Georges St-Pierre: 'My Job Is To Win'

Source: The Globe and Mail

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has heard all the critics complain about his lack of finishes since becoming one of the top fighters in the world.

St-Pierre, who is expected to defend his UFC title against Nick Diaz in February at UFC 143, talked with The Globe and Mail about his lack of stoppages. GSP has won his last four fights by decision.

"Everyone has a violent side," St-Pierre said. "My job is to win, and in order to win, most of the time I need to injure my opponent. It's a violent sport, but in real life, I'm not a violent guy."

The 30-year-old, who has held the UFC welterweight crown since a TKO victory over Matt Serra in 2008, set a new record for his weight class with a sixth consecutive title defense over Jake Shields earlier this year.

"I'm an athlete in a full contact sport so it requires violence to win," St-Pierre said. "I've had a lot of criticism about not finishing fights, but if there's anyone who wants to finish fights, it's me. It's hard to stay champion."

St-Pierre's lone early stoppage win since regaining the title came against BJ Penn at UFC 94 when the doctor ruled Penn could not continue after the fourth round.

Dana Becker is a staff writer for FightLine.com. He can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DanaBecker.