Georges St-Pierre played key role in Thad Jean’s gameplan for $500k PFL World Tournament win

Thad Jean credits Georges St-Pierre for unknowingly assisting in PFL title win

St-Pierre, who retired after his win over Michael Bisping at UFC 217, is considered a role model for many up-and-coming fighters. He’s considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history after multiple welterweight title reigns and a slew of victories over legendary names.

St-Pierre, like Jean, had to deal with wrestling-heavy matchups on his ascent to stardom. He dominated the likes of Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, and Matt Hughes during his legendary career.

Just hours before the biggest fight of his life in the PFL World Tournament, Jean took inspiration from St-Pierre in adding a key element to his gameplan.

In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Jean explained how St-Pierre unknowingly played a big role in his preparation for Storley.

“I’ve been watching a lot of GSP,” Jean said.

“I saw him use his jab a lot in one of the fights where he was going against a wrestler. I forgot the wrestler’s name…

“But I saw him use his jab a lot, and in this fight I was really utilizing my jab because I was watching that fight.”

Storley was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Minnesota before making the full-time transition to MMA. His loss to Jean snapped a three-fight winning streak.

Jean secured the PFL title after recent wins over Jason Jackson, Mukhamed Berkhamov, and Ali Omar.

Georges St-Pierre shut down combat sports comeback attempt against former rival

St-Pierre was supposed to return to combat sports competition in 2023, before withdrawing due to injury. St-Pierre and former UFC title challenger Nick Diaz were supposed to clash in a grappling match on a UFC Fight Pass invitational card.

Since retiring from MMA, St-Pierre remains active and trains regularly with some of the brightest young stars in the sport. Despite several offers to lure St-Pierre back to the Octagon, he remains adamant in his retirement stance.

St-Pierre was briefly linked to a super fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020 before Nurmagomedov hung up the gloves. Nurmagomedov walked away following a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.