5 Things You Might Not Know About Georges St. Pierre

Brian KnappApr 12, 2020

When Georges St. Pierre retired from mixed martial arts in 2019, he did so as one of the most accomplished fighters of all-time.

St. Pierre, who turns 39 on May 19, closed the book on his outstanding career with a 26-2 record, having avenged his only two losses in decisive fashion. He remains one of only seven fighters—Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo are the others—who have captured Ultimate Fighting Championship titles in multiple weight classes. A two-time welterweight champion, St. Pierre laid claim to the middleweight crown in what turned out to be his final appearance inside the Octagon, as he submitted Michael Bisping with a rear-naked choke at UFC 217 on Nov. 4, 2017. The Tristar Gym lynchpin won his last 13 bouts.

As St. Pierre settles into his place in history’s rearview mirror, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He armed himself for hand-to-hand combat.

St. Pierre holds the rank of black belt in Kyokushin karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Gaidojutsu.

2. Few can match his strength of schedule.

St. Pierre defeated 10 former International Fight League, World Extreme Cagefighting, UFC and Strikeforce champions: Bisping, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan, Carlos Condit, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn (twice), Matt Hughes (twice), Matt Serra, Jake Shields and Nick Diaz. Those 12 victories account for nearly half of his career total.

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3. His stay at the top was second to one.

St. Pierre spent 2,237 days as a UFC champion, second-most all-time. Only Anderson Silva (2,457) reigned longer.

4. Judges viewed his well-rounded skills in a positive light.

St. Pierre went a perfect 12-0 with 10 unanimous decisions in fights that went the distance.

5. He left his mark from a statistical standpoint.

St. Pierre plastered his name all over the UFC record book. He ranks first on the UFC’s all-time list in total strikes landed (2,591), control time (2:42:04), top position time (2:22:05) and takedowns landed (90), third in significant strike defense (.731), takedown accuracy (.738) and wins (20), seventh in submission attempts (24), eighth in total fight time (5:42:35) and ninth in significant strikes landed (1,313).

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