• UFC 129

St-Pierre aims to emulate role model Pacquiao

Georges St-Pierre is an icon in Canada © Getty Images

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Georges St-Pierre is using Manny Pacquiao as an example to follow when dealing with the rigorous media demands that threaten to affect his preparations for UFC 129.

St-Pierre will fight in front of 55,000 fans in his home country on Saturday, and much is being made of how such an outside influence could impact on the UFC welterweight champion. The Toronto crowd will more than double the UFC's previous attendance record, and nearly all of them will be heading to Rogers Arena expecting a GSP victory against Jake Shields.

Hand-in-hand with the growing crowd comes added media glare, something Shields recently labelled "ridiculous" after being called at 4am. "They have me getting up at seven in the morning doing interviews, which is four in the morning my time," Shields said. "It seems kind of ridiculous to me."

St-Pierre is more used to the attention after five consecutive title defences and, having developed his boxing with Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach, he admits he uses the Filipino fighter as a role model.

"I try to learn from them," he said of Pacquiao and other big-name sporting icons to ESPN. "I see how they do things. See what I can apply to my lifestyle out of what they're doing.

Asked about the strains of endless media obligations, GSP confessed: "It's not fun... but we have to do it. It's a little bit overwhelming sometimes because my life has changed drastically over the last few years."

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