we’ll all be able to enjoy.
Source:
UFC champ St-Pierre would consider retirement after Silva win, top-fighter ranking [Yahoo! Sports]
