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For a long time he's been considered one of the greatest in the sport, but in his last several fights the skill gap between he and his opponents has resulted in some less than thrilling fights. These bouts had brought criticisms on St-Pierre for fighting too safe or for becoming a "boring" fighter, and as he continued going through the motions, he says that all was beginning to weigh on him.
"This is the first big injury that's kept me out of the sport for such a long time. I was completely burned out before I got it," he admitted in an interview with UK publication The Sun. "I was over-trained and wasn't having as much fun as I used to before because of all the pressure and all the critics. So the fact that I hurt my knee allowed me to take a break, step back and see what my priorities were and change a lot of things in my life and in my training.
"I'm coming back as a new guy and I've never been as relieved. I'm having fun again. The key to this whole thing is to have fun so that's what I'm going to focus on. When you have fun in what you do best ? that's when you're successful."
While he was tired and burned out, with the criticism weighing heavy on him as well as the pressure to keep himself on top, he insists he wasn't ready to walk away from the sport. Instead, he's excited after the layoff, and is very much looking forward to taking on new challenges in the division.
"I never felt like quitting," he said. "I've trained almost every day since I was seven years old. I never took a break in my life and now that it's happened for the first time I took it as a blessing to come back fresh, better and sharper.
"It's been the most frustrating period of my career but it's allowed a whole lot of new challengers to appear. It's going to be fun because I'm not going to have to fight the same guys all over again ? it's a new challenge and I feel very motivated about that."
First up on that list is Carlos Condit, who defeated Nick Diaz in February to capture the Interim Welterweight Championship. Some other names have emerged in recent months as well, with Martin Kampmann and Johny Hendricks likely locking horns this November to determine the next challenger for the title. Then there's Nick Diaz, who will likely be in the mix when his suspension for marijuana metabolites expires next February. That last fight is one St-Pierre still hopes to get, but he's got other things on his plate first.
"He is the champion and I want to beat the champion ? I want to beat the best guy.
"I'm confident I could beat him. I would also like to fight Nick Diaz ? but I have to fight one guy at a time!"
Ultimately, St-Pierre believes he's coming back strong, and even though he's been on top for so long he feels he hasn't reached his apex just yet.
"I believe my best years are to come," he said. "I want to be the best of the best at the end of my career.
"I aim very high. I love what I do for a living and I don't plan on retiring any time soon."
Penick's Analysis: If St-Pierre having fun upon his return gets him back to the dominating, violent force of nature we had seen from him on his path to the title and back again to recapturing the title a second time that can only be a good thing. I've never been a harsh critic of St-Pierre's dominating style, but considering the way other fighters finished some of the opponents that St-Pierre allowed to survive for five rounds with him, there's something to be said about his overly conservative nature at times. That said, he's still the greatest fighter the 170 lb. division has ever seen, and if he comes back from this knee injury healthy and prepared to be better than ever, that can mean only positive things for fans and the UFC for years ahead.
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