Undisputed Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has had one of the most astonishing careers in the history of mixed martial arts and has accumulated an impressive 24-2 professional record. The champ has now ventured into writing to give everyone an unparalleled look into his life and the sport of mixed martial arts through his eyes.

St-Pierre got the idea for this book when he found out he was going to need surgery to repair his anterior crucial ligament injury. This book would highlight what is to be the new GSP; an accumulation of three decades of constant hard work, training and learning from everyone and everything around him. This is the foundation for making him the best all-around fighters ever and not just a specialist in one discipline. GSP doesn’t do this alone much like his life up to this point the had help writing this book from Justin Kingsley. The book has personal insight contributed by the closest people to St-Pierre including: his mother, Kristof Midoux, John Danaher, Firas Zahabi and Rodolphe Beaulieu.

St-Pierre takes us through his life from overcoming being a bullied child through his fight with Carlos Condit.

The fight with Condit was his first return to the Octagon after his surgery and recovery which kept him out of effective martial arts training and the cage for 19 months. While he does not go into all of the fights he has had he talks about some of the more defining moments in what has made him one of the greatest fighters of all time. As for his physical skill set he discusses what may be considered unorthodox training such as gymnastics and fencing techniques have improved his strength and footwork. He also talks about the mental aspects as much as the physical.

Examples include fear, visualization,  and how the people around you can both hinder and help you to achieve your goals. Both the physical and mental perspectives that he discusses are not limited to just fighters but can help in recreational activities such as golf and tennis for example. Along with just being able to be a more fulfilled feeling person by keeping moving and addressing your weaknesses.

The book is broken down into five books and five different periods of GSP’s life.

Each book is titled for its contributor such as Book 1: Mother which primarily focuses on the early Georges through childhood from his and his mothers perspective. Book 2: Mentor is his early days and first martial arts training with Kristoff Midoux. They share their insight on the tough times that they went through together and how that bond has held them deeply indebted to one another to this day.  John Danaher takes over the contributor role in Book 3: Master. Danaher was GSP’s first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coaches and pulls no punches about him not being the most gifted athlete he has had but through hard work and dedication has become one of the most intelligent fighters to date. Book 4: Maven with Firas Zahabi who became his current head coach after he lost his championship to Matt Serra. Zahabi and St-Pierre go into how they continue to adapt his training techniques to keep his skill set, body and mind from becoming stagnant.  The final book is about Georges and his friend for the last dozen years and half of his management team Rodolphe Beaulieu. In Book 5: Conscience the two go into what GSP faces as he goes through training camps and all the things that must happen to keep him focused on the upcoming fight. St-Pierre also goes into how lonely it can be during those periods but it is something he has to accept to accomplish the task at hand.

The Way of the Fight also gives a great understanding to fight fans who may think that a fight is boring because it doesn’t end with a knock out. Fights that go the distance can give better insight into the fighter and how versed a fighter they really are physically and intelligently. It takes a great deal of hard work and planning to be able to dominant a fight by managing risks and keeping their opponent from implementing their strengths and game plan.

The Way of the Fight is being released by HarperCollins Publishers and hits shelves today in hardcover format and contains 240 pages. This is a must read for anyone interested in mixed martial arts, personal growth or are a Georges St-Pierre fan.

You can purchase it from Amazon.com for $19.16.