Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, also known as “GSP,” is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist and UFC world champion who holds black belts in both Kyokushin karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Georges was raised in St-Isidore, Quebec, a town of about 2,000 people. As a child he was bullied for years by older schoolmates. His father had introduced him to Kyokushin karate at age 7, “but life isn’t like a movie,” he said. “You can do all the karate you want, when you’re eight or nine-years-old and they’re 12, when you’re alone and there’s three of them, you can’t do anything. That’s the reality.”

Already a 2nd dan Kyokushin karate black belt at 12, Georges dedicated himself to martial arts and training throughout his teen years. After seeing Royce Gracie (http://www.roycegracie.tv/) fight in 1993 at UFC 1, Georges knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and how he was going to reach those goals: he invested all his energy and all his time at becoming a better version of himself. When he wasn’t training or at school, Georges worked as a doorman in nightclubs, or hung off the back of a garbage truck, hauling in refuse. He discovered a simple truth: never stopping helps reach goals.

He grew as a person and as a fighter. He added fighting disciplines such as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his karate background and competed in his first amateur bout at age 16. He won that match, and continued his steady improvement. In 2006 he became the UFC Welterweight Champion. He lost the title in 2007 but subsequently regained it in front of his hometown fans of Montreal in 2008 and hasn’t lost a single title defense since then.

Georges retired from the sport on December 13, 2013, holding the UFC record for most wins in title bouts and then returned to the octagon after a four-year layoff, on November 4, 2017 at UFC 217 in New York City (Madison Square Garden), where he defeated Michael Bisping by submission in the third round to win the UFC Middleweight Championship title, becoming the fourth fighter in the history of the organization to be a multi-division champion.

Recognized as one of the planet’s best pound-for-pound MMA fighter and all around athlete, GSP lives in Montreal but travels around the world to train with the best coaches and training partners in all disciplines.

Georges retired from the sport on December 13, 2013, holding the UFC record for most wins in title bouts and then returned to the octagon after a four-year layoff, on November 4, 2017 at UFC 217 in New York City (Madison Square Garden), where he defeated Michael Bisping by submission in the third round to win the UFC Middleweight Championship title, becoming the fourth fighter in the history of the organization to be a multi-division champion. On December 7, 2017, after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Georges vacated his UFC middleweight title and officially announced his retirement from professional MMA competition on February 21, 2019.

Recognized as one of the planet’s best pound-for-pound MMA fighter and all around athlete, GSP lives in Montreal and still travels around the world to train with the best coaches and training partners in all disciplines.

GSP in facts and figures

Born in St-Isidore, Québec, on May 19, 1981
5 ft 10 inches, 170 lbs
Fighting style: Kyokushin karate (3rd dan black belt), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (black belt), Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling

Record

26 wins (8 by knock out, 6 by submission, 12 by decision) 2 defeats

View Georges’ Fighter Profile

Championship

  • Two-time Welterweight Champion of the World, including nine consecutive successful title defenses from 2008 to 2013 – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
  • Middleweight Champion of the World, 2017 – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Awards

  • Canadian Athlete of the Year 2008, 2009, 2010 – Rogers Sportsnet
  • 2010-2011 No.2 Pound-for-pound fighter in the world – ESPN
  • Fighter of the Year 2009 – Sports Illustrated, World MMA Awards, MMAPayout, Inside MMA, MMAJunkie
  • Finalist – Best Fighter 2008, 2010, 2011 – ESPY Awards
  • Most Dangerous Man of the year 2010 – Spike Guys Choice Awards
  • 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year – Black Belt Magazine

http://www.gspofficial.com/bio