Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC (Getty Images)
Georges St-Pierre on Feb. 21 announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. So ended the career of perhaps the greatest fighter of all-time.
St-Pierre, 37, closed out his remarkable run with a stellar 26-2 record, having avenged his only two defeats in decisive fashion. He is one of six fighters — Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes are the others — who have won Ultimate Fighting Championship titles in multiple weight classes. A two-time welterweight champion, St-Pierre captured the middleweight crown in what turned out to be his final appearance, as he submitted Michael Bisping with a rear-naked choke at UFC 217 on Nov. 4, 2017. The Tristar Gym cornerstone won his last 13 fights.
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As St-Pierre takes his place in history’s rearview mirror, here are five things you should know about him:
1. He was well-prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
St-Pierre holds the rank of black belt in Kyokushin karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Gaidojutsu.
2. 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.
3. He tested himself against top-shelf opposition.
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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4. Statistically speaking, he had few equals.
St-Pierre’s name can be found all over the FightMetric record book. He ranks first on the UFC’s all-time list in total strikes landed (2,591) and takedowns landed (90), third in significant strike defense (.731) and takedown accuracy (.738), fifth in significant strikes landed (1,313) and seventh in total fight time (5:42:35) and submission attempts (24). St-Pierre also ranks second on the promotion’s all-time list in wins (20).
5. His well-rounded skills curried favor with judges.
St-Pierre went a perfect 12-0 with 10 unanimous decisions in fights that went the distance.
