George St. Pierre. Georges St. Pierre J. St. Pierre
I don't just want to be the strongest in sports. I want to change the sport.
George "Rush" St. Pierre
When it comes to GSP (Georges St. Pierre), the first thing that comes to mind is that watching him, from battle to battle, we each time see a more and more “improved model”, an “updated version”, and essentially a new fighter, “pumped up” in all respects. This man simply cannot stand still; it's amazing, but it's a fact. Every time he steps into the cage, you can see how he is developing, progressing physically and technically. He always has something to offer his opponent. From each defeat (of which there were only two in his career, and all were avenged), he drew conclusions and returned stronger than before. He is rightfully considered one of the p4p fighters (“pound for pound” - the best, regardless of weight category) in the world. Thanks to natural talent coupled with hard work in training, GSP has soared to heights in recent years that his opponents have a hard time reaching. His victories are unconditional. Throughout all rounds there is total dominance and demonstration of superiority over the opponent.
He himself is rarely satisfied with his performances. At the end of his last fight against Dan Hardy, for example, he said the following:
"I wasn't too happy with the way I performed. I won, but I couldn't do it better than the last fight, so I'm not too happy. I wanted to finish this fight early, win cleanly. And the way I won - This is not a very clean victory for me.”
“The golden boy of MMA” is how critics and fans have been calling George more and more lately. However, it is difficult to disagree with this. In addition to a mind-blowing career in mixed martial arts in the most prestigious organization in the world, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), St. Pierre is in every way a positive character in everyday life. A sort of hero from a fairy tale who always defeats evil. He does not enter into verbal altercations with his opponents, leads an exemplary lifestyle, treats others with respect, and generally creates the impression of a person who has caught his wave and enjoys life, taking all the good things from it.
But it was not always so. George's childhood was by no means easy. He was born on May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec. The school GSP went to was in a bad area and he was often robbed by other students. The boy decided to stop this and, in the hope of changing something, enrolled in the Kyokushin karate section. It was in this section that he received his first skills in martial arts and to this day he happily recalls that time, saying how much karate training did in his development as a fighter.
“Karate taught me how to work, it gave me discipline. It taught me that a fight needs to be fought wisely, which is what I’m trying to do.”
After the death of his teacher, St. Pierre expanded his range of fighting techniques to include jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing, and subsequently Muay Thai.
Before turning professional in mixed martial arts, he worked as a bouncer at Montreal's Fuzzy Brossard nightclub on the South Coast, and as a garbage man for 6 months to pay for school.
George's strength as a fighter lies in his overall development. He trained with many groups in many different gyms throughout his fighting career.
On July 21, 2006, St-Pierre received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt from Renzo Gracie, after winning a purple belt with Fabio Holanda for Brazilian Top Team Canada, who seconded his early fights. He is currently a black belt holder.
More recently, GSP began training with Rashad Evans, Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine and many others at Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu school in New Mexico. Several of Greg's students also accompanied George to Montreal to train at the Tristar gym, including Keith Jardine, Nathan Marquard, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Rashad Evans. St. Pierre is currently trained by Muay Thai coach Kru Phil Nurse at New York's Wat Gym.
His strength and conditioning coach is Jonathan Chaimberg (JSPORT Fitness Center); head coach – Firas Zahabi (Tristar gym).
GSP dreamed of becoming a UFC champion from the moment he watched Royce Gracie fight at UFC 1 in 1991. He fought his first amateur fight at the age of 16. George remembers him:
"When I won my first amateur MMA fight, I was 16 years old and I beat a guy who was 25. I was a Kyokushin karate fighter and the guy I thought was a boxer. My ground skills were pathetic at the time." I didn’t know anything at all about the ground.”
Nevertheless, the battle was won, and very convincingly. After landing several low kicks and then a high kick to the head, GSP scored his first victory by knockout.
George's professional debut was against Ivan Menjivar and ended in victory - technical knockout in the first round. He spent the next 4 fights on the same wavelength, ending two of them with painful submissions and two with knockouts. Moreover, only in one fight did his opponent “survive” to the second round.
George made his debut in the octagon at UFC 46 on January 31, 2004, where he defeated the Armenian fighter, “judo genius” Karo Parisyan, by unanimous decision. This was followed by a fight at UFC 48 against Jay Hieron, which was scored for 1-42 of the first round.
Following his second UFC win, he faces Matt Hughes at UFC 50 for the organization's super welterweight title. It is important to note that even then Hughes was considered a legend of the sport and ruled his division with an iron fist. Despite a competitive game against a more experienced fighter, St. Pierre lost that fight via armbar in a very beautiful performance.
After the fight, George admitted that he was scared when he went to this meeting, knowing full well who he would have to go against in the Octagon.
After the defeat, GSP briefly left the organization and went to the TKO tournament, where he competed against Dave Strasser, whom he defeated in the first round with a kimura (“arm knot”), after which he returned back to the UFC and began his victorious march for the championship belt.
Already at UFC 52, in a bloody battle, he defeated Jason Miller by unanimous decision, and 4 months later he entered the fight against Frank Trigg and defeated him in the first round by choke hold.
At UFC 56, St-Pierre faces future lightweight champion Sean Sherk. In the middle of the second round, GSP became the second fighter to defeat Sherk, and the first to finish... A series of punches and elbows forced the enemy to capitulate.
Next up was a fight at UFC 58 against former super middleweight champion and ex-lightweight champion B.J. Penn. George won by split decision, and that fight can confidently be called one of the most difficult in his career.
Having passed all the tests, GSP again receives the right to a title fight and at UFC 65 he again enters the Octagon against Matt Hughes. This time the fight took place under the complete dictation of St. Pierre. The denouement came in the second minute of the second round, with a high kick from the front foot the champion was sent to the floor and finished off with a series of punches.
George's joy knew no bounds, and, having done his signature somersault, he tried on the belt of the new UFC super middleweight champion.
But the next fight shocked everyone with its result. Considered the clear favorite, GSP lost by knockout in the first round to Matt Serra. This ending was unexpected not because Serra was a weak opponent, quite the opposite, it’s just that George’s level was already head and shoulders above. Having run into a counter blow, he never has time to recover, and the referee stops the fight to stop the beating.
The defeat happened at a time when no one expected it. But, as they say, everything that is done is for the better, and St. Pierre proves the truth of this statement in the best possible way. Having drawn conclusions from his defeat and changed a lot in the training process, he sets out on the road that should lead him to another title. And soon we see a new GSP.
Update version
The fight at UFC 74 was exactly what St. Pierre needed at that moment - a serious opponent, victory over whom would bring him closer to the championship title.
"This guy has everything in his arsenal, he's one of the top fighters right now, but I'm glad I'm facing him. After my loss, I would like to face a strong fighter. I want to get back on the winning track again, that's why I'm happy fight with him"
The fight turned out well for GSP, he managed to impose his game on the opponent and dictate the course of the fight, which ultimately resulted in a well-deserved victory by unanimous decision.
Soon luck smiled on George, giving him a chance to prove that his place was much higher - at the very top. Matt Serra is injured in training almost before the fight and cannot go against Hughes. The main evening of the tournament is in jeopardy. St. Pierre volunteers to replace M. Serra and fight in the third fight against Hughes in order to finally dot the i’s.
"I'm so happy I got this fight – said St. Pierre, who periodically interrupted his speech in order to loudly inform his friends about the upcoming fight, “I’m fighting Matt Hughes now for the interim title, and after that I’m going to fight Matt Serra. I wanted to meet him and this is the best possible scenario."
Meeting with reporters, George looked calmer, but no less joyful - after all, now he not only has the chance to meet the man he already defeated in November 2006, but in addition, a victory over Hughes will give him the opportunity to directly enter at Matt Serra and avenge his defeat. However, GSP does not intend to underestimate his opponent:
"I'm not overconfident. I remember that he beat me once, and I beat him once. So we're on equal footing. We've both changed as fighters lately. We've both learned a lot from our wins and losses, and that should be completely different fight from others"
Their third fight, which took place at UFC 79, was not much different from the second. The same cold calculation, the same pressure and dominance from round to round. This time the enemy held out a little longer than the previous one. It all ended a few seconds before the end of the second round. GSP goes for a painful arm (“arm bar” - elbow lever) and Hughes knocks with his hand - the fight is over, the fight for the title is ahead.
Back on top
On April 19, 2008, what should have happened a year ago in the first fight between St. Pierre and Serra happened - the championship belt returned to the hands of the strongest. Throughout all 2 rounds, George showed everyone - critics, fans and Matt Serra himself - who is the champion here. Competent work in the standing position, constant entries followed by throws and finishing – this was the picture of this fight.
At the end of the second round, the exhausted Serra, who was only able to cower and endure GSP's knees to the body, is saved by the referee, stopping the fight and raising the hand of the new champion.
The cherished goal was achieved, but relaxing means losing the title again, since the division in which George fights is rightfully considered one of the best in the UFC. It has many fighters of the highest level, each of whom is ready to fight for their place in the sun. One of these fighters was Jon Fitch, who at the time of the fight with St. Pierre had 16 victories in a row. He belongs to the so-called “new MMA fighters” - well-rounded, with good striking and wrestling skills.
Especially for this fight, George goes to Brazil for a while to improve his ground fighting skills. The fight aroused keen interest among fans, since Fitch posed a real threat to the hegemony of GSP. But in reality everything turned out differently. John simply could not oppose anything to the pressure and technique of St. Pierre. As a result, on August 8, 2008, we witnessed five rounds of beating, five rounds of total pressure on George. Sometimes the thought crossed my mind - how much is possible? How long can you tolerate this? Jon Fitch's tenacity must be commended. At the post-fight press conference, his face was difficult to recognize. Another enemy was swept away by a machine called GSP. True, after the fight, St. Pierre noted the tenacity of his opponent:
“I tried several times to end the fight early, but he, like the Terminator, didn’t stop.”
The next fight at UFC 94 again put everything in its place. B.J.Penn, unable to find a place for himself due to a split decision loss 3 years ago, comes out to fight again. Only this time things turned out worse for the former lightweight champion than in their first fight. “Improved” in every way, GSP did not give the slightest chance to doubt who was the boss in this division. Penn lay under the champion for 4 rounds, having suffered quite a bit, as a result of which the team did not release him for the 5th round, and he himself, it seemed, was not too eager to continue the fight.
It is worth noting that the joy of victory in this fight was somewhat overshadowed by the accusation of Penn's team - allegedly during the fight George's body was slippery, and there was the use of lubricants to make it more difficult to hold. In addition to this, after some time, GSP’s old rival, Matt Hughes, mentioned in one of his interviews that in their fight, St. Pierre’s body was suspiciously slippery, and he could not hold it well. Be that as it may, the examinations showed the absence of any lubricant on the champion’s body. The UFC president himself stood up for GSP, saying that he would never believe these accusations:
“GSP is a different person to do something like that. He doesn’t need to smear himself with all sorts of nonsense to defeat his opponents. He would never do that.”
But to prevent such episodes from recurring in the future, the UFC has made a number of changes to the tournament rules.
The next opponent who stood in St. Pierre's way was Thiago Alves. Their fight took place at UFC 100 and became the highlight of the evening. A huge number of fans wanted to see who would emerge victorious. The enemy was not inferior in physical strength, had a good feel for the fight and was very strong in the stance. Powerful punches combined with hard kicks plus natural aggression - this is Alves.
On July 11, 2009, the octagon with these two fighters was closed and the fight began. GSP skillfully kept Alves at a distance, throwing single punches and sometimes demonstrating his favorite “Superman punch” (“Superman punch” - distracting with a foot, punching with a hand).
When Alves' pressure became difficult to maintain, George skillfully took the fight to the ground. Wrestling has always been GSP's strong point in his MMA performances and has only gotten better in recent years. The enemy could not do anything against the constant transfers to the ground, finding himself on the floor over and over again. True, quite often Alves rose quickly enough, but only to return back again...
In this vein, 5 rounds of the battle passed, at the end of which the championship title remained in the hands of St. Pierre.
There was one interesting episode in this fight that demonstrated the originality of not only the champion himself, but also his team. Before entering the final round, in his corner, George reports that he pulled a groin muscle (he once had this injury). To which the coach, Greg Jackson, responded in an impulsive manner:
“I don’t care, I don’t care! This is how champions are made! Go and hit him with your groin!”
And George did!.. Be that as it may, he retained the right to bear the title of the best middleweight in the world.
Reflecting on the topic of mixed martial arts and his style of fighting, which has been criticized for the fact that recent fights have gone the distance to 5 rounds, St. Pierre says:
“I fight with the least risk. Every time I step into the octagon, my life is in danger. For me it is more important not to get hit than to hit my opponent. I will never fight in a “let’s see who gets lucky” style.
I never take risks. The only time I took a chance was against Sera - I got into a stupid trade, and it wasn't a particularly smart move on my part. Serra deservedly beat me then, he was better that night and deserved this victory. But then I learned a lot, and now I don’t want a similar situation to happen again.
When I fight in a standing position, I strike and choose the angle of “firing” wisely. I'm not afraid to admit: I'm not a desperate fighter, but I'm not a coward either. I don't want every blow I throw to be answered with a blow. I want to hit my opponent, but without him hitting me. This is quite reasonable. I won’t tell you the names now, you already know them, those who like to engage in tough exchanges and those who don’t, but some people already have problems developing their careers, because they simply cannot withstand so many blows anymore ".*
(*We are talking about Thiago Alves, who, after the fight with GSP, had abnormalities in his brain function. Fortunately, the operation was successful, and he can perform fully again, which he does. Based on later research, doctors came to conclusion that Tiago has had this deviation since childhood and was simply not diagnosed before).
“I don’t fight like an idiot, that’s what makes me stand out. I am a champion not because I am the strongest in my division, I am not the fastest, not the best wrestler, not the best striker. I am a champion because I fight every fight wisely."
GSP's last fight to date was against Dan Hardy. Brilliant passes and subsequent throws to the ground (takedowns), which no one seems to be able to stop, competent work in the stance and good control with finishing moves on the ground - in general, everything that fans around the world are used to seeing, was shown in this battle as well.
There were moments when it seemed that the battle was about to end, but something got in the way. But, ultimately, another unconditional victory, without a glimmer of hope for the opponent’s success. The champion is once again left with his belt, the GSP machine in action. And the fact that one of the most dominant champions in MMA history will celebrate his 30th birthday in just a year is scary for anyone who decided to make money by competing in the UFC welterweight division. Especially considering the fact that St. Pierre has already defeated many of these people in the recent past.
On December 11th, GSP will once again fight his old opponent Josh Koscheck, whom he defeated in 2007.
And most recently, George finished filming the project “The Ultimate Fighter”, where, together with Koscheck, he was a coach of one of the teams.
True, the impressions from the filming are not very pleasing to GSP:
"I was there with Josh Koscheck and it wasn't easy. He's too arrogant and I don't like being around people like that. But I had no choice. I had to spend those few weeks with him.
In order to train and achieve success, you must study both yourself and your opponent well. My position as a coach has allowed me to study Koscheck better than I did before, and now I can put into practice what I have learned about him. I studied his characteristics. I realized that I could manipulate him much more successfully in terms of my battle plan. I learned a lot about his personality. I analyze people very well, and now I have much more information about the next opponent.”
There's not long to wait. In more than two months, we will be able to see for ourselves whether this is so, and whether all of Koscheck’s threats, which he scatters in such abundance in each of his interviews, will be justified.
– Saint-Pierre tries to visit his family and friends as often as possible, supports his family in every possible way;
– loves Montreal, because, according to him, the weather there is very different, you can go to the beach in the summer and play hockey in the winter;
– upon completion of my career I would like to become a coach or teacher, someone who works with children;
– GSP has not yet started his own family and sleeps hugging his champion belt;
– at one time, St. Pierre was thinking about participating in the Olympic Games (wrestling), but a fighter’s career takes too much time, and this idea remains unrealized for now;
– George suffers from acrophobia – fear of heights, and therefore does not like air travel;
– he has a very funny accent, but at the same time he speaks good English and is easy to understand.
Battle statistics: 20 – 2 – 0 (Victory – Defeat – Draw)
Views: 21,419
Georges St-Pierre officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts yesterday. However, he does not rule out the possibility of returning to the Octagon if he is offered truly interesting conditions. Many fighters would like to arrange a fight with St. Pierre, one of Ben Askren. “You understand what he's talking about. Dana will call GSP at one point and say, “I need someone to take out this damn curly haired guy. How much is it?"
Georges St-Pierre has a record (26, 2, 0), is currently on a streak of 13 victories, his last fight was on November 4, 2017. His opponent Ben Askren has a record (18, 0, 0), is currently on a streak of 18 victories, his last fight was on November 24, 2017. Fight forecast from our expert system.
Anderson Silva: “Georges St-Pierre only agrees to easy fights”
“This may be an interesting fight, but Georges will never accept my challenge. He just runs and runs and runs. This is just crazy. I think he doesn't want to fight me, but that's okay. I respect him. He's a great fighter. Perhaps he just has a different outlook and only takes easy fights. But this is not about me. I have loved serious challenges throughout my life.” Fight forecast
Located in the northern part of the archipelago, on the island of the same name. Population – 1,743 people (2010).
It is one of two official cities in Bermuda (the other is) and the largest of them, and is also considered the 3rd English settlement in the New World, after St. John's in Newfoundland and Jamestown in Virginia.
The city's history began in 1609, when an expedition of several ships, led by Admiral George Somers, heading to Virginia encountered a severe storm, as a result of which one of the ships was forced to separate and land on the shores of Bermuda due to a strong current.
The sailors and colonists on the ship (about 150 people in total) spent almost 10 months on the island. During this time, they managed to build two new ships from the remains of their broken ship and local materials and continue sailing to Virginia, in fact, where they were originally heading.
At the same time, they left two people on the island in order to secure the priority of the Virginia Company. Having reached Jamestown, George Somers discovered the few surviving sailors and colonists with whom they began this voyage. Most people died from disease, starvation, and periodic Indian raids.
The admiral had to return to Bermuda for supplies, where he fell ill and soon died.
Already in 1612, Bermuda was officially transferred to the Virginia Company; the first 60 settlers settled on the island, who founded the village of New London, which was eventually renamed St. George.
The city was the capital of Bermuda until 1815, when this role passed to Hamilton.
Today, with its ancient quarters, narrow winding alleys, historic buildings and city fortifications dating back over three hundred years, St. George is a popular tourist destination and the most important historical site in Bermuda.
Thanks to the fact that St. George has largely managed to preserve its old appearance, in 2002 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sights of St. George
The city center is considered King's Square, on which is the City Hall (1782) and the Old State House (XVII-XVIII centuries), the former residence where the country's parliamentarians met for almost 200 years, gunpowder reserves were stored in case of sieges, and the courthouse was also located.
North of Royal Square lies Somers Garden, which received its name in honor of Admiral George Somers, who literally “left his heart” in Bermuda. His heart is buried here in a modest grave in the park, and his body is buried in England.
South of Royal Square is located Ordnance Island, connected to the city by a small bridge. Here is a replica of the ship Deliverance, which sailed from here in 1610 to Virginia.
Here in the central part of the city there is a beautiful building Bermuda National Trust Museum, the exhibition of which is dedicated to the role of the islands in the US Civil War. The building was built in 1700.
Saint Peter's Church– is the oldest church in Bermuda. It was built between 1612 and 1713 on the foundations of an even older Anglican church. The church contains the famous mahogany altar, as well as a good collection of silver items and historical documents.
A unique landmark of St. George is unfinished church on Kent Street. Its construction began in 1870, but was never completed.
Tucker House Museum- the building of the Tucker family, respected in the islands, built in 1775 and attractive with its magnificent collection of family silver, porcelain and antique furniture.
St. David's Lighthouse– was built in 1879.
– was built in 1620 and is famous for being the oldest and smallest working drawbridge in the world. Connects the main island of the archipelago with Somerset Island.
The bridge consists of 2 parts, supported by brackets, between which there is a half-meter gap, covered with a wooden panel, which is removed when yachts need to sail between the islands, so their masts can pass under the bridge without any problems.
Last changes: 05/29/2013Forts of St. George
- was originally built in 1614, but was then completed and expanded several times until the 19th century. It is one of the best preserved forts in Bermuda.
- was built in 1620 near the Town Cut Channel. A guardhouse and a pair of large-caliber guns have been preserved here.
- was founded in 1688 with the purpose of protecting the western approaches to St. George's harbor from enemy ships. It is in a dilapidated state.
– at first it was just a coastal battery, and by 1877 it turned into a full-fledged fortress. Now it is in a dilapidated state.
Physical data:
Height - 178 cm;
Weight - 78 kg;
Arm span - 193 cm.
Battle statistics: 27 fights – 25 wins – 2 losses.
Fighting style: boxing, muay thai, kyokushinkai, wrestling
Debut in mixed martial arts: January 2002.
Trophies and achievements:
· UCC welterweight champion 2002;
· UFC welterweight champion 2006, 2007 – 2013.
Fighting technique. It is absolutely useless to talk about such an MMA legend in terms of the fighter’s technical arsenal. After all, St. Pierre has no obvious gaps in fighting skills, and has been polishing his skills all his life. The undisputed UFC welterweight champion since 2007 is an excellent fighter, often fighting on the ground, he is good at striking and is technically competent, as he has a black belt. In the world of MMA, it is difficult to find a fighter like George who would have the highest skills in five martial arts - this is a unique case. But even such an unsurpassed master had the opportunity to meet opponents who were able to defeat him.
Career development. Canadian Georges St. Pierre began his MMA career by winning the fairly prestigious UCC tournament in 2002, which was predominantly attended by Canadian fighters. Thus was born a welterweight star.
The first fight in the UFC tournaments for St. Pierre took place in 2004, and after 2 victories in a row, the Canadian received the right to fight for the title against the American fighter Matt Hughes, to whom George unexpectedly lost. The experienced American caught the MMA legend in a painful hold and kept the championship title. Despite this, just 2 years later, St. Pierre takes the championship title from the American, realizing his dream, which he voiced back in 1993.
However, in the next fight against Matt Serra, the Canadian mixed martial arts fighter safely lost his title, receiving a heavy knockout from the American. This defeat was the last, so far, in the career of Georges St. Pierre in MMA, and the fighter himself became the king of the middle weight. Having taken the title from Hughes for the second time, St. Pierre managed to defend it 11 times, time after time proving to be stronger than his opponents in the ring.
Among the fighters defeated by the Canadian are BJ Penn, Dan Hardy, Brazilian Thiago Alves and. After the fight with the latter, in March 2013, St. Pierre announced his retirement due to constant problems with the groin, an injury to which he suffered back in 2007. The undisputed welterweight champion for six years has repeatedly postponed his return to the world of MMA, and sponsors are eager to see the champion in the octagon again.
Thus, it is the possible return of the legendary Canadian welterweight Georges St. Pierre that could become a landmark event for the MMA world in 2015.