Episode 05: Think Like a Fighter – Insights from the Ring to the World of Business with GSP

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This week I sit down with one of the all-time greatest fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, Georges St-Pierre. After training from the age of 7, and becoming a 2nd degree Karate blackbelt by 12, Georges knew that his destiny was to be in the ring and dedicated his life to reaching that goal. He diversified by adding various disciplines into his training, including boxing, wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu to become an amateur fighter by 16 and continued in came back stronger in 2008 and regained victory and has not lost a title since. In 2013 Georges retired holding the record for most UFC wins in title bouts and after a four-year hiatus and returned to the ring in 2017 to defeat his opponent and become the UFC Middleweight Champion, he is now the fourth fighter in the history of the sport to be a multi-divisional champion.

During our compelling conversation in Georges hometown of Montreal, he and I discuss success, drive, and the determination that it takes to be the best. We talk about how to use perceived setbacks as an opportunity to learn, grow, and dominate the competition in sport or cybersecurity, and how to apply learnings in the ring or in business.

Georges St-Pierre was raised in St-Isidore, Quebec, a town of about 2,000 people. As a child he was bullied for years by older schoolmates. His father had introduced him to Kyokushin karate at age 7, “but life isn’t like a movie,” he said. “You can do all the karate you want, when you’re eight or nine-years-old and they’re 12, when you’re alone and there’s three of them, you can’t do anything. That’s the reality.”

Already a 2nd dan Kyokushin karate black belt at 12, Georges dedicated himself to martial arts and training throughout his teen years. After seeing Royce Gracie fight in 1993 at UFC 1, Georges knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and how he was going to reach those goals: he invested all his energy and all his time at becoming a better version of himself. When he wasn’t training or at school, Georges worked as a doorman in nightclubs, or hung off the back of a garbage truck, hauling in refuse. He discovered a simple truth: never stopping helps reach goals.

Georges continued to grow as a person and as a fighter. He added fighting disciplines such as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his karate background and competed in his first amateur MMA bout at age 16. He won that match, and continued his steady improvement. In 2006, Georges “Rush” StPierre or “GSP” becomes the UFC Welterweight Champion. He lost the title in 2007 but subsequently regained it in front of his hometown fans of Montreal in 2008 and hasn’t lost a single title defense since then.

Georges retired from the sport on December 13, 2013, holding the UFC record for most wins in title bouts and then returned to the octagon after a four-year layoff, on November 4, 2017 at UFC 217 in New York City (Madison Square Garden), where he defeated Michael Bisping by submission in the third round to win the UFC Middleweight Championship title, becoming the fourth fighter in the history of the organization to be a multi-division champion. On December 7, 2017, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Georges vacated his UFC middleweight title and announced his retirement from professional MMA competition on February 21, 2019, following the UFC’s refusal to organize a superfight against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. GSP was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Las Vegas on September 24, 2021.

Recognized as one of the planet’s best pound-for-pound MMA fighter and all around athlete, GSP lives in Montreal and still travels around the world to train with the best coaches and training partners in all disciplines.

Fighting style:  Kyokushin karate (3rd dan black belt), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling.

Awards:

• Member of the UFC Hall of Fame
• Canadian Athlete of the Year 2008, 2009, 2010 – Rogers Sportsnet.
• 2010-2011 No.2 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World – ESPN
• Fighter of the Year 2009 – Sports Illustrated, World MMA Awards, MMAPayout, Inside MMA, MMA Junkie
• Finalist – Best Fighter 2008, 2010, 2011, 2018 – ESPY Awards
• Most Dangerous Man of the year 2010 – Spike Guys Choice Awards
• 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year – Black Belt Magazine

Blackpoint Cyber does the fighting for you, but ever wish you could get closer to the action? Hear all the details firsthand at our podcast, The Unfair Fight. Listen to monthly episodes where Founder & CEO, Jon Murchison, VP of Threat Operations, Xavier Salinas, and Director of Threat Research, David Rushmer, get real and talk all things cybersecurity and more.

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