As one of the longest-reigning UFC champions in history, along with multiple accolades in the sport, the French-Canadian knows a thing or two about what makes a champion fighter.
During a recent meet-and-greet session at the Bang Tao Muay Thai & MMA gym in January, St. Pierre spoke with fans and coaches from across the region to answer questions about his career, as well as the future of the sport.
The 42-year-old first retired from the sport in 2013, after successfully defending his UFC Welterweight title (77.27kg) for the 9th time in a row. However, he then came out of retirement in 2017 to defeat Michael Bisping via submission in the third round to win his second title, the UFC Middleweight title (84kg). Following this victory St. Pierre then immediately retired for good.
In St. Pierre’s eyes, Thailand has the framework, training and coaches necessary to become a destination for the best fighters in the world.
“In Thailand, they have a chance at the infrastructure to have places like [Bang Tao Muay Thai & MMA] that are incredible and could be accessible to everybody in the world, in a way that they can come here for a training camp, and they can learn,” he said.
The island is already home to a litany of high-level, world-class fight gyms for fighters to ply their trade. In addition, Phuket has about three active Muay Thai stadiums in which athletes can also choose to have striking battles any day of the week.
Furthermore, next month (Mar 10-17) will see the International and Thai Martial Arts (ITMA) Games being held at the indoor stadium in Saphan Hin with over 1,200 athletes from 50 countries expected to participate in a variety of martial arts disciplines including Muay Thai, kickboxing, karate and jiu jitsu.
Unique insight
St. Pierre is no stranger to the island, as the MMA legend trained under the watchful eyes of top-tier Phuket Muay Thai trainers Kru Yod Wilek Sornnon and Kru Lamsongkram Chuwattana in 2012 and 2013. This familiarity with the training in Phuket’s martial arts scene gives him unique insight into the prospects of the island’s rising MMA propsects.
Since 2013, Phuket has become a major hub for fighters worldwide, especially from Southern Russia and the Anzac region. With time, Phuket has also become the preferred training camp destination of several champion fighters plying their trade across several top-tier promotions, from ONE Championship to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) to the UFC. Several of these fighters even call Phuket their full-time home.
During the Q&A session, St. Pierre spoke about the area’s potential to attract top-tier combat sports athletes continuously and it’s evolution.
“Of course, Thailand is known for Muay Thai, but you can also learn jiu jitsu, they can develop their skills. So it’s no longer for Muay Thai, it’s for everything mixed martial arts so I think it’s very good.
“There’s a lot of potential for fighters who come here for training camp, I think it’s great for the sport, and increases the level of competition,” St. Pierre concluded.