John Wayne Parr has opened up about his experience training alongside Georges St-Pierre.
Blessed with remarkable skills and fearsome mindsets, ‘Rush’ and ‘The Gunslinger’ carved out incredible legacies, with the UFC legend conquering two weight classes, while the master of the art of eight limbs, captured an astonishing ten world titles.
During his time as a professional athlete, Parr sparred the legendary, Joe Rogan, appeared on The Contender: Asia, and gave the fans many an explosive war at Lumpinee Stadium.
However, his trip to Canada to trade leather with a fellow icon of the fight game is a memory he still treasures to this day.
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John Wayne Parr had a fantastic time sparring Georges St-Pierre
Back in 2013, John Wayne Parr visited the Tristar gym in Canada to help Georges St-Pierre hone his striking skills.
During this period, two of the greatest minds in combat sports history, worked extensively together, exchanging high-quality shots during exhilarating sparring sessions.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Parr reminisced: “They were so much fun. Georges was such a great training partner. Everything I showed him Muay Thai-wise, he was so appreciative. He took everything on board.
“When me and Georges had been training approximately a week together, we went to New York, John Danaher pulled me aside and said, ‘I’m really quite surprised at the amount of improvements Georges has had’.
“He was really cracking the pads hard, using his footwork, slipping in and out, we were getting ready for Johny Hendricks, so we were using lots of southpaw counters. So, I think John Danaher was very impressed.
“It was so much fun. Georges was so cool to hang around with, and his appreciation of everything I was showing him, he was really a martial artist.
“You think he’s a superstar, but in the gym, he’s just one of the boys. He’s so humble and respectful. It was really surprising how nice he was.”
John Wayne Parr calls out one of the greatest fighters of all time for a spar
Having proven his skills inside the ring beyond doubt, Parr has retired from the sport with nothing left to prove.
But while he has waved goodbye to competition, his love of Muay Thai lives on.
The 48-year-old is now training the next generation at Boonchu Gym in Queensland, Australia.
While his time under the lights has come to an end, Parr would still love to spar one of the greatest to ever do it.