Georges St-Pierre explains how training martial arts changed his life

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, the former welterweight and middleweight champion, explained how training martial arts changed his life.

St-Pierre is, of course, considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. But for GSP, it’s not something he was born with, but rather something he learned. Speaking to Burt Watson on the latest “Legend 2 Legend” podcast, St-Pierre explained how finding martial arts changed his life. According to GSP, he was a very shy and unconfident child, but after finding karate, he says he could see he was gaining more a lot more confidence.

“Growing up, I was a kid that lacked a lot of confidence. I believe that’s why I was picked on. Like in nature, predatory animals always hunt the weakest in the group. I was one of those (kids). I didn’t have good self-confidence, and the way I used to carry myself is much different than the way it is now. I used to walk, look down, shrug my shoulders. It showed in my demeanor, and I think that’s the main reason I was getting picked on,” St-Pierre said (via MMAjunkie.com).

“Martial arts, of course, taught me self-defense, but it also taught me confidence, that confidence is a choice. I changed the way I was carrying myself. When I shook someone’s hand, I was looking at him in the eyes. When I talked to someone, I looked at him in the eyes. I didn’t shrug my shoulders and look down anymore. I was walking straight with some kind of confidence.”

A true legend of MMA, St-Pierre has been retired from the UFC for four years, but he has recently spoken about making a return to the boxing ring to take on Oscar De La Hoya.

Are you still holding out hope about seeing Georges St-Pierre fight one more time?