Pierre

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

St-Pierre was born in Saint-Isidore, Montérégie, Quebec, to Roland and Pauline St-Pierre. His childhood was tough: bullies at school would steal his clothes and money, so at age seven he began learning Kyokushin Karate to defend himself. By 12, he was already a 2nd dan black belt. His first professional fight came at 20. Before turning pro, he worked as a bouncer at a Montreal nightclub called Fuzzy Brossard and hauled garbage for six months to pay for his school fees. As a kid, he idolized Jean-Claude Van Damme, and years later called fighting alongside him in *Kickboxer: Vengeance* 'a dream come true.' St-Pierre made his UFC debut at UFC 46, outpointing Karo Parisyan. He faced Matt Hughes at UFC 50 for the vacant welterweight title, tapping to an armbar with just 10 seconds left in the first round. After wins over Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, and B.J. Penn, he rematched Hughes at UFC 65 and won the belt via technical knockout, earning a Knockout of the Night bonus. At UFC 69 in 2007, he lost the title to Matt Serra when the referee stepped in at 3:25 of round one. St-Pierre later admitted the loss stemmed partly from personal turmoil—the death of a close cousin and his father's serious illness had shattered his focus.

In Their Own Story

St-Pierre retired as the reigning welterweight champion in December 2013, holding the record for most wins in title bouts and the second-longest combined title streak in UFC history (2,204 days), with nine consecutive title defenses. He also strung together a record 33 straight rounds without losing one, from 2007 to 2011. In November 2017, he returned at UFC 217 to submit Michael Bisping for the middleweight title, becoming just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win belts in two divisions. He vacated the title weeks later due to health concerns and officially retired from MMA. Beyond the cage, St-Pierre has appeared in films including *Kickboxer: Vengeance* (2016), *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* (2014), *Cartels* (2017), and *King of Killers* (2023). Fight Matrix ranks him as the top MMA welterweight of all time and the most accomplished fighter in the division's history.

Reader's Guide

Name: Georges St-Pierre. Born: May 19, 1981. Also known by his initials: GSP. Nationality: Canadian. Former professional mixed martial artist. Two-division champion in the UFC (welterweight and middleweight divisions). Three-time former UFC Welterweight Champion (winning the title twice and the interim title once between November 2006 and April 2008). Key achievements: Ranked as the #1 welterweight in the world for several years by Sherdog. Named Canadian Athlete of the Year by Rogers Sportsnet in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Listed by Fight Matrix as the top MMA welterweight of all time and the most accomplished fighter in MMA history. Voted as the greatest pound-for-pound MMA fighter in history in The Athletic MMA fighter survey. UFC records held: Most title-fight victories (12), most successful title defenses (9), highest significant strike defense percentage (73.1%), highest takedown accuracy (73.7%), most takedowns landed (87), most control time (2:42:04), most top position time (2:22:05). Retired as reigning welterweight champion in December 2013 with the second longest combined title streak in UFC history (2,204 days) and a record 33 consecutive rounds won between 2007 to 2011. Returned at UFC 217 (November 2017) to defeat Michael Bisping by submission for the middleweight title, becoming the fourth UFC multi-division champion.

Did You Know?

• St-Pierre began learning Kyokushin Karate at age seven to defend himself against a school bully and was already a 2nd dan black belt at age 12.
• Before turning pro, he worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees.
• He won a record 33 consecutive rounds between 2007 and 2011.
• St-Pierre defeated Michael Bisping by submission at UFC 217 to win the middleweight title, becoming the fourth fighter in UFC history to be a multi-division champion.
• He appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and described fighting Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) as 'a dream come true'.