Georges St-Pierre Describes the Similarities Between His UFC Career and Acting in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

Many UFC fighters find success inside the octagon, but few can find success outside it. This was not the case for UFC GOAT, Georges St-Pierre, who recently appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier alongside an all-star cast of Marvel characters. Here’s what Georges St-Pierre had to say about what’s it like to be a fighter and an actor.

Georges St-Pierre’s UFC career

St-Pierre, also known as GSP, started his UFC career in 2004. But things only ramped up after he suffered his first two defeats. After losing to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, GSP submitted Hughes to win the 170-pound welterweight title in 2007. His next fight was a rematch against Serra. This time, GSP knocked out Serra in just two rounds. 

From then on, GSP dominated the UFC. And he hasn’t lost a fight since. Not only has he dominated his opponents, but he’s also beaten big names like B.J. Penn, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz. Not only that, but after retiring in 2013, GSP returned to the octagon in 2017 to challenge the 185-pound middleweight champ, Michael Bisping.

Despite four years away from the sport, St-Pierre proved to the world that he was the UFC’s GOAT. He choked out Bisping to become the new middleweight champ. However, after that win, GSP retired once again. It seems like this time, he’ll stay retired.

GSP has been acting for a long time

After St-Pierre retired in 2013, one of the first projects he got involved in was playing villain Georges Batroc in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. GSP later reprised the role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Fans were impressed by his performance. This shouldn’t be too surprising, since GSP started acting in the UFC before he acted professionally in Hollywood.

According to GQ, GSP is only human. Like any other person, he felt fear before each fight in his UFC career. However, GSP understood that he couldn’t show his true feelings; he had to hide them.

St-Pierre told GQ, “I can’t act like that. I have to put on a poker face and pretend that I’m excited, I’m confident, and I can’t wait to fight. Deep down inside, though, it’s totally the opposite.” As it turns out, GSP thinks this process is very similar to his acting roles in Marvel productions. 

Things are ‘always different’

Like most things in life, acting and fighting require practice — a lot of practice. For fighters, this comes in the form of training. Most pros perform the same moves over and over until they become muscle memory. It also means studying the opponent and imagining what they’ll do, according to St-Pierre.

This is similar to how GSP prepared for his scenes whenever he’s acting in the MCU. He practices a lot. He also imagined what his coworkers will do or say on set. What ties both processes together, according to St-Pierre, is the fact that no matter how much he trains and practices, things are “always different.” 

Fighting and acting are unpredictable. As a result, GSP told GQ, “There’s a lot of similarities between performing as an athlete, as a fighter, and an actor.”