He’s had to wait for his second chance for a long time, but perhaps his patience will pay off in a big way.

Or will Georges “Rush” St. Pierre fall short in his quest to finally knock Matt Hughes of his perch as the not only the UFC’s Welterweight titleholder but as one of MMA’s greatest champions of all time.

St. Pierre is confident - maybe more confident than he’s ever been in his entire career - that the UFC crown will be his after he and Hughes clash Nov. 18 in Sacramento, California. And certainly St. Pierre will have the entire nation of Canada (and even a growing legion of American fans) behind him in that quest.

Following a recent training session in Montreal, St. Pierre spoke with The Z-Files.

Z-Files: How is your training coming along as the big fight draws nearer?

GSP: It is going very well. I would say I’m in the best shape of my career and I know I’m going to give the best fight of my life.

Z-Files: Have you done anything new to prepare for Hughes this time compared to the last time you two fought?

GSP: I realized that I needed to train with the best so I spent a couple months in New York with Renzo Gracie and I was working with Phil Morris on muay thai. And in the last few weeks I’ve had a lot of people training with me – Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine, David Loiseau, Patrick Cote and Jonathan Goulet. I couldn’t have asked for any better training partners. I needed them and they were willing to sacrifice their time with me so I will do the same thing for them when they need it.

Z-Files: So let’s get down to the important issue. What happened between you and Matt after his fight with B.J. Penn? You said you weren’t impressed by his fight and his camp got right in your face.

GSP: I really regret that. It was the worst night of my life. The first thing that happened was some people - who I won’t name - were making fun of David Loiseau for running in his fight with Rich Franklin. I was very upset about that. Then Matt Hughes took mic and started talking after his fight and all of a sudden everyone from the UFC came running over to me and telling me to get in the Octagon. I didn’t hear what he was saying but when they came running I thought he was talking shit about me so I said I wasn’t impressed by his fight and that I was looking forward to fighting him. I thought he was being disrespectful and I was defending myself. I realized the mistake I had made, that I misunderstood, and I went to his dressing room and said that I thought he was insulting me. I apologized like a man, I said I was sorry but that I wanted his belt and it was finished.

Z-Files: Your remarks were very much out of character for you.

GSP: A lot of things had happened and a lot of things were said when Matt started doing interviews for our fight. He said I am French and that since the French didn’t want to be a part of the war that I didn’t have a warrior’s spirit. Some of it made me laugh and I know he was trying to build up our fight. Some of it was disrespectful but it was good promotion. If I had to do it all over again I wouldn’t have done what I did, but Dana White was very happy about it. He came right over when he heard I was upset afterwards and told me “This isn’t hopscotch so get over it.”

Z-Files: Obviously you expect to beat Hughes this time around, but what is going to make the difference for you this time?

GSP: I have developed my skills but the most important thing is I’m not the same fighter I was back then. I’m so much more alert mentally now. I’m not a beginner anymore. I’m an adult now. I’ve also improved every aspect of my game but it’s like I’m playing cards – I’m not going to show my hand.

Z-Files: Do you believe Matt Hughes is preparing differently for you this time?

GSP: I would say he’s confident but he knows I’m dangerous. He’s not stupid. He’s training hard – that’s why he’s the champion. He’s going to be ready.

Z-Files: Let’s talk about being a Canadian in the UFC. There are so many guys from Canada finding success in the UFC. What do you think is the reason for that?

GSP: A lot of people underestimate Canadians because we’re from way up north. But we are good boxers, good wrestlers, good at ju-jitsu and kickboxing and when you put all that together, you make good fighters. And Canadians have a lot of heart. Sometimes skill is not enough and you have to work hard. You have to sacrifice to be the best. Canadians have a lot of heart and when you put that with good skills and good training, you have the perfect fighters. I started in karate when I was six or seven and I was good but not the best. But I never stopped training. There were hard times but I never stopped and at the finish I was the best. I wasn’t naturally the best but I never stopped and I never gave up. I always worked because that’s what you need to do to be the champion. Nothing comes easy. You may deserve it but you’ve still got to go get it.

Z-Files: And speaking of Canadians, Victor Valimaki, who assisted you at your awesome seminar in Edmonton, will make his UFC debut Dec. 13. And you were there in Hollywood, Florida, when Jason MacDonald had his triumphant debut.

GSP: Wish Victor all the best for me. And I was very impressed by Jason. He is a true gentleman who is very good in the ring and a very good person as well.