Zahabi: Georges St-Pierre went too far for too long, but will never stop martial arts

Former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre is back at Montreal’s Tristar Gym, according to his longtime trainer, and is redefining his relationship to MMA.

Two months after he made official his decision to give up his belt and step away from the sport, he is training not to be a champion, but to enjoy the benefits of martial arts training.

“I don’t think he’ll ever stop martial arts,” Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi told MMAjunkie Radio. “If he came and told me he was never doing martial arts again, I wouldn’t believe him. I think martial arts has carved a part of his personality; he’s done it from so young. It saved him from bullying; it got him the life he has right now.

“He will always be doing martial arts. Now, he’s doing it for love and passion, and doing it for competition is two different things.”

In several interviews, St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) has spoke of the burnout that accompanied his long run as UFC welterweight champ, saying the stress of being the UFC’s biggest star was “eating him alive.” The 32-year-old French-Canadian reiterated that he is not retiring from the sport, but taking a break to enjoy a normal life.

St-Pierre defended his UFC title a record nine times – most recently at UFC 167 with a split decision over Johny Hendricks – and fought in the UFC on 22 occasions. Although a knee injury briefly halted his career for much of 2011 and 2012, he fought an average of twice a year against UFC top contenders.

“Rush” incorporated unusual methods of training for an MMA fight that included gymnastics. Zahabi is well acquainted with the rigors of St-Pierre’s regimen, and he said St-Pierre’s burnout came not only from being a star, but with the grind of being in the gym.

“I’ve been a part of thousands of training camps; Georges St-Pierre camps are the most extreme,” he said. “I think he went too far, too long, and mentally, it’s not feasible. You go home, you get ready for the next workout, and then it’s back to the gym the next day. There’s no balance in your life, and it’s going to weigh on you mentally. It’s a never-ending life of discipline and rushing. There’s no time to enjoy life in his lifestyle.

“You do it competitively, you’re going to do it to the point where you hate it. You’re going to do it to the point to where you’ve had enough, and there’s still more work to be done, and you have to do it. When you do it for life and for fun and you’ve had enough, you can go home.”

And Zahabi is confident the break St-Pierre is taking from MMA will make him a stronger fighter when he returns to the cage.

“I think what Georges did was right,” he said. “He lives a life of extremes, but you can only do it for a period of time. Nobody’s ever taken it to that extreme. It’s a question of will; you can’t force that on somebody. Georges did it for too long, and he needs a mental break.

“The younger generation can learn from Georges. Do what Georges did if that’s the result you want. Just know, you can’t do that forever.”

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.