MONTREAL – Georges St-Pierre has fought his share of battles, but one of the toughest, he says, was against bullies.
On Wednesday afternoon, the three-time UFC champion addressed the issue at Kahnawake Survival School.
“To fight bullying, to beat bullying, it’s not about violence,” the 35-year-old mixed martial artist said.
“It’s about [how] you carry yourself. If you carry yourself with confidence – even if you fake it – you start believing in it and you won’t be an easy target.”
His audience was mainly made up of Mohawk teenagers.
Though they face challenges unique to their community, bullying is a universal one.
“We live in a small town, but you wouldn’t expect there to be as many bullies as there are in cities and stuff,” 16-year-old student Kat Deer said.
“There’s still a lot going on in these schools that needs to be taken care of. Listening to him talk helps a lot of the students here who get bullied and tormented on a daily basis.”
St-Pierre grew up in the neighbouring town of Saint-Isidore.
“If I take a little stroll, I can go to my parents’ house where I grew up,” he said.
“It’s not too far, so it feels like home.”
Students said they were shocked to learn their role model wasn’t as invincible as they thought.
“I was kind of surprised because you’d think someone like him wouldn’t get bullied,” Shakohahiiostha Jacobs said.
“I thought he never lost a fight before and now he told us he lost a fight and I’m really surprised,” said another student, Tehorahkwaneken Albany.
“It was inspirational and I find that it gave me more confidence in myself,” 13-year-old Shea Cross said.
READ MORE: From UFC to paleontology, Georges St-Pierre does it all
“He…tells them that they can make it, no matter who it is,” teacher Tewenhnitoken Sharrow told Global News.
“Because when he was a little boy, he was a lot like these children.”
Students were thrilled to have a celebrity among them, but St-Pierre insisted the pleasure was all his.
“I’m happy to give back to the people because it makes them happy,” he said.
“By making them happy, it gives me more drive, more energy to push me to be better in what I do.”
On Wednesday, St-Pierre delivered a message of determination, perseverance and hope.
“Whatever you do in life, you want to do it, but go 100 per cent, don’t go halfway, and be confident,” he said.
“If you’re not confident, fake it until you make it.”
The Welterweight champion also spoke about his road to success in his sport and encouraged youth to chase their dreams.
He highlighted that in fighting, like in life, they will be knocked down, but the most important thing is to stand back up.