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Introduction
Today we’re taking a look at one of the candidates for the best MMA fighter of all time – Georges St-Pierre. With so many fighters in the UFC jostling to be called the best fighter, the letters “GSP” will consistently come up wherever the question is asked.
If reading about the career of GSP helps you recognize fighting talent when you see it, you may want to consider UFC fight night betting to make cash off of up-and-coming fighters. St-Pierre may be retired but many fighters have yet to take a shot at becoming the best MMA fighter in the world.
Early Fights
Having trained with Renzo Gracie, of the Gracie family of BJJ legends, Georges St-Pierre became a brown belt and later a black belt in New York City. He also trained with Rashad Evans, Donald Cerone, and other notable MMA fighters in New Mexico.
After getting picked up by the UFC, GSP debuted at UFC 46 by defeating Karo Parisyan in a unanimous decision. Next, he beat Jay Hieron at UFC 48 via technical knockout and then hit a wall with Matt Hughes. Up against a more experienced fighter, GSP was humbled when Hughes forced a tap out in the first round. This would be his only loss through submission.
After some other fights, GSP famously got on his knees and pleaded for another title shot at Hughes in a later post-match interview. That would come closer after becoming the number one welterweight contender after beating B.J. Penn by split decision. The Hughes fight was scheduled for UFC 63 but GSP had to withdraw from the fight after a groin injury, so Penn took his place.
The Welterweight Championship
Hughes beat Penn at UFC 63, after which GSP took to the octagon to hype up his inevitable fight with the reigning welterweight champion. That would take place at UFC 65, which began spectacularly when GSP almost ended the fight with a first-round superman punch. Having knocked some urgency into Hughes, the fight continued into the second round until GSP prevailed with a TKO. His first welterweight title was then at UFC 69, where Matt Serra outboxed GSP in the first round.
GSP pursued the title again and beat Hughes to become interim champion, then knocked Serra down to unify it into an undisputed UFC welterweight championship. This also means he avenged the only two losses he ever took during his career.
From there, GSP’s career spans a long line of championship defenses against Jon Fitch, B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields. After a brief medical hiatus from the Shields fight, GSP went on to beat Carlos Condit at UFC 154 and then followed with a hyped showdown against Nick Diaz at UFC 158, which GSP also won. His last pre-hiatus fight was against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
MMA Hiatus
Georges St-Pierre voluntarily vacated his prized welterweight champion title at the end of 2013. He didn’t retire outright, choosing to leave the door open to a return instead. Things got more complicated when he tore his ACL during training the next year.
During his hiatus, GSP worked with Rory MacDonald to prepare him for his brutal Bobbie Lawler rematch at UFC 189, often considered one of the best and most brutal fist-fights in UFC history.
Return & Retirement
Georges St-Pierre took the octagon again in 2017, where he would fight Michael Bisping, the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 217. St-Pierre beat Bisping through TKO and became the middleweight champion, one of the few fighters to top two divisions. He then gave up the title after struggles with ulcerative colitis.
While he was called out by Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 223, St-Pierre declined. He later declined against Nate Diaz, too. St-Pierre wasn’t avoiding fights, however, as he wanted to fight the winner of Khabib and Conor McGregor’s 2018 bout. Dana White requested that GSP stay at welterweight, so it never happened.
After recovering from colitis, GSP announced his retirement in 2019. He now has a place at the UFC Hall of Fame. He has the most wins in title bouts and the second longest combined title streak in UFC history at 2,204 days.