Georges St-Pierre faced the best of the best in his fighting career, but there was one opponent he wanted nothing to do with.
'GSP' is well known for his interests outside of mixed martial arts, and it was during a trip to Rwanda that the former two-division UFC champion had a close encounter with a terrifying creature, the infamous silverback gorilla. To survive this encounter, St-Pierre had only one choice. It's obedience.
“I have an interesting story,” St-Pierre said on the show. pound 4 pounds Podcast. “I was actually chased by a silverback gorilla. I was in Rwanda, doing gorilla trekking, and I had a guide with me. He was with the same gorilla family every day, They told us the rules: So if the gorilla looks at you, the silverback, you don't look at him. Don't eat or take flash photos in front of him. And if he comes towards you, don't run away, just move out of the way, take a submissive pose and that's what happened. He looked at me and went towards me. So, I moved out of the way and put my knees on the floor like this, and I was like, “Please, please.”
“When I see a gorilla, [on TV] And seeing it live is completely different. I could see the outline of his muscles through his fur. I was like, “Fuck.” After he looked under his armpit, the guide reached out and helped me, but it was just a test.he told me the reason [the gorilla] He turned his back on me because he wanted to show me how little of a threat I was to him. I offer you my most vulnerable side to show you that you can't do anything. That's very, very smart. ”
St-Pierre amassed a 20-2 record during his time in the UFC, winning 12 welterweight title fights and winning the middleweight belt in his 2017 comeback, competing against Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit. But on this day, he wisely chose to avoid a fight with an animal that seemed content to toy with him.
Back in 2018, St-Pierre shared a video of himself after an encounter with a gorilla, but it's unclear if that's the event he's referring to in this interview.
This video was taken in Africa seconds after the alpha gorilla charged at me. I had to get out of his way by getting into a submissive position. One of the most terrifying and incredible experiences of my life. Even with all the combat training in the world, I would have been no match. pic.twitter.com/pn5N8X2J1t
— Georges StPierre (@GeorgesStPierre) June 12, 2018
St-Pierre's passion and respect for wild animals apparently extended to his life in a cage. He explained how studying the movements of snakes became the inspiration for his batting.
“My jab is snake-based,” St-Pierre said. “Snakes fold their bodies to give their prey a false sense of security, so the prey doesn't notice and thinks they're safe, but then they fold their bodies and fly out. That's like my jab. I fold myself in. [St-Pierre mimes throwing jab.] So I give the other person a false sense of security. It's an illusion. You think I can't touch you, but I touch you with a ping. ”
Now, St-Pierre can laugh and share the terrifying experience. pound 4 pounds He hosted Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman and even encouraged the former UFC champions to go gorilla trekking on their own someday, both for the experience and to help fund wildlife conservation.
Cejudo said he would only consider it under one condition: “If I go with Georges.”
