Georges St-Pierre

St-Pierre, a skinny kid from Montreal’s South Shore, began karate lessons at age seven to defend himself against schoolyard bullies.⁠[1]

He says watching Royce Gracie at UFC 1 in 1993 set his goal, and at sixteen he won his first amateur MMA fight.⁠[2]

His high-school record of 50 chin-ups in the 16-and-over category was still standing years later; in 2012 he returned to École Pierre-Bédard to talk to students about handling bullying.⁠[3]

At about 20 he turned up at the Montreal Wrestling Club founded by Victor Zilberman, who at first did not understand why someone into “ultimate fighting” wanted to wrestle.⁠[4]

At 21 he became Canadian welterweight champion fighting for a local Montreal-based promotion.⁠[5]

He made his UFC Octagon debut on January 31, 2004; the UFC lists his fighting style as karate.⁠[6]

On October 22, 2004, the 23-year-old St-Pierre, unbeaten in seven fights, met Matt Hughes for the vacant welterweight title at UFC 50 and was submitted by an armbar seconds before the end of the first round.⁠[7]

On November 18, 2006, at UFC 65 in Sacramento, he faced Hughes again and won the welterweight championship by second-round knockout.⁠[8]

At UFC 69 at the Toyota Center in Houston he lost the title to Matt Serra by first-round TKO.⁠[9]

In 2007 he was training for the Olympic wrestling trials when he was called in as an injury replacement for Serra to fight Hughes at UFC 79, putting his wrestling plans on hold.⁠[10]

In their third meeting he submitted Hughes in the second round to win the interim welterweight title and collected the submission of the night award.⁠[11]

On April 19, 2008, at UFC 83 in Montreal’s Bell Centre—the UFC’s first show in Canada—he regained the welterweight title with a second-round TKO of Serra.⁠[12]

At UFC 87 in Minneapolis he dominated Jon Fitch over five rounds for his first successful defense, a bout named Fight of the Night.⁠[13]

He defeated lightweight champion B.J. PennUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania, commonly called Penn, is a private research university and Ivy League member in Philadelphia. It traces its origins to a 1740 charity-school project; Benjamin Franklin proposed his academy in 1749, classes began in 1751, and a 1791 merger established the institution under its present name. Penn has 12 schools, with undergraduate education concentrated in arts and sciences, engineering, nursing and Wharton. Enrollment totaled 29,384 in fall 2025, and the fiscal 2025 endowment was $24.81 billion. As of October 2026, J. Larry Jameson was president, with his term scheduled to end on June 30, 2027.Open the full entry in a title defense at UFC 94, where a ringside doctor stopped the fight before the fifth round. During the bout Penn complained to a Nevada inspector that St-Pierre was too slippery, and officials ordered St-Pierre’s corner to towel off his back after two rounds; Penn’s lawyer then wrote to the Nevada State Athletic Commission asking for a comprehensive investigation.⁠[14]

St-Pierre’s camp filed a response with the commission, with letters from cornerman Phil Nurse and coaches Greg JacksonGreg JacksonGreg Jackson is a British entrepreneur who founded the energy company Octopus Energy in 2015 and serves as its chief executive; in 2025 the company became the UK’s largest energy supplier, and the utility software platform it incubated was later spun out as an independent company. He was appointed CBE in 2024 and has been a non-executive board member of the UK Cabinet Office since 2025.Open the full entry and John Danaher, among others, calling Penn’s complaints an attempt to protect his reputation and commercial value after being dominated.⁠[15]

At an advisory hearing in March 2009, Nevada commission executive director Keith Kizer said he had no plans to file a disciplinary complaint, leaving the result unchanged.⁠[16]

He beat Josh Koscheck over five rounds at UFC 124 at Montreal’s Bell Centre, before 23,152 fans, a North American MMA attendance record, with a $4.6 million gate.⁠[17]

Shokei Matsui, president of the Kyokushin Karate Federation, personally awarded him the rank of third dan in Kyokushin karate.⁠[18]

Returning from a long layoff, he outpointed Carlos Condit over five rounds at UFC 154 in Montreal to unify the welterweight title.⁠[19]

On March 16, 2013, he beat Nick Diaz by unanimous decision at UFC 158, his eighth straight title defense since UFC 83 in 2008, improving his record to 24–2.⁠[1]

That month he was cast as the villain Batroc the Leaper in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.⁠[20]

ESPN noted that from August 2007 to April 2011 he won a record 33 consecutive rounds.⁠[21]

His first book, Way of the Fight, was published in the United States by William Morrow in April 2013; Sports Illustrated described it as part philosophy, part science, part business tutorial and part self-help.⁠[22]

He edged No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks by split decision, 48–47, 47–48, 48–47, at UFC 167; UFC president Dana WhiteDana WhiteDana White is an American sports executive and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the mixed martial arts promotion UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). In 2001 he and the Fertitta brothers bought the near-bankrupt UFC for $2 million, and the reality show The Ultimate Fighter brought the sport into the mainstream; the UFC was sold in 2016 for about $4 billion and became part of TKO Group Holdings in 2023. He is also a longtime supporter of Donald Trump and has been a director of Meta since late 2024.Open the full entry reacted in disbelief and even called on Nevada’s governor to investigate the state athletic commission. Afterward St-Pierre said, “I have to step away for a little bit.”⁠[23]

He then vacated the title and left the UFC, while hinting that he could return for the right fight.⁠[24]

On The MMA Hour he announced he was ending a nearly three-year hiatus and was ready to return once his management and the UFC agreed terms; MMA Fighting noted that he had defended the welterweight title nine consecutive times, a division record.⁠[24]

In February 2017 he and the UFC agreed terms on a new contract, clearing the way for his return.⁠[25]

After a 1,449-day layoff, he submitted Michael Bisping in the third round at UFC 217 at New York’s Madison Square Garden on November 4, 2017, to take the middleweight title, becoming only the fourth fighter in UFC history to win belts in two divisions.⁠[26]

He announced his retirement at a press conference at Montreal’s Bell Centre, saying, “It takes a lot of discipline to retire on top.” He said he had tried to arrange a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov but that the UFC had other plans.⁠[27]

The UFC named him to the Modern Wing of its Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020, with Dana White calling him “a pioneer of Canadian MMA.”⁠[28]

He appeared on episode 179 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, titled “The Science of Fighting,” discussing fasting, fear, strategy, mind games, a hypothetical fight with Khabib, consciousness and AI, his father and advice for young people.⁠[29]

He unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of himself in his signature fighting stance in his hometown of Saint-Isidore.⁠[30]

The town decided in spring 2017 to create the sculpture and a public space in its centre; the barefoot statue stands in a symbolic octagonal arena whose floor is engraved with eight core values he lives by.⁠[31]

He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in Las Vegas on September 24, 2021.⁠[2]

He appeared with coach John Danaher and grappler Gordon RyanGordon RyanGordon Ryan is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who won multiple ADCC World Championship titles and submitted André Galvão in the 2022 superfight, and is regarded by many as one of the finest no-gi grapplers; he announced the end of his competitive career in February 2026.Open the full entry on episode 260, discussing success, training, and MMA versus grappling.⁠[32]

He was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame class of 2023 alongside ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.⁠[33]

In July 2023 the UFC announced that he would return to professional grappling at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 on December 14, his first competition since UFC 217.⁠[34]

In July 2024 he said he had abandoned plans for a grappling comeback, saying he had “made peace with it now.”⁠[35]

That month ESPN ranked him No. 76 among the top 100 professional athletes since 2000.⁠[36]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.); the Governor General’s citation notes his record nine welterweight title defenses over six years and says his foundation helps youth, counters bullying, promotes physical activity and funds yearly scholarships for student-athletes through the Fondation Aléo.⁠[37]

His official website says he lives in Montreal and offers the online GSP MMA Academy.⁠[2]

His foundation says it redistributes all funds raised to Canadian anti-bullying and youth sports programs.⁠[38]

Personal website: Public link: https://www.gspofficial.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[29]

X: Public account: https://x.com/GeorgesStPierre (opens in a new window)⁠[29]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GSPPodcastOfficial (opens in a new window)⁠[2]

Instagram: Public account: https://www.instagram.com/georgesstpierre/ (opens in a new window)⁠[29]

UFC: Official website: https://www.ufc.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[6]