Georges St-Pierre has opened up about the most humiliating experience of his career.
The former welterweight champion formally retired from the sport in 2019, and accomplished a 26-2 record, with victories over the stars like Michael Bisping, Johny Hendricks, Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn, Matt Serra, and Matt Hughes. However, of his two career losses, it was his upset defeat against Matt Serra that “GSP” acknowledges as the “most humiliating thing” that happened in his career.
It was his first 170-pound title defence after beating Matt Hughes in 2006 when St-Pierre faced off against the title challenger. Serra entered the bout as a significant underdog, but he took St-Pierre by surprise and defied expectation. He rocked GSP early on in the first round with a big right hand and followed with a rally of punches to achieve the win in under three and a half minutes of the first round. According to “Rush”, his loss taught him a big lesson and made him stronger.
“There is a saying that nothing can make you weaker than a victory, and it’s true. That’s what happened when I beat Matt Hughes,” St-Pierre said to BT Sport. “My loss [against Serra] made me much stronger because I learned from it, but my victory weakened me. I was the new face of the UFC, I was young and I was the guy who just beat Matt Hughes. Everyone saw in me an aura of invincibility, and I started to believe in it.
“Nobody gave him a chance, including myself. I went there and he clipped me with a very good punch and I was never able to come back into the fight. I learned a big lesson again, it’s not always the best fighter that wins the fight, it’s the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.”
Following his loss to Serra, St-Pierre would never lose again and he would reclaim the welterweight belt and defend it nine times. He eventually vacated his title in 2013 before returning to the sport at middleweight where he went on to defeat the former 185-pound champion Michael Bisping for the title. For GSP, it was his career-defining loss against Matt Serra that set him on the path to victory for years to come.
“It was the most humiliating thing in my career,” St-Pierre said. “I felt I let down everybody, even though it turned out to be a positive experience because it made me who I am today, a much better fighter and martial artist.”
Meanwhile, St-Pierre has been rumoured to return in a blockbuster bout against the lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, he put the chances down as low and he is currently enjoying his retirement as the widely regarded GOAT. Would you like to see Georges St-Pierre return to face the 155-pound champion?