Firas Zahabi carries GSP after fighting Hendricks. Photo: Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC
When Georges St Pierre announced, last Friday (13), that he had left MMA for an indefinite period of time, many fans and specialized journalists understood the message as a goodbye from the former welterweight champion to the world of mixed martial arts. In an interview with the “MMA Fighting” website, Firas Zahabi, GSP's coach, confirmed that the moments leading up to the Canadian's announcement were complicated and that the decision was motivated by personal issues, but stated that he hopes he will one day return to fighting, even stronger and more centered.
“Does he have the motivation to fight? Not at this moment. Now he has the motivation to take care of his personal problems. If he doesn't, he will end up depressed, alone. The guy has to balance his life. Your life is extreme and you can't be a 'soldier' forever. The guy has been struggling for a long time, missing many birthdays, many weddings, many life experiences. He wants to balance his life outside. If you had to spend a day with Georges, you would be exhausted. There's so much going on it's absurd. It’s crazy,” Zahabi said. “He will come back stronger, I hope. He is a dream for coaches and event promoters. I won't pressure you. If he comes back, it will be his own decision,” he added.
Zahabi, however, revealed that St. Pierre is experiencing one of the happiest moments of his life after the announcement of his retirement from the Octagon and that the Canadian has found peace again. “Georges is now happier than he’s ever been, happier than I’ve ever seen him. His mood is better, he's sleeping better, he's gaining weight. Lean mass, not fat. The stress was making him weaker, unhappy, he was suffering. He had no peace. He had a lot of stress in his life. Now we are doing jiu-jitsu and wrestling just for fun”, concluded the coach.
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