As training partners go, they don’t come a whole lot wiser than Georges St-Pierre.
The former welterweight champion is part of a very select group of legends who are in the conversation for greatest of all time honours.
Tied at the top for most wins in the Octagon, St-Pierre has seen and done it all.
And as he readies himself for the most momentous of comebacks to the sport he once ruled, his teammates are benefiting from his increased presence in the gym.
Donegal lightweight Joe Duffy has been training at the famous Tristar gym in Montreal for 18 months now and he’s one such fighter who has gained from St-Pierre’s trial training camp.
Duffy suffered only the second defeat of his professional career in January when he lost a decision to Dustin Poirier but with teammates like St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald, and under the tutelage of the great Firas Zahabi, Duffy believes he is ready to get back at it.
“I have been sparring with Georges quite a bit in this camp,” Duffy said ahead of his upcoming bout with Mitch Clarke at UFC Fight Night 90.
“He’s been great just in the time he dedicates to teaching all that he’s learned in his career.
“I’ve been doing a lot of drilling with him and I’m so grateful for all the time that he’s spent with me.
“He’s fantastic and I think the work is going to show in my next fight.
“Georges is a true martial artist and he’s always looking to improve which is why I think I get along with him so well.”
It’s a funny quirk of fate that Duffy could have found himself on St-Pierre’s team during the Canadian’s spell coaching on The Ultimate Fighter 12.
Duffy was one of 28 fighters brought in for the lightweight season but, unfortunately, he was eliminated in his preliminary fight and, the next year, Duffy decided to step away from MMA for three years before returning in 2014.
Interestingly, it’s been just about three years since GSP also decided to take a break from mixed martial arts but he’s claimed that he’s ready to make his much-anticipated comeback.
Whether that means a run at the 170 lbs strap he once called his own or a series of super-fights to cement his legacy as the greatest ever is unknown.
But Duffy is backing him for victory in whatever he decides to do.
“I’ve heard about Georges and the possibility of coming back,” Duffy said.
“It’s hard not to see him being successful if he does return because he was just so far ahead of the competition when he decided to step away.
“I definitely believe he can still compete with the best of them.”
Watch Joe in action at UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez live on BT Sport (part of the Setanta package in Republic of Ireland) from 3am IST on Friday 8th July, or catch the Prelims on UFC Fight Pass from 11:30pm IST on Thursday 7th July
