What Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva share in common

If you ask someone who the two greatest fighters of all time are, the names which most commonly come out are Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. One of the things that these two UFC legends share in common is that they both have a very deep rooted tradition in martial arts. They're not just fighters in the sense that they go out and fight in the Octagon, but they are martial artists in every sense of the word.

One of the things that emanates from that martial arts mindset and both GSP and Anderson Silva share in common is the quest for perfection. If you have read Georges St-Pierre's book The Way of the Fight, he talks about being a perfectionist and it is something that governs his life. He will drill a technique over and over again until it is perfect, regardless of how long it takes. It is the Bruce Lee mentality where Lee talks about not being afraid of a person who has practiced 10,000 moves one time, but being fearful of the man who has practiced one technique 10,000 times.

Anderson Silva is the same way. One of the stories which relates to this mindset of being a perfectionist is how he learned to throw that unbelievable reverse elbow knockout against Tony Fryklund in Cage Rage. Joe Rogan mentioned this story on his podcast, and talked about how Anderson would practice the technique in his gym but would be discouraged to try it because it would never work in the naysayers' eyes. So Anderson practice the technique hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of times at home with his wife holding a pillow. He perfected the technique and much to his teammates surprise knocked out Fryklund in stunning fashion. A true testament to Anderson Silva's astounding imagination, ingenuity, and creativity; but also an homage to his unending quest for perfection.