Settling In

by StPierre

Before going to Brazil, I had a call from one of my friends who told me that Denis Kang won his fight against Marvin Eastman by TKO in the first minute of the fight. It made me a feel good because it brings a good vibe to the team, and like Tseng Tsu says in the Art of War, battles are won by momentum. I'm also very happy because I also learned he'll soon be fighting in the UFC, so for the first time since we started training together, we'll be able to fight in the same organization. I flew to Brazil Sunday night, and after a long flight I got into Rio de Janeiro. But after the flight I was very tired because I cannot sleep on the plane, so I had to take the morning off from training to take a nap of a couple of hours. I started my training Monday night after my nap, and I quickly found out that even though I just earned my black belt in BJJ, there are still a lot of guys better than me in this sport at Gracie Barra Academy. I got tapped so many times during my training there and I learned so many new tools that just for that alone, this trip was worth it. I met a bunch of new training partners and good friends as well in Brazil. My friend Cleo from Montreal went with me and was teaching a wrestling class during the day where were training a lot of takedowns and takedown defense, plus MMA sparring as well. At night I was also doing BJJ with the gi to improve my ground skill and knowledge. During the week, one of the valets at the hotel was very nice with me it was nice to meet someone who spoke French very well. Every time a pretty woman was passing by him, he was making a comment in French about how beautiful and sexy she was. Another guy who works at the front desk was a big fan of MMA and recognized me as soon as I stepped in the hotel. He was a gentleman, too, and gave me advice on things only locals would know. I really appreciated his help. I was treated so well at this hotel that for sure the next time I come back I'll stay at the same spot. I came back to Montreal after a week and already after two days, I miss Acai so much it's become my favorite fruit. I got back to my normal routine at home as soon as I started back training on last Monday. This past weekend, I got to help out some of my friends who were going to fight at a local show at Xtreme MMA. With great pride, I can tell you that they all did amazing this past Saturday. Even one of my friends, Steve Claveau, that I was cornering, did so well but before the fight, I didn't want to tell him that I thought he was going to lose because he was fighting a guy on paper that was way better than him. He gave him his first loss by TKO referee stoppage. Then yesterday I slept so much after a night of exhaustion because I had so much emotion believe it or not, I am more nervous when I coach people than when I fight myself. I still have a lot to do settling in to my new condo, so this week will be very busy because I want to get everything done before I get into serious training before my next fight. Talk to you soon

Add Comment

• pelechati said November 11, 2008

  I'm really excited about Dennis Kang coming to the UFC. Let's hope he gives Silva hell.

  Reply

  
• Dewey said November 11, 2008

  Great story about your friend Steve.
  
  Love the blog, GSP.

  Reply

  
• Ap0C552 said November 11, 2008

  I hope you get settled in and start training perfectly.
  
  Your next opponent will be the toughest fight of your life for sure at the most fundamental level.

  Reply

  
• michaelborne said November 11, 2008

  Acai, wicked move. Stick to tropical plants. Humans are tropical, even if they live all over the planet, they can only live "naturally" in tropical and subtropical climates, making the plants found there the best, most natural match to the human body's needs. Try getting some acerola too next time. Vitamin C is severly under-estimated by most nutritionists. Vitamin C is in all tropical fruit, even bananas and avocados, but most importantly its off the charts in acerola. Gorilla's get 150 times more vitamin C in their diet than is recommended to humans by so called experts. Think gorilla GSP, think ape doo doo, baby (chappelle).
  
  

  

  Reply

  
  • AlanaG replied November 11, 2008

    I used to have a friend who worked for Sambazon, which sells frozen acai. I used to make smoothies out of that all the time, yummy!
  • southnfrydrice replied November 11, 2008

    Sounds healthy
• michaelborne said November 11, 2008

  

  Reply

  
• AshHansen said November 11, 2008

  Hey Champ! ; )
  
  Great post GSP, of course people are going to treat you well mate.. You attract people similar to your personality regardless of gender.. You give respect you get respect! Except in pre-fight trash talk hey ; P
  The Art of War is a great book too! Glad your trip to Brazil allowed you to develop your skills... And congrats again on your BJJ Black belt champ!
  
  All the best Georges!
  
  Ash

  Reply

  
• grmd61 said November 11, 2008

  It is so good to hear from you! After being sick for a week, I feel better just from reading your blog. I bet you are a wonderful corner and inspire your fighters to go beyond their limits just as you do. Someday you will be a tremendous coach and have all your students sitting in awe listening to every word you say as if hearing the gospel. Be sure to get enough sleep--it is vastly under rated by most people your age, and sleep's healing power is well documented. All the best, as always, Grandma Dee

  Reply

  
  • michaelborne replied November 12, 2008

    When you sleep, your soul travels, and the spirits do genetic housekeeping on your body. It makes a great new day when you sleep right. Nikola Tesla once said that he slept for 2 hours a night, but he did it artistically. He said the techique he learned was another ancient secret from India. Swami Vivekanada probably taught him. Could be cool to look it up and find out how to do it.
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONh_z6jGhZs
    

    
• Luca26 said November 11, 2008

  Way to train, Georges. Don't forget to work on your karate either man. One of these days, that spinning back kick is gonna land flush. BJ's a sucker for those high kicks.

  Reply

  
• Stefania said November 11, 2008

  great post! Acai is so yum!
  good luck on your training and with your new condo :)
  saludos!!

  Reply

  
• Karla_UFC said November 11, 2008

  Welcome back to the big freeze! Thanks for the great update, once again.

  Reply

  
  • michaelborne replied November 12, 2008

    Best thing about the big freeze is flying Air Freeze the ffffff out. Just kidding, Karla_UFC. Canada is cool.
• Nellie said November 11, 2008

  Thanks for the update Georges! It is always great to hear how you are doing and training! Don't give out to much information though....B.J. might be reading!! : )
  I am getting ready to finalize my Vegas trip with UFC 94 tickets! Can't wait to see what you have in store for Penn!
  Train hard my friend and STAY WARM!!!

  Reply

  
• Adrienne said November 11, 2008

  Don't forget to take time for yourself and rest up! Great blog! :)

  Reply

  
• spidermato said November 11, 2008

  Hi G.
  Good Post.Keep on the good work!
  Greetings from a Spaish fan living in Ireland
  Antonio Mato

  Reply

  
• vallima said November 11, 2008

  I am not sure if they still do, but Booster Juice used to put açai in some of their juices/products. I used to go to the ones in Vancouver, but last time I was in Montreal, I saw one 'store' at Complexe Desjardins and a friend told me there is also one on Sherbrooke W. Might be worth checking it out, although might be worth keeping it something you look forward to when you go to Brazil. Never tastes the same abroad! Bom apetite! ;-)

  Reply

  
  • atlarge replied November 18, 2008

    I always get the high impact Acai at Booster Juice :D It's awesome :D
• 50_mission_cap said November 11, 2008

  Hey Georges... been a reader for a while but first time posting a comment. Thanks for taking time to letting us have insight into your fighting career and lifestyle. A belated congrats on your BJJ Black belt and all your hard work and training is paying off in spades. Plus by the sounds the friendships and life experiences you are forging are amazing and valuable. I look forward to your blogs. Looking forward to seeing the always improving GSP in the octogan and defeating BJ Penn in the new year! Cheers Georges! Thanks.

  Reply

  
• DrCards said November 11, 2008

  Hey Georges!
  
  Fun post! Glad you're getting some rest & decorating your condo. Shopping is an under-rated cathartic sport :o)
  
  Best,
  
  Illena

  Reply

  
• GSPtheGREATfan said November 11, 2008

  I like acai too!

  Reply

  
• GSPFan4LIFE said November 11, 2008

  I just joined the yard today because I found out you had a blog on here. Im your FAN 4 LIFE!!!!!!

  Reply

  
  • Dewey replied November 11, 2008

    Welcome to the Yard, GSP fan!
  • michaelborne replied November 12, 2008

    Same here. If GSP leaves for another site, the yard will have more grass in it.
• tikitmb said November 11, 2008

  Love the post GSP!
  I was lucky enough to see you fight here in Minneapolis, you were AMAZING! Anyways now I have to see you whoop up on bj. I can't think of a better way to bring in the new year.

  Reply

  
• ekimswish said November 11, 2008

  Wow... I'm psyched about Denis coming to the UFC. He deserves to fight against the best. And don't let this fight against BJ go to the judges. God knows he'll just whine about it if he loses.

  Reply

  
• AnthonyJr said November 11, 2008

  Enjoyed your blog! More Canadian fighters coming to the UFC.

  Reply

  
• babcock said November 11, 2008

  I can no longer deny the bad assness of yourself. Stay healthy please dont get hurt. I can not wait for this super fight to happen and am rooting for you. In hopes of seeing another superfight after that, but im not gonna mention any names *COUGHandersonCOUGH*silva*COUGH* ahem, excuse me.

  Reply

  
• nastshabast said November 12, 2008

  GSP4P. That is all I have to say.

  Reply

  
• healer said November 12, 2008

  You are the man GSP. I'm from Canada but living in the UK.
  Cleaning up the Environment through Natural ECO Water.
  GSP Water is the no.1 as you are no.1, for your Health & Wellbeing.
  BUT It the proper kind of (Water). GSP have your team contact me for
  You to get the Proper Water info. gordonthehealer@gmail.com
  Good night BJ
  gordonthehealer

  Reply

  
  • michaelborne replied November 12, 2008

    Water is over-rated. The best water is found in plants. Apes hardly drink water, they get most of it from plants. If you are thirsty, eat watermelon or tomatos, or cucumbers. They are 80 - 90 percent water and loaded with vitamins and minerals. The place that the body absorbs water is in the large intestine. To get water into the large intestine, you have to eat fresh foods. The large intestine will squeeze out the water and keep you hydrated like a wet sponge in your gut. Don't forget that you could actually die from drinking too much "water". That's because water flushes out your sodium and potasium. This is why you see marathon runners and bikers eating bananas - sodium and potasium, also known as electrolytes (forget Gatorade, the syrupy, toxic mess). Get your water from plants. If you urinate clear and odor-free, you are hydrated.

    
• gspcrazy said November 12, 2008

  Acai is awesome! I make smoothies with it all the time. It actually helped me lose more weight after I hit a plataeu in my workouts. Good Stuff! Great Blog GSP!

  Reply

  
• Brprincess said November 12, 2008

  Good to hear from you again. Im glad you enjoyed your trip to Brazil, a great place to go, always. And with some great food!!! What I miss the most is the fruits... havent found anything liked here. If you ever coming to New York, let us know. I would love to see you in person! Cant wait to see your next fight!

  Reply

  
• dont_rush_gsp said November 13, 2008

  good blog man. it's good to hear you learned even more new tricks. remember the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in war.

  Reply

  
• ruthrios said November 13, 2008

  It's always hard to settle in to any new place, so good luck with that! Also, good luck with the upcoming fight with BJ Penn. I've been a fan of yours for quite some time now and I know you're going to do well.

  Reply

  
• southnfrydrice said November 13, 2008

  Georges is a good fighter, but he's not the best p4p.

  Reply

  
• mercymercy said November 13, 2008

  Hola GSP great blog like always ,try to find somebody to feng shui your condo to bring positive energy

  Reply

  
• rumbler said November 14, 2008

  You definitely made the right choice in buying a condo. Every time I hit the web to see what's new in the world of GSP you seem to always be on the move for training(respect!) Me and my girlfriend just bought a house a few months back, so I know how much work it can be.
  
  
  I wish you the best of luck in your training…I can't wait to watch you destroy Penn!
  
  
  Peace

  Reply

  
• Santo4Hall said November 14, 2008

  George ,
  Bot my children are quiet , soft spoken kids. As we all know kindness is often seen as a weekness.
  I enrolled both my kids in Karate for self defense & build confidence. So far so good , do you think i made the right choice as a starting point for learning self-defense?
  Keep up the good work!
  Jeff

  Reply

  
• fat2rak005 said November 15, 2008

  Dennis Kang in the UFC should mix up the lack luster middle weight division. I'm excited about his signing. Great story GSP.

  Reply

  
• Anthony_A said November 14, 2008

  GSP, your blog rocks...you're so open, honest and generous; it's really rare man!
  Glad you discovered Acai...Juice Booster here in Montreal has it; they had a cool smoothie called Brazilian Thunder that was my fave, but they've taken it off the market until spring while they redesign it (they say to make it even better). You can buy frozen Acai Sorbet at Seagul's super market on St-Laurent, or probably loads of places like healthfood stores. I have an amazing industrial grade blender (Villaware "Infinity" which is in the same range as the Vitamix blender) and I put it in smoothies all the time. Although my favorite smoothie snack is: frozen bananas, 'natura' chocolate soy milk , flax seed, dates, the protein supplement of your choice (i use North Coast vanilla) and some maple syrup. Blend and get ready for a taste sensation! Let me know if you like it :)
  
  I would like to share something with you that will help you fit into your new space: Native American Indians traditionally 'smudge' a space to clean it. Basically, you put some sage, tobacco, sweetgrass and cedar in a mother of pearl open shell, say a kind of prayer to the universe (like you do when you walk into the octagon and spray water on yourself, or Brazilians like Syvlia do when they raise they arms up over their head) light it 'till it's smoking, put it out, and then walk through each room with the smoking dish to purify the space. Obviously turn off the fire alarm first and open windows! They say it gets rid of any negative energy (cleans) and that way you can put your own energy into the space. Some people are also into getting feng shui experts to come help them set up their furniture and deco so the energy flows. If you've read Art of War and liked it, I believe you are already open to the wealth of ancient Asian philosophy. I followed some advice on how to place my bed, and immediately noticed the difference!
  
  Keep shining like the star that you,
  Anton (Montreal, QC, Kyokushinkai-kan white belt)

  Reply

  
• GSP170 said November 14, 2008

  Dear G -
  You are the best, man. I love watching your fights; you're a most entertaining and exciting fighter. And that fight you had with John Fitch was fight of the year - amazing. You really deomonstrated your skill set on a great fighter, that night.
  BJ - I like BJ...I actually love BJ...but you will smoke him and it won't be a decision. You are so far beyone BJ at this stage of the game, that it's not even funny. The only thing BJ has an advantage in is flexibility - that's it.
  I look forward to seeing you beat BJ and sending him back to his natural 155.
  I most certainly look forward to seeing you fight Thiago.
  And I would love to see you fight Anderson Silva. I think you are the only one, with the possible exception of Cung Le, that could beat Silva and at least give him a solid fight.
  Best of Luck - you and Anderson are the best, classiest, most professional athletes/fighters in the UFC.
  You are great!
  Much respect
  Brian
  Halifax, NS

  Reply

  
  • southnfrydrice replied November 16, 2008

    LOL
• willacy11 said November 17, 2008

  your a wonderful fighter who is so down to earth that is just getting better and better. Have you ever heard of "Iron Mike Zambidis"

  Reply

  
  • slickjd_2002 replied 7 days ago

    Mike Zambidis is the man in K-1 superwelter-wieght 59-12. that man is insaine. he can punch someone through their blocks and even better with his knees and kicks. look him up!
• Jenius said November 17, 2008

  Am I the only one who reads his post with the accent in my head

  Reply

  
  • Karla_UFC replied November 17, 2008

    Nope, I hear it, too! Love it!!
  • AshHansen replied November 17, 2008

    How could you not... It's good for my "career"... ; )
• realpinaybabe said November 17, 2008

  GSP you are my favorite UFC fighter!!! I like BJ Penn a lot too but I hope you win against your bout with him. Scratch that, I know you'll win! I'm gonna try my best to come to vegas and watch the St Pierre vs. Penn 2 fight live as that weekend is my b-day. I'll celebrate my b-day with your victory. =) Also, please don't give him a chance to make you bleed this time. I was nervous during your first fight with BJ because I thought he would win since he was doing more damage to you. But who was I kidding! Of course you're gonna win. You're GSP!!! You're not just a great fighter, you're a great person and that's why people love you.

  Reply

  
• TheToddfather said November 18, 2008

  Hey Georges! Awesome blog. Thank-you for being such an amazing ambassador for our country and the sport! Don't ever change. You're my personal hero and role model. It has been really great watching you rise through the ranks from UCC, TKO to the top of the world over the years. Keep training like you're the challenger, not the champ and you'll continue to be an unstoppable machine. Good luck with BJ and thanks.

  Reply

  
• AliAbbas said November 20, 2008

  Beat BJ to pulp man, i loathe that guys attitude! You are the best in UFC :D

  Reply

  
• Anthony_A said November 22, 2008

  Actually, I'm a huge fan of Georges (as big as any of you), but I have to say that whatever you might think of BJ's attitude, I have total respect for his ability as a fighter. Did you see the recent press conference with them and Dana White in Toronto? Man, BJ looked focused. I think he's taking this fight more seriously than anything he's done in the past. And yet, I found it interesting that although it was obvious he's very focused, when it came time to speak, he said he was just coming out to have fun, and felt no pressure. Personally, I'm starting to be a bit worried that Georges responsibilities as a champion are perhaps distracting him somewhat from the task at hand. I think it would be a major mistake to underestimate BJ, or to base any estimate on their first meeting. This may prove to be a very different fight and although I'm inclined to believe that George's athleticism, heart, and talent will be more than sufficient to take BJ apart, the reality is if he doesn't take this fight (and his training) seriously enough, it could end up being a coin toss.

  Reply

  
  • michaelborne replied December 01, 2008

    You are on the money, as usual, Double A. This fight should be good enough to warrant a 3rd contest down the road.
• Anthony_A said December 01, 2008

  Thanks Michael...btw, that's really strange; no one but my manager at work calls me that (Double A). Um, you don't happen to work in tech support by any chance? ;)

  Reply

  
• lildshadow2 said January 04, 2009

  AT UFC 94 CAN YOU PLEASE WALK OUT TO "I'm Not Impressed By Your Performance"
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl-beMYQ-K0&eurl=http://hardfortheyard.com/2008/09/gsp-funny-song-ufc-mma.html&feature=player_embedded

  Reply

  
• Templedog said April 12, 2009

  GSP you are a great fighter and a blessing to the sport; and the image and message that is sent to the world
  around us who think mma is a sport filled with thugs with no BUSHIDO! (Respect etc...). I am a great fan of the sport and I enjoy seeing your growth and progressive combat style and technique. I was wondering what do you think of No-Gi Judo techniques such as (Shoulder and Hip Throws) and Dirty Boxing (ex: Using the shoulder to strike someone in the chin or head and foot stomps) being used in mma today? And also what arts do you see adding to the development and evolution of the sport?

  Reply

  
• sidvicious said May 21, 2009

  hi George! i think your great cause your french like me!!!lol. but for real you are gifted. i'm 35year's old and like most kid's i loved play fighting growing up. anway i was also gifted but i went down the wrong path.by that i mean i ended up spending most of my life in jail ,because of drug's and alcohol. that path also got me shot!!i've been paralized for a year now and it's hard when you were a physical person. any way i love mma and you know i have a move that i'm surprised no one has figured out how to use.maybe it cant be used but i have used it to win jail house grappling matche's and i'm glad no one i use to use it on was interested in mma or they would get the credit for it. this is not a gimmick to open a door for me,i am paralized. i watch ufc all the time and i see countless opportunities for the move standing or on the ground. the reason i'm contacting you is i want a canadian to be the first to have the chance to see if it can add another dimension to their mma career and to the mma as a sport. and what better person then a fellow frenchmen!! have on of your people contact me and you won't be diapointed. sidney_letandre@yahoo.com

  Reply