Georges St-Pierre recently disclosed a harrowing health scare that led to his retirement from the sport. In a candid interview on Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru and Henry, St-Pierre shared the real reason behind his decision to step away from the octagon and how he battled a serious medical condition.
During the conversation, St-Pierre unveiled that concerns over a potential cancer diagnosis haunted him before his retirement. He later discovered that it was ulcerative colitis, an intestinal inflammation that mimicked cancer symptoms.
Struggling with weight gain and facing severe medication, St-Pierre underwent a transformative journey through intermittent fasting, which ultimately cured his symptoms.
“The reason why I really retired is because it took a lot out of me and I started developing a condition called ulcer colitis, it’s an inflammation of the intestine and my last fight when I fought, I try to eat to gain weight and I have a very hard time gaining weight and I force myself to eat and maybe the doctor told me that’s probably why and I developed that,” St-Pierre explains.
“When I get diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, in terms of stress, I got relieved but also I started doing intermitted fasting and it cured all my symptoms. I’m no longer on medication. I used to be on severe medication. I used to go to bathroom and it was a lot of blood, I thought maybe I had cancer but I was telling myself during training camp I was like, ‘Whatever it is I’m going to wait until the end of the fight because to find out what it is you need to do what they call a colonoscopy, it’s a camera they put and for that they put you on laxative and I was trying to gain weight not to lose weight so I was like whatever it is I’m going to fight and see what it is after,” he added.
Moreover, in a surprising revelation, St-Pierre confessed that although he excelled in the sport and reigned as the welterweight champion with nine successful title defenses, he never truly enjoyed the act of fighting itself.
He found solace in the science and discipline of MMA, cherishing the training process and camaraderie instead of the physical combat.
Throughout his illustrious career, St-Pierre maintained a remarkable professional record and secured his legacy as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. His achievements in the octagon, coupled with his resilience in overcoming health challenges, cement his status as a true icon in the sport.
To delve deeper into St-Pierre’s insightful revelations and reflections on his career, watch