UFC 129 Fight Card: Georges St-Pierre on Jake Shields: "I Want the Finish"

Amidst all the criticism Georges St-Pierre has received recently, his mindset heading into his title bout at UFC 129 is to finish his opponent.

"To tell you the truth, I want the finish," St-Pierre said to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com. "It's hard to finish a guy that doesn't completely go forward to attack me. But I know one thing, Jake Shields is going to bring the best Georges St-Pierre and that's why I am looking forward to this fight."

UFC 129 will feature a main event title bout between Georges St-Pierre and welterweight challenger Jake Shields. Shields has not lost in six years and according to the welterweight champion, he is his toughest opponent to date.

And it doesn't matter whether critics or fans agree or not because St-Pierre views his opponent as a legitimate threat.

"I am fighting the best guy I have fought, I am glad to fight him, and I have wanted to fight him for a long time," St-Pierre explained. 

"He doesn't have much weakness. People say his stand-up, but he's never got knocked out, he's never got dropped or hit really hard. He's very good at bringing people, even though the odds are all against him, into his game." 

This title bout, which will be St-Pierre's sixth title defense, holds a lot of implications on the champion and his future in the welterweight division. While racking up wins over some of the division's best fighters, some believe St-Pierre's time as a champion has run its course, citing no other challengers for him to compete against, and to move up in weight to 185 lbs.

But despite the outcry from fans and critics, it's a potential move that St-Pierre hasn't considered. 

"I don't know," St-Pierre said. "It is a complete reorientation of my career and if I do that, I will maybe have to sit down with coaches. I have not considered it a question, yet." 

And surely it is a question fans will bring up once again, should St-Pierre walk out of the Rogers Centre with the belt around his waist. 

But for St-Pierre, his goal is to retain a legacy more than his welterweight title. And to further elevate his legacy, headlining a card in Toronto is one place to capitalize on it, considering he is one of the most beloved athletes to come out of Canada.

But to just be apart of UFC 129, St-Pierre sees it as an honor. 

"It's amazing. How fast this sport has grown, and I am glad and honored to be apart of this historical event."