Zigeunerzelt » his coaching staff.

Hang a 75-pound weight from his waist and Georges St-Pierre will happily do one chin-up after another. The mixed martial arts star never takes a step back, always looking for an edge, be it working with elite gymnasts or sprinters. But St-Pierres biggest strength is also his biggest weakness. "Im completely obsessed," he said of the way he approaches each fight. When a grain of doubt enters his mind, the beast in the gym becomes brittle. And on Friday, a shopping list of distractions finally took their toll on one of Canadas most famous athletes. Citing the pressures of being champion and of being in a constant limelight, St-Pierre said his life has become "completely insane" and a "freaking zoo." Admitting he was no longer up for the rigours of fighting in a cage, the UFCs pay-per-view king vacated his welterweight title and announced a hiatus from the sport. St-Pierre (25-2) also cited personal issues, which he declined to detail. But clearly they have obscured his obsessive focus in a sport whose athletes spend months preparing for fights. "Physically Im 100 per cent, Im still young, Im on top of the world," the 32-year-old from Montreal told a media conference call. "But mentally I just feel like I cannot go through another training camp right now and I dont know when I will be able to." UFC president Dana White said No. 1 contender Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks will fight No. 3 (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler for the title on March 15 in Dallas. "I think this is the right move for Georges St-Pierre," said White. "You can hear by listening to him hes got a lot of issues personally that he needs to deal with." St-Pierre had cast doubt about his future last month following UFC 167, a controversial split decision win over Hendricks, when he said he needed time away from the sport to sort out some personal issues. That enraged White, who did not like the idea of one of his biggest assets walking away -- especially in the aftermath of a controversial decision. But White calmed down after talking to St-Pierre later that night. And on Friday, he continued to downplay the drama. "At the end of the day, its really not that big of a deal. The guys got some things that he needs to deal with. He was classy enough to say Im not going to jam up the 170-pound division while I deal with these things, Im going to step aside and handle myself and then Ill be back." In the wake of the Hendricks fight, a TMZ report said the champion was dealing with a family illness and a personal issue. White later told The Canadian Press that St-Pierre had told him the report was not true. St-Pierre loosened up during Fridays call, joking with reporters that they were not going to get anything personal from him. "Im going to take a break. I need this," he said Friday. "I need to have a normal life for a bit. Ill feel better and come back stronger." Having a normal life was a theme repeated throughout the conference call. Asked what he wants to get away from, St-Pierre said he loves his sport. "As much as I choose to do it, now I choose to not do it." He said he expects to be back, although he sounded far from certain. "I dont know when, I dont know if, I think I will (be back) I cant say 100 per cent. But right now I just dont want people thinking about me." Press tours, cameras and trash-talking were some of the things he said he needed to avoid. St-Pierre was somewhat vague about a comeback. "I believe one day I will come back. The problem is I dont know how long (I will be away)." He said he has already conquered Everest three times before, when he lost to Matt Hughes (in 2004) and Matt (The Terror) Serra (in 2007) and when he came back (in 2012) from knee surgery. "And if I have to do a fourth time, believe me, I feel like Im, going to do it." White, who explained GSPs UFC contract was considered frozen, said he believed St-Pierre will be back. St-Pierre exits ranked second to light-heavyweight champion Jon (Bones) Jones in the UFCs pound-for-pound rankings. White called St-Pierre "the greatest welterweight ever" and "the gold standard in everything." "And as far as working with us, theres nobody better. If I had 475 guys like Georges St-Pierre, my life would be a lot easier." A gentleman outside the cage who shares little of his personal life, St-Pierre has always taken his responsibilities seriously. In 2008, he missed an interview session with a visiting reporter who was left standing outside a Montreal gym. His manager at the time advised that St-Pierre had suffered a minor injury earlier in the day and had forgotten about his interview with the reporter. The journalist told the manager not to worry, given they had already had a previously scheduled appointment for the next day. St-Pierre, however, had a different idea. He drove to the gym to collect the reporter and took him out for dinner to do the interview. Then he drove the reporter to his hotel, apologizing again for having been late. While other fighters wore T-shirts and sweats, St-Pierre -- taking a page from some champion boxers -- always wore a suit for his post-fight news conferences. St-Pierre, who said he will keep training, has no need to fight again. He has made millions and made a point of looking after his family when the cheques started coming in. One of his first duties as champion was to pay off the mortgages of his parents and sisters. The UFC is wasting no time getting round to the post-GSP era. Carlos Condit is currently ranked No. 2 among welterweight contenders but he has lost to both St-Pierre and Hendricks. And White noted that Lawler just beat Canadian contender and GSP training partner Rory (Ares) MacDonald. "Not to mention the fact that theres not doubt that the Robbie Lawler-Johny Hendricks fight is going to be an absolute gunfight." White said Condit may also be on the Dallas card. Condit was previously due to fight Matt (The Immortal) Brown until Brown was sidelined by a back injury. As champion, St-Pierre has worn a target on his back since he first won the title in 2006. "The situation Im at, its a lot of pressure," he said. "Its like every fight Im carrying weight on my shoulder. Every fight, its like you add weight on your shoulder. Every fight. "At one point it comes so heavy that I have a hard time carrying it myself." St-Pierre has survived turmoil throughout his career. He lost his championship belt in his first title defence before winning it back. And he has endured a string of injuries, including knee reconstruction surgery in December 2011. That prompted the UFC to pit Condit against Nick Diaz for the interim title. Condit won but was beaten by St-Pierre when the champion returned to action at UFC 154 in November 2012. St-Pierre was the first Canadian to hold a UFC title since Carlos (Ronin) Newton, who held the welterweight crown for seven months in 2001 before losing it to Matt Hughes. St-Pierre lost to Hughes, now a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, in a title bout at UFC 50 in 2004 but won the rematch at UFC 65 in November 2006 to claim the championship belt. His initial reign at champion was short-lived. Beset by family illness and lacking focus, GSP was upset by Matt (The Terror) Serra in his first title defence at UFC 69 in April 2007. GSP fights as he prepares. A good camp equals a good performance. He paid a heavy price for a bad one. St-Pierre retooled, changing his management and revamping his coaching staff. "I truly believe that this loss is probably the best thing that ever happened to me," he said at the time. At the suggestion of a sports psychologist, he carried a brick around with Serras name inscribed on it. Then he threw it in the chilly waters of Montreals South Shore to bury the memory of the Serra loss. St-Pierre has not lost since. He won his title back from Serra three fights later in commanding fashion, at UFC 83 in Montreal in April 2008. The decision over Hendricks was a record 19th win in the UFC for St-Pierre, moving him past Hughes at 18. It also extended his string of victories to 12, the longest current run in the UFC. The Hendricks victory also moved GSP past former middleweight champion Anderson Silva for most wins in UFC title bouts at 12. St-Pierre holds the record for career fight time in the UFC at five hours 28 minutes 12 seconds. He also owns the UFC mark for most championship rounds fought (52). UFC 167 was St-Pierres 14th championship fight, one behind Randy Couture. St-Pierre also leads the UFC records in total strikes landed, significant strikes landed, takedowns landed and takedown accuracy rate, according to FightMetric. "Im content," he said of his legacy. St-Pierre is not the first UFC champion to give up their title. Tim Sylvia voluntarily gave up the heavyweight championship belt in 2003 when he tested positive for steroids, which was a pre-emptive strike to being stripped. Bas Rutten gave up his heavyweight title in 1999 to campaign as a light-heavyweight. Injuries forced him to retire soon after. Frank Shamrock voluntarily vacated his title in 1999 and retired, although he later returned to action outside the UFC. Cheap Jordan 8 .L. - Defending womens champion Alberta improved to 3-0 at the Canadian junior curling championships with a 10-3 win over Ontario in Sundays afternoon draw. Wholesale Jordan 8 .J. - Percy Harvin is ready to go, and theres no question in his mind hell be playing Sunday. http://www.cheapairjordan8.com/ . Louis Blues brought in the premier unrestricted free agent centre, and did it without breaking the bank. Cheap Jordan 8 Wholesale . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. Cheap Jordan 8 Shoes .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets.SANTA CLARA, Calif. - For weeks, Frank Gore has been pondering the reality he could be playing his final game with San Francisco on Sunday.He briefly became quiet Tuesday just talking about it, saying he would like nothing more than to return to the 49ers next season, his only team as a pro. Especially after the way this year went, missing the playoffs following three straight trips to the NFC championship game and a Super Bowl near miss.Ive been thinking about it these last two weeks very hard, Gore said Tuesday in a short interview with The Associated Press. Im OK. I was just thinking about, Dang, it really can be.But I know the business of it. The organization has been great, theyve been great to me. I just want to finish strong in front of my fans. Hopefully we can get a win, and Ill see from there.San Franciscos all-time leading rusher needs 38 yards Sunday against Arizona for his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season and eighth in his 10 NFL seasons. The Niners (7-8) need to beat the Cardinals to avoid their first losing season under embattled fourth-year coach Jim Harbaugh.The University of Michigan on Tuesday posted a birthday greeting and photo of Harbaugh via Twitter as he turned 51. His alma mater is a suitor for his services, with unconfirmed reports over the past week the university has already made a six-year offer.Gore, who has voiced support of Harbaugh, finished with 158 yards against the Chargers after breaking four tackles on the 52-yard scoring run in the first quarter. Hes showing no signs of being slowed after the concussion sustained at Seattle on Dec. 14.I expect a lot out of Frank and theres not too much he does that amazes me anymore because thats just the standard hes set for himself, quarterback Colin Kaepernick said. Hes a huge asset and Im hoping hes back here. Feel a lot more comfortable with 21 in the backfield.Gore said there have been no formal discussions with the front office about what might be next. General manager Trent Baalke on Thursday acknnowledged the mutual interest to CSN Bay Area and said the 49ers hope Gore returns.ddddddddddddHopefully Ill be back, Gore said. The organization, they love me and they respect me. I want to be back, yeah, hey, I was raised here. I dont know nothing else.The running back doesnt even know who the coach will be come 2015, so that person would likely have a say. Harbaugh has kept quiet throughout the speculation about his future.I respect that. Thats hard, man, thats hard to do. He still came to work every day, worked hard and tried to win, Gore said. Hes a great coach. I just feel like its hard to come in this league and do what he did.Harbaugh has praised Gore for his handling of a difficult season and a year in which his workload has been less than what hes accustomed to or desires.Hes an unwavering professional in everything that he does. Great to be around. Loved by his teammates and coaches. Hes a joy to be around every day, Harbaugh said. Boy, hes the most or as motivated as any player Ive ever been around to play the game. I think back to 2011 when he had the ankle injury and we were playing against the Eagles. He really wasnt able to walk on it all week and then went out and rushed for over a hundred yards. Its special.At 31, when people questioned whether Gore could still run like an elite NFL back, he arrived at training camp and said he was ready to prove wrong all the critics.Now, theres some unfinished business with the 49ers before he leaves, such as turning things around again in 2015 and getting back to the Super Bowl and winning this time.Its been tough. You look at the last three years, weve been the top dogs of the NFL. This year has been very tough for us. Thats stressful, Gore said. Thats my goal. When you play this game that should be your goal. We got there and we didnt finish. I know weve got the people to do it. 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