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Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre is officially moving on from mixed martial arts. During a special press conference in his native Montreal on Thursday, February 21, the two division titleholder announced that he would be retiring from the sport for good.
The 37-year-old last fought on November 4, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York City where he scored a third-round submission over Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight title. It was St-Pierre’s first action in four years. St-Pierre ultimately vacated the 185-pound belt due to health issues.
“It takes a lot of discipline to become and stay champion,” St-Pierre said during the press conference, as transcribed by MMAjunkie.com. “It also takes a lot of discipline to stop while still feeling that you’re in the best physical and mental shape of your life, but I’ve always planned to leave the sport when I’m at the top and in good health.
“I want to thank my family, my fans, my coaches, trainers, and training partners, my sponsors and my agents for their indefectible support during all these years. I will forever be grateful for the work of Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, as well as Dana White and all UFC employees for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills before the world, from UFC 46 to UFC 217. I also want to thank each of my opponents. All of them are incredible athletes who brought out the best in me. I retire from competition with great pride at having had a positive impact on my sport. I intend to keep training and practicing martial arts for as long as I live, and I look forward to watching the new generation of champions carry our sport into the future.”
While St-Pierre is moving on from MMA, he did briefly discuss a fight that fans have been clamoring for.
St-Pierre did acknowledge that he would have interest in a fight with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but also noted he understands the UFC’s unwillingness to book the fight due to his inability to commit to a long-term future in the sport.
https://twitter.com/MMAjunkie/status/1098612103039107077
St-Pierre retires with an overall professional record of 26-2.
