(Exclusive): "It takes a toll" - Georges St-Pierre describes what he felt during lengthy reign as UFC welterweight champion

Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as the greatest welterweight champion in UFC history, but that came at a price.

‘Rush’s second reign as welterweight champion is still the longest in the promotion’s history, as it lasted a total of 2064 days and saw him successfully retain the title on 9 occasions. During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the Canadian MMA legend described what it was like being a champion and what his thought process was like.

He said:

"It was very stressed at the time because they say envy is the crown, right? So, I didn't realize at the time how big it could be because I was too busy trying to prepare for my next threat, who is my next opponent. And because of all the stress...Now when I look at things, I'm very happy, very proud of what I accomplished." [2:26 - 2:54]

Georges St-Pierre also shared an encouraging message for former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who recently announced he will be taking a hiatus from the promotion. When comparing it to his situation, he mentioned that the title reign took a toll on him because of what being a champion meant.

He said:

"After many fight, you stay champion, it takes a toll on you. It's a lot of stress, it's can affect your mental. It's important to stay hungry, stay motivated, and you need to be happy. If you're not happy anymore in what you do, you should not be doing because it will have an effect on your performance and on your health." [3:58 - 4:15]

Georges St-Pierre has been open about his decision to take a hiatus from the UFC due to the toll his title reign took, and it paid off as he returned 4-years later and submitted Michael Bisping to win the middleweight championship.

Check out the full interview:

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What was Georges St-Pierre's message to Israel Adesanya?

Israel Adesanya made headlines after he announced that he would be taking a hiatus from the UFC and wouldn't be competing for an extended period.

'Izzy's hiatus is similar to UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, who announced his hiatus a decade ago. During the aforementioned interview, 'Rush' shared a message for the former middleweight champion and encouraged him to take the time he needs to find his hunger for competition again, saying:

"Take your time. Go and rest. Let this bubble inside you grow until you feel very, very hungry, and when you're hungry, come back and let it out." [3:16 - 3:30]"

Tweet regarding message to Israel Adesanya