This is a transcript of “GSP teaches Lex Fridman how to street fight”.
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Georges St-Pierre
In a street fight, I would rather- …fight Francis Ngannou than fight Bas Rutten. In a street fight.
Lex Fridman
Let me tell you first that I’ve been around. I’ve been a bouncer for many, many years. Bang! Bang! Bang! It’s a street fight. Everybody underestimates the kick in the groin. It’s boom, that’s the first thing to do. I follow up, bang, bang, bang. Right away after that, danga-da-danga-da-dang. See what I’m doing? Boom! That’s the left elbow right there.
Georges St-Pierre
Yeah, so very often people ask me the difference between a street fight and a fight in mixed martial arts. The difference is in the street, there is no referee. And there’s an instigator, and there is the other person. The best in life for a street fight is always to not be the instigator because you have the element of surprise. So if you’re in a heated argument with someone and you feel that you’re potentially going to be in a fight, the best thing to do is to never show your center line, to always go on the side and put your hands up like this. Now, that’s one of the best things to do. It’s a self-defense tactic that is used all around the world. Because from there, the distance that I have to travel to cause a lot of damage to him is very minimal.
Georges St-Pierre
You know, it’s very short. I can go boom. I can go boom. And I’m protected because if he ever tried to do anything, my hands are already up, but I’m ready to respond to any aggression. So the first thing is, if you’re in an argument and you feel the heat is rising, is to hit first. You don’t want to fight, but you want to hit first. You want to hit first, you know? So it’s either boom, hit first, depending on the situation. If you’re someone who is much less physically strong than the aggressor, you can use the eyes, the genitals, the neck, you know? And then you can leave the scene. However, if I’m like this, the minute he touches me, he declares war. Now I can go and perform a self-defense move.
Lex Fridman
So striking, not wrestling?
Georges St-Pierre
Yes. It’s always striking first and leave the scene. If you’re, for example, a kid or someone who doesn’t have the physical strength of your aggressor. Of course, I’m a UFC champion— …so that does not apply to me. But the key is, tactically, we always use the element of surprise, and when you strike, strike first. And strike to cause as much damage as possible. The eyes, you can do the neck, you can do the genitals. And then after, you can leave the scene. That’s the goal of having the element of surprise.
Lex Fridman
Okay, you were talking about knives. What about if weapons are involved, run faster?
Georges St-Pierre
So weapons are very important. If someone has a weapon and attacks me for my money, I give him my money even if I’m Georges St-Pierre and I’m a UFC champion. However, if someone puts a knife to my throat here and he’s telling me to go in the trunk… now, I don’t want to go in the trunk because I know it’s a bad ending. So things that I can do first is always make sure that I try to keep my hands as close as possible to the weapon. And I try to be at as close range as possible. I can act like I want to—
Lex Fridman
Look scared?
Georges St-Pierre
Yeah. “Please, please, please,” boom. See, here I use my body, and then I can go and break, you know? So the idea is to use your entire body to deflect the weapon. So if the weapon is like this and the blade is coming out this way, I use the element of surprise. You see, I use my body, not only grabbing him like this, so if he tries to come back with the knife, it’s solid, and I can go and break. If the blade is pointing the other side, it’s something here, here, and here. Here I can use my body always to smother the weapon and—
Lex Fridman
Controlling the wrist, yeah. But if it’s out here…
unassigned
It’s through his clothes.
Georges St-Pierre
If it’s out here, and yes, exactly. There’s too much distance. You want to make sure you get close to the weapon because that’s what can cause the most damage. This is very important. There are other situations. Let’s say you’re a kid or someone comes to grab you by the body. What I can do is grab the head and put my fingers inside the eyes; that will make my opponent release me immediately. Then I can go and leave, you know?
Lex Fridman
Like thumb in? Like thumb?
Georges St-Pierre
Yeah, thumb in the eyes. You push in the eyes.
Lex Fridman
Blind them.
Georges St-Pierre
There are no rules. The eyes are always my favorite choice to go for because if you cannot see, it’s very hard to fight. And normally the reflex for most people, when they can’t see, they grab their eyes, you know? So it releases the grip.
Lex Fridman
I’m now going to ask you about the tie because I think you’re wrong still about that. I think it’s possible to use it as a… same as for a head snatch, like this kind of situation, to choke.
Georges St-Pierre
I think it could be an advantage if it’s a fake tie. If it’s something that can go, like it can—
Lex Fridman
Clip off?
Georges St-Pierre
Like a tail of a reptile that can go. So if you try to pull my tie, it comes out, and now I know I get a head start.
Lex Fridman
Element of surprise
unassigned
Exactly, it’s all about the element of surprise. You want to strike first; the element of surprise in the street.
Lex Fridman
Georges, thank you so much for talking today.
Georges St-Pierre
My pleasure.
Lex Fridman
Thank you for looking sharp.
Georges St-Pierre
Man in black, baby!
Lex Fridman
Man in black.