Georges St. Pierre's Idol? Royce Gracie, Of Course

Like many others before him, Georges St. Pierre recently revealed that his impetus for making a career out of mixed martial arts can be traced back to one man... Royce Gracie.

"I remember first time I saw UFC, I saw Royce Gracie winning the first tournament. That's the precise moment that I became inspired to do what I do right now for a living," he said during a Thursday media teleconference.

Just what left such a lasting impression on the younger version of the current UFC welterweight champion?

"The fact that he was using a martial art weapon that nobody knew at the time, which is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was smaller than all of the guys and he was able to win... That's what really inspired me.

"I am a big fan of him because he dominated the sport at his time like nobody has done before. That's why, no matter what happens to him, even though he lost to (Matt) Hughes, I'm always gonna be a big fan of him and he's always gonna be my idol, no matter what."