UFC great Georges St-Pierre officially retires from MMA

MIXED martial arts (MMA) great and former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre has officially announced his retirement from the sport on Thursday.

St-Pierre, 37, made the announcement during a press conference held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

The former welterweight and middleweight champion had already stated his intention to retire on Wednesday, but wanted to make it official via media conference.

“I’m announcing my retirement from the UFC and mixed martial arts competition.

“I intend to keep training and practicing martial arts for as long as I live, but now is the time that I chose to end my career as a professional MMA athlete,” he said in a statement.

"There’s no tears. I’m very happy to do it.”

The Canadian also revealed that he and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov had already agreed to a fight but the UFC had other plans.

St-Pierre is one of the greatest fighters ever produced by the US-based promotion, with a professional record of 26-2.