When Georges St-Pierre first started competing in mixed martial arts, he did it for the love the competition and the thrill of the fight.
But by the end of his run in the UFC as welterweight champion and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, St-Pierre was no longer fighting for enjoyment, and he wasn't competing because he loved it.
He was there because it was required of him.
"The last two or three fights, I didn't have fun." St-Pierre said in a recent interview with Joe Buck on "Undeniable". "I did it because I had to, not because I wanted to and I had too much pressure, too much criticism, too much things for too long and it's very hard when you're world champion, all your life is directed (on that). The last two or three fights, I didn't have fun. I did it because I had to, not because I wanted to and I had too much pressure, too much criticism, too much things for too long."
"Especially for me with my obsessive-compulsive disorder, I wanted to be the best in the world so everything I do, it's directed on that. That's all that mattered for me. I needed to step out of if to have a normal social life. To take a mental break of all that."
St-Pierre says that he's suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for most of his life and that problem only multiplied once he got to the UFC and became the best welterweight in the world.
"To show you how crazy I am, an example of my OCD, when I used to win the world title I was very happy. As soon as Dana White announced who I'm going to fight next, my mind is shifting towards that person that I'm going to fight next," St-Pierre described. "Like I just can't release it mentally, I can't take a break. I'm supposed to enjoy it
"Some people will take some vacation. I just can't. I'm taking vacation but I'm constantly thinking about that next guy in line. I'm telling myself, because I was champion, now I'm thinking about him now until the fight, which is maybe six months. But he's been thinking about me for the last few years, since I got the title. So I'm telling myself I better get ready because he's ready for sure coming at me."
He says the UFC has called on a few occasions to offer him fights or different opportunities, but at this point St-Pierre is committed to his own personal sabbatical and if he decides to come back, he'll dictate the timing and not the other way around.
"The truth is they've called me a few times," St-Pierre said about the UFC. "Sometimes they make the other people call me to have the message. The truth is if I want to be back, it's going to be up to me to tell them when I want to get back."
LINK: Georges St-Pierre explains in detail why he left the UFC
