Georges St-Pierre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Georges St-Pierre
St-Pierre in 2021
Born	(1981-05-19) May 19, 1981 (age 44) Saint-Isidore, Montérégie, Quebec, Canada
Nickname(s)	Rush
Residence	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division	Welterweight (2002–2013) Middleweight (2017)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Fighting out of	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Team	Jackson Wink MMA Academy Tristar Gym Grudge Training Center Renzo Gracie Academy
Trainer	Head Trainer: Firas Zahabi Strategy: Greg Jackson Wrestling: Victor Zilberman, Guivi Sissaouri Boxing: Howard Grant, Freddie Roach Muay Thai: Ajarn Phil Nurse Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: John Danaher, Bruno Fernandes, Renzo Gracie Strength: Pierre Roy Gymnastics: Patrick Beauchamp
Rank	3rd dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Bruno Fernandes Black belt in Gaidojutsu
Years active	2002–2013, 2017 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	28
Wins	26
By knockout	8
By submission	6
By decision	12
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By submission	1
University	Cégep Édouard-Montpetit
Notable school(s)	École Pierre-Bédard
Official UFC profile: https://www.ufc.com/athlete/georges-st-pierre

Georges St-Pierre (born May 19, 1981), often called GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. Many people think he is one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). St-Pierre was a champion in two different weight classes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He won titles in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

St-Pierre was the UFC Welterweight Champion three times. He won the main title twice and an interim (temporary) title once between 2006 and 2008. For several years, he was ranked as the best welterweight fighter in the world. He was also named the Canadian Athlete of the Year by Rogers Sportsnet in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Many experts consider him the best welterweight MMA fighter of all time.

St-Pierre retired as the Welterweight Champion in December 2013. He held the record for the most wins in title fights and had the second-longest time as champion in UFC history (2,204 days). He successfully defended his title nine times in a row. He also won a record 33 rounds in a row between 2007 and 2011. He came back to fight in November 2017 at UFC 217. There, he beat Michael Bisping to win the Middleweight title. This made him only the fourth fighter in UFC history to be a champion in two different weight classes. He gave up the title a few weeks later due to health reasons and officially retired from MMA.

Outside of fighting, St-Pierre has acted in several movies. These include the martial arts film Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) and the superhero movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He also appeared in action films like Cartels (2017) and King of Killers (2023).

Early Life and Beginnings

Georges St-Pierre was born in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada, on May 19, 1981. He has two younger sisters. Georges had a tough time at school, where he was sometimes bullied. To learn how to defend himself, he started learning Kyokushin Karate at age seven. By the time he was 12, he was already a 2nd-degree black belt in Kyokushin karate!

After finishing high school, he studied kinesiology (the study of body movement) at college. Before becoming a professional mixed martial artist, Georges worked as a bouncer at a nightclub and as a garbageman for six months. He did these jobs to earn money for his school fees. His first professional fight was when he was 20 years old. As a young person, St-Pierre was inspired by actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. He later said that fighting Van Damme in the movie Kickboxer: Vengeance was "a dream come true."

Training and Skills

St-Pierre trained with many different groups and at various gyms throughout his fighting career. He started wrestling training when he was about 19 or 20 years old. He trained with top wrestling coaches and even members of the Canadian national wrestling team. Georges became known for his strong wrestling skills. He often beat fighters who were known for their wrestling.

He also trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). He earned his brown belt in BJJ in 2006 and his black belt in 2008. A black belt is the highest rank in BJJ. St-Pierre also trained in Muay Thai, a type of martial art from Thailand. His main coach was Firas Zahabi, who remained a close friend. Georges was known for always trying to improve his skills and learning from the best trainers in different martial arts.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Starting in the UFC

Georges St-Pierre made his first appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at UFC 46 in 2004. He won his first fight against Karo Parisyan. His next fight was at UFC 48, where he quickly won by technical knockout in less than two minutes.

After these two wins, he fought Matt Hughes for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 50. Even though Georges fought well against the more experienced Hughes, he lost the fight. This was St-Pierre's first loss in his career. He later said he was a bit overwhelmed by fighting Hughes for a title.

After this loss, St-Pierre won several more fights. He beat Jason Miller and Frank Trigg. He also defeated Sean Sherk, who later became a lightweight champion. After beating Sherk, Georges asked the UFC for another chance to fight for the title.

At UFC 58, St-Pierre fought B.J. Penn, another top fighter. Georges won this fight by a close decision. This win made him the top challenger for the UFC welterweight title again.

Winning and Losing the Welterweight Title

St-Pierre in 2007

St-Pierre got his second chance to fight for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 65 against Matt Hughes. This time, Georges was ready. He knocked Hughes down with a powerful punch and then finished the fight in the second round with a head kick and more punches. Georges St-Pierre became the new UFC Welterweight Champion! This win also earned him a "Knockout of the Night" award.

However, at UFC 69 in 2007, St-Pierre had a surprising loss. He lost his title to Matt Serra, who was a big underdog (meaning most people didn't expect him to win). Serra won by punches in the first round. This was only St-Pierre's second loss in his MMA career. Georges later said he wasn't fully focused for that fight.

Becoming Champion Again

After losing his title, St-Pierre was determined to get it back. At UFC 74, he beat Josh Koscheck by decision. Many thought Koscheck's wrestling would be too much for St-Pierre, but Georges showed his own great wrestling skills.

Because Matt Serra was injured, St-Pierre fought Matt Hughes again at UFC 79 for an interim (temporary) UFC Welterweight Championship. Georges completely controlled the fight. He took Hughes down many times and eventually won by an armbar submission in the second round. This made St-Pierre the interim Welterweight Champion.

At UFC 83 in April 2008, St-Pierre finally got his rematch against Matt Serra. This fight was in Montreal, Canada, which was the UFC's first event in Canada. Georges dominated the fight, taking Serra down and using knees to his body. The referee stopped the fight in the second round, and St-Pierre became the undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion once again!

Defending the Welterweight Title

St-Pierre's first title defense after winning the belt back was against Jon Fitch at UFC 87. Fitch was on a long winning streak, but St-Pierre won by a clear decision. This fight was so exciting that it earned both fighters a "Fight of the Night" award.

Next, Georges had a highly anticipated rematch against B.J. Penn at UFC 94 in 2009. The first round was close, but St-Pierre took over the rest of the fight. He repeatedly took Penn down and hit him with punches and elbows. Penn's corner stopped the fight after the fourth round because Penn was too injured to continue.

At UFC 100, St-Pierre defended his title against Thiago Alves. Georges won by decision, showing his strong wrestling and ground control. He continued to defend his title against tough opponents like Dan Hardy at UFC 111 and Josh Koscheck again at UFC 124. In the Koscheck rematch, St-Pierre used his excellent boxing skills, landing many jabs that caused Koscheck's eye to swell shut.

His next defense was against Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto, Canada. St-Pierre won by decision, even though he injured his eye during the fight. This win broke the record for the most consecutive UFC Welterweight title defenses (6).

Georges was supposed to fight Nick Diaz and then Carlos Condit, but he had to pull out of fights due to knee injuries, including a torn ACL (a major knee ligament). After recovering, St-Pierre returned at UFC 154 in November 2012 to fight Carlos Condit for the undisputed championship. St-Pierre won by decision, even after being badly hurt by a head kick in the third round.

He then successfully defended his title against Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in March 2013, winning by unanimous decision. His last fight before taking a break was against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013. St-Pierre won by a close decision, which some people debated. This fight also earned him a "Fight of the Night" award.

Taking a Break and Coming Back

After the Hendricks fight, St-Pierre announced in December 2013 that he was taking a break from MMA. He said he needed time off and left the door open for a return later.

Georges St-Pierre announced his return to the UFC in February 2017. He signed a new contract for four fights. UFC President Dana White confirmed that St-Pierre would fight UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping.

The fight against Bisping happened at UFC 217 on November 4, 2017, almost four years after his last fight. St-Pierre defeated Bisping by submission in the third round. This made him the Middleweight Champion and only the fourth person in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes! This amazing win earned St-Pierre a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

However, on December 7, 2017, St-Pierre announced he was giving up his Middleweight title after only 34 days. He was suffering from a health issue called ulcerative colitis and didn't want to hold up the division.

Georges St-Pierre officially announced his retirement from fighting on February 21, 2019. On May 9, 2020, the UFC announced that St-Pierre would be added to the UFC Hall of Fame, which is a huge honor for fighters.

In 2021, his hometown of Saint-Isidore honored him with a life-sized bronze statue. The statue sits in an octagon, like the UFC cage, with eight of St-Pierre's core values engraved on the floor: family, perseverance, wisdom, integrity, generosity, respect, creativity, and honor. In 2023, he was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Other Achievements

Georges St-Pierre has also competed in submission grappling, which is a sport focused on wrestling and jiu-jitsu techniques without strikes. In 2005, he participated in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, one of the biggest grappling tournaments in the world. He won one match but lost another.

In 2023, it was announced that St-Pierre would return to professional grappling at a UFC event, but the match was postponed due to an injury. He later confirmed he was no longer planning to return to grappling.

Personal Life

St-Pierre has created a charity called the GSP Foundation. Its goal is to help reduce bullying and encourage young people to participate in sports.

Georges has also spoken openly about his mental health. He has mentioned that he experienced a type of depression when he first retired from fighting. He also shared that he has obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and he believes it helped him succeed by making him very focused and disciplined.

Georges St-Pierre has a tattoo on his chest that shows the Japanese word for Jujutsu, which is a martial art. He also has a tattoo of a Fleur-de-lis on his right calf. The Fleur-de-lis is a symbol often associated with Quebec, his home province.

Championships and Awards

Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Modern-Era Wing, Class of 2020)
  • UFC Middleweight Championship (one time)
    • Fourth Multi-Divisional Champion in UFC History
  • UFC Welterweight Championship (two times)
    • Nine successful title defenses
    • Most consecutive title defenses in UFC Welterweight division history (9)
  • Interim UFC Welterweight Championship (one time)
    • Most wins in UFC welterweight title fights (12)
    • Second most wins in UFC title fights (13)
  • Fight of the Night (Four times)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
  • Performance of the Night (One time)
  • Tied for the fourth longest win streak in UFC history (13)
  • Second most wins in UFC Welterweight division history (19)
  • Second most takedowns landed in UFC history (90)
    • Most takedowns landed in UFC Welterweight division history (87)
  • Most control time in UFC history (2:42:04)
  • Highest significant strike defense percentage in UFC Welterweight division history (73.0%)

• Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2023
  • Order of Sport

• Universal Combat Challenge / TKO Major League MMA
  • UCC/TKO Canadian Welterweight Championship (one time)

• Sherdog
  • Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
  • 2017 Comeback Fighter of the Year

• MMAjunkie.com
  • 2009 Fighter of the Year
  • 2017 Comeback Fighter of the Year

• Rogers Sportsnet
  • 2008 Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year
  • 2009 Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year
  • 2010 Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year

• Sports Illustrated (SI.com)
  • 2009 Fighter of the Year

• World MMA Awards
  • 2008 Submission of the Year

• Canadian Pro-Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2021

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Submission Grappling Record

2 Matches, 1 Wins, 1 Loss
Result	Rec.	Opponent	Method	Event	Division	Date	Location
Lose	1–1	Leonardo Silva Dos Santos	Submission (Flying armbar)	ADCC 2005	–77 kg	2005	Long Beach, California
Win	1–0	Otto Olson	Points

Film and TV Appearances

Film

Television

Images for kids

• 

  St-Pierre in February 2009

See also

In Spanish: Georges St-Pierre para niños

• List of UFC champions
• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of Canadian UFC fighters