Documentary Is Tough for Loiseau to Watch, But No Regrets

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The last several years have not been easy for David Loiseau, and it’s not easy to watch a film documenting his struggles either.

Still, Loiseau is glad he allowed director Steven J. Wong full access to create “The Striking Truth,” a documentary out now that chronicles the careers of Loiseau and UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.

“Every man has an ego, and the last four years weren’t the greatest years of my career,” Loiseau said on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “It’s not fun to rewatch these moments, but the fact that I’m still here, still fighting will inspire a lot of people. If my story can inspire people, same thing with Georges, I think it’s great. I don’t regret it.”

The film follows Loiseau and St. Pierre beginning with UFC 58 on March 4, 2006. In the main event that night, Loiseau challenged Rich Franklin for the middleweight championship and St. Pierre took on B.J. Penn in the co-headliner.

St. Pierre won his fight and has since become one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Loiseau lost a decision and was cut by the UFC later that year.

“Basically my career didn’t go too well and [St. Pierre’s] career just went straight up, except for the loss with Serra. He’s had a lot of success,” Loiseau said. “We’ve had two different paths. We’re just two different guys.”

At first Loiseau was reluctant to allow Wong so much behind-the-scenes access. He considers himself a private person, but he got used to the cameras over time.

“He caught some great footage, some raw footage,” Loiseau said. “We had an agreement with him to give him full access. He had full access for four years and he caught some very intense moments during both of our careers and personal lives too. It ended up being a movie not about fighting. It became more of a story of life, a life story. It’s appealing for anyone, not only MMA fans but also regular people.”

The film also captures Loiseau’s problems with panic attacks, which nearly forced his retirement. Of course, he decided to continue fighting, is currently the Tachi Palace Fights middleweight champion and has aspirations of climbing the ladder again.

“There are a few scenes that are going to make people realize that we’re humans, not superhumans,” Loiseau said. “We’re regular guys. We laugh, we cry. We’re all human, and this is what the movie does -- it shows the human side of mixed martial artists. A lot of people see the end result. They see the 25 minutes in the cage, but they don’t see what happens behind the scenes, what the guys have to deal with, the ups and downs and everything else. This is what the movie shows. It shows the human side, the human story of Georges St. Pierre and David Loiseau.”

Listen to the full interview (35:40).