GSP: ‘I’m stepping out of the fight game, will still train for myself’ Video

For some reason this thread won't show up for me. The rest of the site is fine, just not this thread. I don't know what that's all about.

updated

"This video is currently unavailable". LOL! Maybe just explain what he says. Did he confirm retirement, or was it more "taking some time off"?

the quote in the title is literally what he said.
He also clarifies that he isn't going to be a daddy, he's not in rehab and that his father is not dying and everyone is happy and in good shape. He is fine he just bruises easy and he will be training when he gets back to Montreal on Monday.

Then the reporter asks "So you're not stepping out of the fighting game?"
To which he responds "Yeah I am stepping out, but I'll be training for my self... so..."

Then the reporter asks about steroids and GSP says not on myself.

Then the reporter approaches him later and asks about him finding a new manager and he shakes his head no from a distance. And then says there is no hard feelings with his old manager. It is what it is.

Hmmm.....

Sounds like he's being intentionally vague about retirement. That usually means he doesn't really want to retire, he just wants a vacation. I sense a long, bitter Dana/GSP dispute coming in the near future.

Yeah, it's becoming a common theme for these champs to just sit on their belt as long as they can now. They are making enough money that they don't need to fight 3 times a year, and unless Dana starts requiring them to defend their belt every x months, they know they can continue to be the champ and rake in money on endorsement deals, grappling session/seminars, signings etc without risk of losing the belt.
Looks like we'll get a GSP/Hendricks rematch end of next summer if we are lucky.

To be clear, I am perfectly fine not having to watch GSP fight more than once a year. However, I'd like to see Hendricks fight someone again.

Yeah I'm actually amazed he hadn't fallen into that mode earlier than he did.

I'd love for Hendricks to just say, "Fuck it. I'm not going to wait around for GSP to sit on his belt, lick his wounds, and decide what is going on in his head. I'm a fighter. Give me another fight, and I don't care who it is."

i really dont understand this disdain for gsp now. all this hate for him wanting some time off.
im trying to put myself in his shoes and, even if he doesnt have personal problems, he earned a break from this taxing profession. its not like he wants a break from being an accountant.
being a pro fighter for over a decade, training like an olimpian almost every day...would take a toll on most people. yes, there are some foghters that have 40, 50 fights and keep going but most of the time, they are not performing even close to the lever of gsp. its a different mindset, to be a champion for this long and i actually like and respect goerge for not being just "a fighter".
how bloodthirsty are some fans that demand more blood from a fighter that has bled for years for our entertainment?

and another thing, whats with this love for hendricks now? its as if he did something noble and respectful and got ignored. even if he beat up gsp, the fight was very close and gsp won on points. case close, get over it. but no, hendricks kept being disrespectful, saying things like: "gsp didnt hurt me at all" and "i threw only at 70% because my wraps were too thin".
that last one is ridiculous. im starting to slowly dislike this guy based on his behavior aftter the fight.gsp would never say anything like that, he is always very honest and open and will admit his shortcomings. hendricks is stuck is a 18 years old jock mind

Agree with commie. I heard that 70% comment myself. I think if I were in Dana's shoes I'd have ripped Hendricks' freeking head off. Who the hell wants a guy who leaves 70% of it in the cage?? You leave it ALL in the cage or WTF is the point of even going in there?? I mean how in the hell does a guy like Clay Guida have a 7yr stint in the UFC?? This may just be DEP's all or nada self talking but that really struck me as BS. GSP doesn't leave it all in the cage either, but he's got the belt and he's who you need to beat.

Who knows: If Hendricks had left it all in the cage, it may have been what the judges wanted to see and he'd have the belt. Instead, he has a story about how he almost tried hard enough to win.

Well I am not totally against what you guys are saying about GSP, but honestly I am not with it either.

This is getting pretty ridiculous imo. I mean there are a bunch of guys that would have dreamed their whole lives about being champion and would love a shot at the belt.

Since 2010 he has taken one year off in between a fight and then again a year and a half off between fights because of injury, while everyone waited patiently for their shot. Then he comes back and fights and says "you know i am gonna take some time off for personal reasons"

Fuck that - That is not how this works. Now everyone is supposed to wait again?

I have NO problem if the man needs to step away. Who am I to judge? But then lay down the belt and say "I am retiring" and dont leave the UFC and the other fighters in limbo. He could always come back if he felt like it.

This whole I have the belt but im not going to be defending it for a while cuz I need a break thing sucks.

And he is boring as shit to watch. Boring
BORING
B O R I N G.

Plus, he's only fought 6 times in 4 years. You make it sound like he's out their ripping shit up all the time. And I didnt' choose to take all those fights to a shitty 25 minute waste of time.

It's a really easy formula I use for who I root for.
Finishers and exciting fighters I root for.
Boring non-finishers can all get their walking papers as far as I am concerned.

I'm with Stock. Plain and simple when it comes down to it I do not enjoy watching GSP fight. I used to get excited when a GSP fight was on the horizon...now it's become a thing where there's no way I'll watch it live...because I can't FF through all the boring non commital bullshit of out pointing his opponent.

I think the big demand for GSP to come back and fight and not take a long-ass break is becuase of the nature of the last fight. If he said this after working Koscheck or Fitch for 5 rounds and walking away with an easy UD, nobody would give a shit. Take all the time you need, champ. But because most people think he lost- or at the very least, has a damn good chance at losing the rematch- it's a bad, bad look to decide to immediately take a vacation.
It looks like he's scared. That's the problem. It's all about the timing.

the commie wrote:

i really dont understand this disdain for gsp now.

Now?

stock wrote:

the commie wrote:

i really dont understand this disdain for gsp now.

Now?

i never understood it.


and trigger, i do agree with the timing argument, but just from a personal point of view i see how he can be tired of the whole thing. ideally, yes, he should come back to fight hendricks right away. hopefully he can shut people up and take his time off, or retire, if those memory losses are real. A motivated gsp is still a head above hendricks in my opinion.

I personally have zero disdain or hate for GSP. I just wish he was much more clear about what he was doing. I do feel like he lost the Hendricks fight, but GSP had nothing to do with the decision making. I think a rematch would be the best thing to do for everyone involved... so long as GSP is healthy and actually wants to continue fighting. If he doesn't wish to continue fighting or doesn't really know if he wants to leave forever, don him the first UFC "Champion Emeritus", if anyone has earned that privilege it's GSP. This also leaves open the opportunity for an amazing future storyline of the undisputed champion coming out of retirement to fight the current crowned king! That's PPV gold right there!

I don't really think it has much to do with GSP being "motivated" I think he's always been motivated...you don't have that kind of insane cardio and insane skill if you're unmotivated...I think the problem is like I said before, he lacks the killer instinct. He can be the most motivated person in the universe, but if he doesn't have it in his head to finish a fight and can't do it, then it's never going to happen...hence is 7 fight streak of decision wins.

the commie wrote:

i really dont understand this disdain for gsp now. all this hate for him wanting some time off.
im trying to put myself in his shoes and, even if he doesnt have personal problems, he earned a break from this taxing profession. its not like he wants a break from being an accountant.
being a pro fighter for over a decade, training like an olimpian almost every day...would take a toll on most people. yes, there are some foghters that have 40, 50 fights and keep going but most of the time, they are not performing even close to the lever of gsp. its a different mindset, to be a champion for this long and i actually like and respect goerge for not being just "a fighter".
how bloodthirsty are some fans that demand more blood from a fighter that has bled for years for our entertainment?

and another thing, whats with this love for hendricks now? its as if he did something noble and respectful and got ignored. even if he beat up gsp, the fight was very close and gsp won on points. case close, get over it. but no, hendricks kept being disrespectful, saying things like: "gsp didnt hurt me at all" and "i threw only at 70% because my wraps were too thin".
that last one is ridiculous. im starting to slowly dislike this guy based on his behavior aftter the fight.gsp would never say anything like that, he is always very honest and open and will admit his shortcomings. hendricks is stuck is a 18 years old jock mind

Agree 100%. GSP has been an honorable champion for years, fighting only the top ranked fighters and beating them over and over again, no shit talking, no disrespect, proving everything he has to prove in the ring. He has come back through severe career ending injury, unfair and unwarranted accusations of cheating from butt-hurt loser fighters who can't beat him in the ring so they whine in the media and a typical whore promoter worried more about his bank account than a proven warrior.

GSP is the champ... still. He'll be back, Hendricks has proven he is a whiney little bitch boy who needs to train with Baby J so he can learn how to whine with the big boys.

All of those things you say are true. He just no longer excites many people. His fighting style has become predictable and bland.

Yeah, exactly. I didn't see one person here say anything about GSP not being honorable or not being a true champion or any shit like that. Everyone is just stating the obvious;
1)GSP is pretty boring to watch, and
2)This is the worst possible time for him to "step away" for awhile.

Nobody is completely shitting on the guy as a person or saying he's a shit fighter or something. But god forbid we say he should rematch Hendricks. Oh yeah, we're hating on GSP all right. if I was hating on somebody, I would probably call him a whiney little bitch boy or something like that. Oh, wait........

 

I like how Krieger has finally decided to take the kid gloves off, that's the best part of this thread. He's been way too nice for far too long, and though cynical at times, he's polite and just generally Canadian. Hendricks really has no ground to stand on here and in no uncertain terms, Krieger will not let that slide. Hats off to ya, Kriegs.

DEP wrote:

I like how Krieger has finally decided to take the kid gloves off, that's the best part of this thread. He's been way too nice for far too long, and though cynical at times, he's polite and just generally Canadian. Hendricks really has no ground to stand on here and in no uncertain terms, Krieger will not let that slide. Hats off to ya, Kriegs.

You have got to teach me how to troll like that. I actually wrote up this big post to respond to this, and was literally just about to hit "send" when I stopped and said to myself "Whoa..... he got you bad!"

 

haha well, this post is going to miss its point after kriegers post and the excitrment for it.
but i dont think many people are arguing that gsp should not fight hendricks again. not even pierre has said so. whatever reasons for his desire to take a break, they are not because he is avoiding the fight. when has he ever dodge a fight? he has fought everyone there is in his category.
i also think he should fight him again.
i will argue with anyone on the topic of gsp being a boring fighter though. i have thought about it and realized why i like his fights. i personally really enjoy display of great, superior skill. the lack of the killer instinct is secondary to one of a kind mastery of martial arts. being a fan and a student of martial arts, i watch the fights for that purpose. it is always great to see a finish but its more satisfying to witness a master at work.