Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Fighters of the 2000s

2. Georges St. Pierre

Sherdog's greatest Canadian fighter, greatest welterweight and second greatest male fighter ever pound-for-pound finishes runner-up on another prestigious list. He had his pro fight in January 2002 and went an outstanding 19-2 during the decade, becoming a two-time UFC welterweight champion and defending the belt three times. St. Pierre consistently faced the most difficult opponents imaginable, ones who were often legends themselves and meant to challenge or even expose him, only for the French-Canadian to finish the night having thoroughly dominated and embarrassed them. This began with his very first professional fight in 2002 against Ivan Menjivar, then 4-0 but later a talented UFC bantamweight and featherweight contender as late as 2012. It's an insane opponent to start with, but St. Pierre finished him with punches in the first round. St. Pierre's UFC debut occurred when he was only 5-0 and 22 years old, and he faced a Top 10 welterweight in Karo Parisyan. A considerable underdog, St. Pierre responded with what would become his trademark: dominating his foe.

After stopping fellow undefeated Canadian Jay Hieron in less than two minutes with punches, St. Pierre challenged reigning welterweight champion and perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, the great Matt Hughes. Did I mention this was within the same year he had debuted in the organization? That hill proved too much for even St. Pierre to climb, and he lost by submission. The setback only fueled the young contender further, and after sensational, dominant wins over elite contenders in Dave Strasser, Jason Miller, Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk, as well as a split decision over fellow all-time legend B.J. Penn which is still hotly debated to this day, St. Pierre knocked out Hughes in a rematch to win the welterweight championship, already cementing himself as perhaps the greatest fighter in the sport.

After a shocking knockout loss to Matt Serra which actually wasn't as big back then as it is now in retrospect, St. Pierre would never lose again, dominating a slew of greats, including Josh Koscheck twice, another one-sided beating of Hughes, decimating Serra to win back his crown, and annihilations of Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Penn in a rematch, the last one the first champ-champ showdown in promotional history. Despite having no amateur wrestling background, St. Pierre became one of the very best grapplers in MMA history, with perhaps its best double-leg shot. He mixed this with outstanding jiu-jitsu, top control and relentless, vicious ground-and-pound, as well as endless cardio to make him a nightmare to grapple with. For the few elite wrestlers who could do so, like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, St. Pierre also had very good stand-up, especially for his time, including a beautiful jab and powerful kicks. The only reason he is second is that as great as St. Pierre was in the 2000's, he did have two very decisive losses. The man in front of him, meanwhile, was perfect.

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