GSP (photo) revealed that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The temporary removal of Georges St Pierre of competitions left the MMA world intrigued. Citing personal reasons, the Canadian gave up his belt to take a break from his career, although leaving open a possible return in the future.
After months of speculation about the real reasons that made GSP make this decision, the fighter himself gave details on the matter. He said that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, better known by the acronym OCD, which reached a stage where it was starting to get in his way.
“As a competitor, it’s a good thing to have because it makes you better. You become completely obsessed with improving as a fighter. Every day, everything you do is geared toward achieving that goal. This same obsession was driving me crazy. This is one of the reasons why I took this break”, he revealed, in an interview with the Canadian television channel “CBC”. “I don't call it retirement because I don't know yet, but I needed to step away from competition for a while.”
St. Pierre stated that this, combined with the intense pressure of being the UFC champion, forced him to make the decision to temporarily withdraw from MMA. “I had been fighting for a long time. Initially, I started because it was fun. I loved. Then, fun became a business. Then came the criticism, the pressure, the expectation. You become the target and everyone wants to have what you have. You obsess like crazy, so I needed to keep my mind healthy,” he explained.
The Canadian owned the welterweight belt between 2008 and 2013, making nine successful defenses. In total in his career, he has 25 wins and two losses.
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