Georges St. Pierre: 'My goal one day is to be the David Beckham of MMA'

Bend it like Beckham?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight titleholder Georges St. Pierre is popular. But is he David Beckham popular? From a global perspective, the English association footballer (that's soccer to all you Yanks) is one of the most recognizable sports stars in the world, thanks in part to his flighty feet.

And his good looks certainly help keep him relevant among the lay-deeeeeeeze.

In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), St. Pierre is one of the first major mainstream crossover stars. He's done a pretty good job of kicking ass inside the Octagon and he, like Beckham, is easy on the eyes (that's what I've heard).

"Rush" explains his admiration for the Brit to Sun Sport, after the jump.

"My goal one day is to be the David Beckham of MMA but I still have a lot to do to reach that point. Mr Beckham is a great role model and I aspire to do the same."

In order for St. Pierre to maintain his superstardom, he must first get back into the cage and defend his championship title against Carlos Condit, presumably at the UFC 154 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Nov. 17, 2012 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Presumably.

"Rush" is still rehabbing a surgically repaired knee, but recently gave fans another update on his "road to recovery," featuring a training video that has "Rush" doing all sorts of strength-related exercises.

See it here.

Well Maniacs, how about it? How close is St. Pierre to achieving his goal? And will he marry a former Spice Girl to accomplish it?