George St Peirre

(http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/02/01/georges-st-pierre-no-longer-sees-himself-as-champion/ ())

My idea of a hero is not someone that saved the world from aliens, and can fly or lift cars; but rather someone you look up to and follow in their footsteps. An example is a well known:  UFC fighter, George St. Pierre. He is a hero in my eyes because of his super-human amount of mental toughness, his ability to turn negative events into positive outcomes, and his incredible work ethic combined with his humbleness. George St Pierre is a person anyone can admire, whether you are a fan of UFC or not.

(http://rebelref.wordpress.com/tag/georges-st-pierre/ ())

George St Pierre, otherwise known as GSP, is a 6-time title winning UFC champion. Currently 22-2 (8 wins by knockout, 5 by submission, and 9 by decision). He is 5 ft 10 inches, weighing in at 170 pounds. He specializes in Kyokushin Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, and wrestling. GSP is a very well rounded fighter. Sport Sciences did an episode on him, determining GSP can punch with over 2,500 pounds of force, and can kick with over 3,750 pounds of force.  He won his first UFC title in 2007. The very next year he lost his title, in a brutal fight against Matt Serra. In 2009, the year after he lost to Matt Serra, he won his title back and hasn't lost it since then. He was born on May 19, 1981 and raised in St. Isidore, Quebec, a small town of about 2,000 people. GSP was introduced to the fighting community at age 7 due to bullies at his school, taking his money, clothes, and self respect.

To be the best as something it requires tons of practice. Starting at a young age is common in professional athletes. "As I have found with most successful fighters that I have interviewed, Georges St. Pierre started at an early age-in his case, age seven.  His father was a black belt in karate, and GSP found it necessary to learn to fight and defend himself after experiencing many playground toughs." - (Dain, Ann) Pierre was constantly bullied by older boys as a kid. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, and crying to his parents, he acted. Georges went to his dad saying he wanted to start karate to help defend himself from neighborhood bullies. His dad agreed and supported him. There is not much detail that goes into it, but within a couple months, he was no longer being tormented by his old harassers. "At age seven, after having trouble with bullies at school, St Pierre started his MMA career by learning Karate from his father and shortly after enrolled in a Kyokushin Karate  class."- (George St Pierre Biography) Starting at a young age, it was noticed that GSP was determined, and eager to win. Not only did he want the bullies to leave him alone, but he wanted to beat them in their own game. Georges is by far one of the most competitive and determined people I have ever heard of.

Pierre has incredible amounts of not only physical strength, but mental strength. It is believed that this is the reason he is so great. "He explained that this had been a very challenging time in his life where he was distracted by many difficulties-including a car accident where family members died, business problems, government tax problems, and physical injuries. - (Ann Dain) Losing his UFC title, the death of his family, government issues, and injuries. Most people would throw their lives away when so many horrible things happened one after the other. Depression, drinking, drugs, and even suicide are commonly the results of negative things as serious as these. Is it that way for Georges? No. His way of getting away from reality, is to lock himself into his training. GSP was already an extremely hard worker, but even so he trained harder, longer, and upped his intensity level by a significant amount. "He lost the title in 2007 but subsequently regained it in front of his hometown fans of Montreal in 2008 and hasn't lost a single title defense since then." - (gspofficial) Georges released his negative energy through working out. He trained and trained, even after his all day training sessions were over. His skills as a fighter sky-rocketed. He became an all around better fighter then before, with incredible amounts of added speed, strength, endurance, and most importantly, the right mindset. In SOME ways this could have been the best thing that happened to him.

GSP is very competitive. He will not stop until he is on top and when he's on top, he strives to stay there. "On December 29th, 2007, at UFC 79, GSP defeated Matt Hughes for the second time by arm bar submission in 4:55 of the second round to win the interim welterweight title."- (George St Pierre Biography) Georges is the #1 ranked welterweight fighter in the world. For most people, when you become so great, your ego takes over. It's common to become cocky and be full of yourself. Not GSP. In my opinion he is by far the most respectful fighter in the UFC. Before and after every single one of his matches he bows to his opponent, even if he loses. He also never talks trash before a fight. This is an extremely rare trait to have, especially in someone who is so great. "GSP went on to defend his title against Jon Fitch, winning by unanimous decision at UFC 87 . Again, Georges dominated the fight, delivering an array of strikes and taking Fitch down at will. The defeat over Jon Fitch was a set up for one of the most anticipated MMA fights in history."- (George St Pierre Biography) What can I say? He is such an amazing fighter, and not only because he is such a great athlete. He sees fighting as an art. Most UFC fighters only take after the "martial," meaning military, in martial arts. Of course he takes after the martial side of it too, but he also interprets it as not just two sweaty guys pounding on each other. It's a life style for him, and that's what makes him who he is. GSP is my hero not just because he is a 6 time UFC champion, but because of his work ethic and mental attitude. It is easy to be a brawler, which is what most UFC fighters are. But Georges is not just a brawler. He is a Martial Artist, and that's what makes him who he is. It gave him his mindset, his work ethic, and his fighting skills. GSP is a person anyone can admire, even if you are not a fan of MMA.

Works Consulted

"Bio." Home. George St Pierre, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 May 2012.

            <http://www.gspofficial.combio>.

Dain, Ann. "MMA." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 09 May 2012.             <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6502-an-interview-with-georges-rush-st-pierre-in-          colorado>.

"George St Pierre Biography." Georges St Pierre News and Fan Blog. Admin, 1 Nov. 2010.

Web.    16 May 2012. <http://georgesaintpierre.com/george-st-pierre-biography/>.

"George St Pierre Biography." George St Pierre Biography â€ÂBOB GSP’s Background and        How He Got Into MMA. Nutaofit Martial Arts. Web. 16 May 2012.                            

<http://nutaofitmartialarts.com/george-st-pierre-biography-gsps-background-and-how-he-got-into-mma/>