UFC International Fight Week is quickly approaching, featuring a big pay-per-view, UFC 266, with two title fights headlining the card, and of course this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Because there was no International Fight Week in 2020, for obvious reasons, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony is for the 2020 class that includes former heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman, UFC VP of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner, in the fight wing the first Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson fight, and the fighting pride of Canada, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre.
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GSP’s Dominant Career
Georges St-Pierre, affectionately known as GSP, had an amazing career over 15 years that saw him win the welterweight and middleweight championship en route to an impressive 26-2 record, ending on a 13-fight winning streak. He was an exceptionally well-rounded fighter, with the ability to win a fight however it played out.
In the above graphics from Statista as of March 2020, you can see that Rush is in first place for takedowns secured and most strikes landed in the UFC, though Max Holloway has recently dethroned him in the striking department.
GSP is on many people’s Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters and is certainly in the debate for the greatest of all time. Unlike another name in that conversation, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had a perfect 29-0 record, St-Pierre did have a couple of losses on his record. That includes the biggest upset in UFC history when he lost to Matt Serra in 2007 as a -1300 favorite (Serra was +850). His other loss came to Matt Hughes; Rush avenged both of those defeats with stoppage victories.
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What Made St-Pierre So Good?
Evident in the two graphics, St-Pierre could mix up striking with grappling, which would keep opponents at bay. He averaged 3.78 significant strikes per minute while absorbing only 1.40 and would make his foes miss 72 percent of their strike attempts. He was only outstruck once in his entire career, in that stunning defeat to Serra when he got knocked out in the first round while absorbing 20 strikes and landing six.
On top of his elite striking statistics, Rush would add in 4.16 takedowns per 15 minutes, hitting 73.8 percent of his takedown attempts, which ranks fourth all-time. GSP was most known for his wrestling through his career but his striking was noticed in his second fight with Josh Koscheck when an early jab shattered Koscheck’s orbital, while he also dropped Michael Bisping to win the middleweight division (though the fight ended in a submission).
Perhaps it was his dedication to the sport and the constant craving to improve that made him so incredible to watch. Or maybe he had some out-of-this-world help that made him unstoppable.
Overall, I’m so glad I was able to watch GSP’s career and I can’t think of anyone more deserving to be in the UFC’s Hall of Fame than Georges “Rush” St-Pierre.
