UFC welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre has now retired. Despite the knee injury that has plagued his career, GSP left the sport undefeated since 2007, having made nine one-sided defenses of his world title belt. He truly transcended the sport to become a national and international sporting hero.

The pound-for-pound star established himself as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of this generation, renowned for being as strong and versatile an athlete as anyone competing in any other discipline. From wrestling to weightlifting, and gymnastics to swimming, one can make a strong case St-Pierre has been the most ‘Olympian’ mixed martial artist in history, and yet he never even went to the Games.

Always looking to improve, that competitive drive also led him to work with some of the very best coaches on the planet. He regularly hit pads with boxing’s number-one trainer Freddie Roach, rolled with the Canadian Olympic wrestling team and lifted weights with Olympic weightlifters.

Some may not be aware he also did some sprint work with a former Olympic champion. Great Britain's Linford Christie won gold in the 100 meters at the Barcelona Games in 1992; he was the first European to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m; and he’s also the most decorated British male athlete with 23 major championship medals, including 10 golds.

“Georges came to me to train for speed work,” Christie remembers. “I started coaching a girl who was a close friend of GSP's and she said Georges would like to come down and watch. So he came down, and he saw what we were doing – and he said he’d like to do some speed work. He came to work with us before his fight against Jake Shields [at UFC 129 in Toronto], did some plyometrics, and I have to say he picked things up very quickly. It’s amazing, actually, how quickly he picked things up.

“Most people who fight aren’t athletes, but Georges was definitely an athlete. I think that’s what made him such a good fighter, because in MMA you have to be physically versatile to pick up all the fighting styles and skills. He was good at hopping the hurdles. He could do everything, and he’d try anything.”

GSP said: “It was such a good experience working with Linford Christie. Sprinting helped me with explosion – I think it’s very good... It made for a good combination, because jiu-jitsu is very isometric, and sprinting is very dynamic.

“It just came about because Linford was the best sprinting guy around, he is a legend in the sport, and he is known all around the world. He was the world champion, Olympic champion, he is an amazing athlete even now. I'd look at him and I think, ‘he's middle-aged’ - I want to be like him when I get to this age. I want to look like him. I think he is an incredible, fit guy. I have never seen a guy like this at his age. Knowing that he was watching – he told me he watches a lot of MMA – gave me a lot of motivation, and more drive to perform even better.

UFC-mad Christie adds: “I’ve watched the UFC for a long time, I’ve always loved martial arts. I used to watch when it was a boxer against a karate guy. It was separate. It’s a different ball game now in MMA. I’d like to see more of it on television in the UK. 

“A lot of people don’t understand the sport, but I’m a big supporter of it. I think it will grow and it will get even bigger. They’re not just fighters, they are athletes. The discipline they have is incredible. And youngsters can learn from the discipline that goes with it.” 

The final word goes to GSP: “The best way to become the best, is to learn from the best."