Georges St. Pierre is one of the most recognizable fighters in UFC history. Making his money in the welterweight division, “Rush” is well-known for also being one of the best MMA fighters in the sport’s history. His bread and butter was submissions, which consisted of rear naked chokes and armbars.
But there’s much more to St. Pierre’s legacy than just making people tap out. What kickstarted his career? Which fight(s) helped him become one of the greatest fighters of all time?
Georges St. Pierre’s Profile
As mentioned earlier, Georges St. Pierre had a penchant for making his opponent submit. Whether he could lock you into an armbar, a kimura lock, or a rear naked choke, St. Pierre had an unrivaled arsenal. However, he could also pummel opponents into oblivion, as proven by his victory over Matt Serra at UFC 83.
With his incredible grappling came PPV buys. During his career, matches featuring St. Pierre totaled 9.15 million buys. The highest was UFC 158 on March 16, 2013, at Bell Centre in Montreal, where he fought Nick Diaz in the main event. The pay-per-view totaled 950,000 buys.
Georges St. Pierre’s Best Rivalries
Aside from Matt Serra, where he has a 1-1 record, Georges St. Pierre also had memorable bouts with B.J. Penn. The first fight was at UFC 58 on March 4, 2006, in Las Vegas. Here, “Rush” was the victor by split decision, with St. Pierre winning the follow-up match-up at UFC 94 in 2009.
Another prolific rivalry St. Pierre had was with Matt Hughes, where he had a 2-1 record. The first fight went down at UFC 50 on October 22, 2004, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Here, Hughes won via armbar in the first round. However, St. Pierre would get the last laugh, defeating Hughes in the next two fights.
Where is Georges St. Pierre Now?
After his initial UFC career, Georges St. Pierre was set to return for a grappling match with Nick Diaz. The fight was supposed to happen at UFC Fight Night Pass Invitational 6, only for Diaz to pull out due to injury.
The former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion has also dabbled in acting, starring in shows such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier and What If? During these shows, he played the role of Georges Batroc.
Being one of the greatest UFC fighters in history comes with its perks. Whether it’s acting gigs or grappling tournaments, climbing to the top is an incredible high. That’s what Georges St. Pierre experienced, submitting his opponents en route to winning titles and being one of the greats.
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