The spirit of a samurai warrior is rooted in Bushido, the ancient Japanese code of ethics dictating that honor and balance are of the utmost importance throughout one's life-on and off the battlefield.

It was 3 minutes and 25 seconds that no one will ever forget.

In one of the greatest upsets in MMA history, Matt Serra, the man that most said didn't have a prayer, scored a convincing TKO over Georges St-Pierre, the man that most said could not lose.

When GSP suffered that huge upset loss at UFC 69 in April 2007, the vitality of his mental strategy became questionable. Many wondered about his ability to bounce back, including his boss, UFC president Dana White.

"I have been saying forever that he is the most talented athlete in the sport," said White. "I have seen him fight many times. He's confident and athletic, but he did not seem that way before the Serra fight. He was not himself. He was nervous and did not seem like GSP."

And, prior to St-Pierre's following fight against Josh Koscheck, White wondered, "Is the old GSP going to show up or [will it be] the GSP who showed up against Matt Serra?"

As difficult as those 3 minutes and 25 seconds with Serra were, and as frustrating as the assessments may have been, the loss may actually have been a blessing in disguise.

GSP'S REBIRTH
A samurai warrior cannot stand the agony of defeat. It was his belief that the only way to redeem himself was through the practice of Seppuku, a ritual suicide, often voluntary, in which a samurai would thrust his katana, or sword, through his abdomen. It was an act considered to be an honorable way to die instead of giving up cowardly.

After enduring his unexpected and agonizing defeat, St-Pierre - who is known for his professionalism, athleticism and laidback demeanor - took time to reassess and reorganize. In a sense, he brought an end to his old life and his old way of thinking and, in a number of ways, moved toward rebirth.

"I learned a life lesson [in losing to Serra]," St-Pierre said prior to his fight with Josh Koscheck at UFC 74. "A lot of stuff happened in my personal life [prior to that fight]. It's [now] going to be a brand-new, better version, and I will never let my personal life get into my job again."

The reassessment and reorganization led to a new entourage, training with the renowned Greg Jackson, new management and perhaps most importantly, a new approach to the mental game.

GSP's decision to employ the help of a sports psychologist proved effective on his warpath, a move that St-Pierre claims has helped him, "be better [for] every fight.

"It helped me a lot because I think a lot of people underestimate the mental game, and I think it makes a big difference," says St-Pierre.

"Once you enter the fight, it becomes 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical because your training is already done," he says. "You can have a better attitude over a certain amount of time, and in a short period you can change the way you see things."

FACE-OFF WITH SERRA
For the first time, Canadian fans will have an opportunity to see the UFC, and the new GSP, live in their country.

UFC 83 will take place at the Bell Centre, home of professional hockey's Montreal Canadiens, and will showcase one of the UFC's most anticipated fights to date - a face-off between GSP and Matt "The Terror" Serra - in the pursuit to, as St-Pierre says, "bring back the title to Canada."

With a noticeable fire in his voice, St-Pierre recognizes that the battle at the Bell will be a definitive chance to officially reestablish his champion status.

"I see this fight as redemption - not as revenge - because I want to prove that I am better than what I showed last time [against Serra], and I know I am," he says, adding, "people will be shocked by the result."

When asked how he has changed in the past year, St-Pierre says he has grown in many ways.

"My skills are way better, more well-rounded," he says. "[I am] more confident in myself, more mature, more strong. I'm way more athletic and way more confident. My mental game is way better. That's why I would beat [the man I was] a year ago."

While he maintains that he has learned a lot of things since losing to Serra, the greatest lesson GSP has taken away from the experience may be that he now draws a clearer delineation between reality and the ambiguity of celebrity.

"You know, when you're champion, there is a line that separates you from the other fighters," says St-Pierre. "People keep saying how great you are and stuff like that; you receive special treatment from the UFC and things like that. But this line that separates you is an illusion. Sometimes you don't realize it, but it took a loss for me to realize it. And I will never make that same mistake again."

NO MORE ILLUSIONS

Bushido is the creed behind which every samurai bases his every action, his every move. Bushido is the way of the warrior.

To be sure, there is no illusion about how life has changed for the interim welterweight champion.

These days, the term "rush" bears more significance than a mere nickname for the proud French-Canadian. Now that the UFC will finally be arriving on his home soil, GSP's time is in high demand.

"It's crazy," says the 26-year-old St-Isidore native. "My phone rings every two minutes."

And as the calendar methodically counts down to this much-anticipated battle, St-Pierre's spirit grows stronger with every passing day. Granted, he may not be a Japanese sword-wielding combatant, but Georges St-Pierre bears the same heart and soul behind every strike.

"I don't forget that the spirit is the same," he says. "It could be like the samurai that were dying in the battlefield, but [they go in with] the spirit that is the same. When I'm going to fight, I'm ready to go all the way there, I'm ready to give everything I've got and I'm going into the fight always with the same spirit."

And you could say it's the spirit of the samurai. For always with him does he carry a sense of honor and respect for his opponent, for his profession and for the preservation of tradition amidst the rapid evolution of the modern fighting arts.

And it is with all these qualities in his arsenal that St-Pierre will aspire to once again reach the summit atop the MMA mountain.

Bushido references from Bushido: Samurai Ethics and the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe.

The Writer: Based in Southern California, Aimee C. Giron is Ultimate Grappling's managing editor and a mixed martial artist.