Georges St-Pierre has given a fascinating insight into how Nick Diaz got under his skin during their blockbuster fight at UFC 158.
On March 16, 2013, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, ‘Rush’ defeated his arch-nemesis via unanimous decision.
Georges St-Pierre confesses Nick Diaz made him panic at UFC 158
Georges St-Pierre has undeniably cemented his status as possibly the greatest competitor to have ever graced the sport of mixed martial arts.
With sublime grappling and a formidable fighting IQ, the legend dismantled his opponents en route to becoming one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen.
While most fighters need to trash talk to sell themselves, GSP never went out of his way to bad-mouth his opposition, often engaging in respectful build-ups.
Therefore, he was left dumbfounded when Nick Diaz hurled insults at him in the middle of their welterweight title collision.
Sheesh: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates wildly after Francis Ngannou finishes Renan Ferreira
This got under St-Pierre’s skin, with the icon admitting that his rival’s constant trash talk left him in a state of disarray.
In an interview on Pound4Pound with Kamaru and Henry, he said: “I remember when I was fighting Nick Diaz, and he’s talking to me. A lot of guys, they throw haymakers, and they hit, and [the opponents are in pain], and Diaz is like, I can’t say on camera, but he’s like, ‘You hit like a beep (swear word)’.
“He’s insulting you, and man, you feel claustrophobic, like I just pop my hard jab, and he’s laughing at me. It’s all fake. It’s all part of his strategy.
“You feel like you’re panicking until you don’t have any gas because you empty your gas tank for survival. He’s a marathon runner, he wants you in deep waters—I was prepared for that.
“Even Firas Zahabi, my coach, said, ‘Be ready to go five rounds, you’re gonna throw some crazy hard shot, and he’s not even going to blink. He’s going to make you believe it hasn’t hurt him’.”
Georges St-Pierre explains why he fought in the UFC despite finding it ‘unbearable’
Having won UFC titles in two weight divisions, it’s clear that when the pressure was on, St-Pierre rose to the occasion.
But, while many fighters revel in the opportunity to walk to the cage to unleash violence on their opponents, the Canadian certainly didn’t.
In fact, he’s gone as far as saying he found the whole ordeal nothing short of ‘unbearable’.
However, that didn’t stop him from getting the job done, recently explaining why he fought in the octagon despite hating the experience.
Watch out Jake Paul: Mike Tyson sends sparring partner through the ropes with explosive left hook