Georges St-Pierre finally answers who pushed him the hardest in his iconic career

Georges St-Pierre, who is almost universally considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever, has finally answered the question that has shadowed him throughout his illustrious career. He was asked who was the hardest to push inside the UFC octagon during Friday’s UFC 315 fan Q&A session at Montreal’s Bell Centre, the former two-division champion admitted that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prodigy B.J.Penn represented the greatest challenge of his career. This revelation comes as St-Pierre returns to his home province of Quebec for the first UFC event in Montreal in nearly a decade.In a fan event in Montreal on May 9, 2025, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre looked back on the most skilled opponent of his storied career, pointing to B.J. Penn as the toughest opponent ever to face. Georges St-Pierre praised B.J. Penn’s incredible speed and elite grappling pedigree, adding that B.J. Penn earned the nickname “The Prodigy” for becoming the first American to win a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt world championship in three and a half years.The Canadian legend pointed out B.J. Penn’s incredible speed and technical ability that surprised him during their first meeting at UFC 58 in 2006, which Georges St-Pierre won on split decision.Recalling the first time they met, Georges St-Pierre recalled being amazed by Penn’s speed, and noted after he threw a jab, he realised B.J. Penn had already moved behind him – “like he teleported”, he said. Georges St-Pierre praised B.J. Penn as “the perfect fighter” highlighting how hard it was to cope with his combination of speed and skill.During his discussion on his competitive approach, Georges St-Pierre also explained how he turned pre-fight fear into his competitive advantage. He explained, “I use fear to elevate me.” “When I’m scared, I train harder, my reaction time is better, and I don’t shortcut”.In a recent interview with Lex Fridman, Georges St-Pierre provided interesting insights into the street fighting world, and he would rather fight former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou than Dutch legend Bas Rutten in an unregulated fight.Also Read: “He should not be the interim champion…”: MMA icon drops bold statement on Tom Aspinall’s titleThose fans who will be in the Bell Centre for UFC 315 on May 10 will be treated to the welterweight championship bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. The primary card starts at 10 ET with prelims at 8 PM ET and is available on pay-per-view through ESPN+.