“Georges St-Pierre marched to the beat of his own drum” - Michael Chandler, Paddy Pimblett, and other UFC stars show respect for 'Rush'
Several UFC fighters have expressed their respect and admiration for Georges St-Pierre in a video posted by the UFC to its official YouTube channel.
Many fighters, including top-tier UFC lightweight Michael Chandler and rising contender Paddy Pimblett all had words of high praise for the former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion.
Michael Chandler opined that Georges St-Pierre is the perfect MMA athlete. He also highlighted that despite being away from the sport for a few years, 'Rush' returned and successfully captured the UFC middleweight title. Chandler stated:
“If you were going to create the perfect mixed martial arts athlete, he would look like Georges St-Pierre, he would move like Georges St-Pierre. The man is an absolute legend.” Chandler added, “I’ll never forget when Georges St-Pierre announced that he was coming out of retirement to go up to 185 [middleweight] to fight Michael Bisping for the belt.” Chandler continued, “Georges St-Pierre marched to the beat of his own drum. That’s why we love him. That’s why he’s a legend.”
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On This Day in 2017, @GeorgesStPierre returned after four years out and beat Michael Bisping at #UFC217 to become middleweight champion.
His final UFC fight to date.. 🤔 https://t.co/utPdskzNNO
Meanwhile, UK MMA rising star Paddy Pimblett shed light upon Georges St-Pierre’s ability to deal with defeat. Pimblett said:
“He showed that you don’t have to be this brash, outlandish character if you want to be successful in the sport.” Pimblett also noted, “Matt [Hughes] beat him. And he came back and beat him both times in dominant fashion.”
#OnThisDay in 2006, Georges St-Pierre avenged his loss to Matt Hughes and became a UFC champion for the first time! https://t.co/bY7rOoTi1Z
The video also emphasized what a great ambassador for the sport Georges St-Pierre was. 'Rush' was well-known as a truly compassionate, respectful, and honorable champion.
Watch UFC fighters weigh in on Georges St-Pierre’s dominance in the video below:
John McCarthy on the Georges St-Pierre vs. Kamaru Usman GOAT debate
Many in the MMA community believe reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman could soon surpass Georges St-Pierre as the greatest 170lb fighter in MMA history. Usman has lost just once, early in his career outside the UFC, and is undefeated inside the octagon.
However, MMA pioneer and former referee John McCarthy recently opined that Georges St-Pierre’s legacy is currently greater than that of Kamaru Usman’s. McCarthy explained:
“No, he [Usman] does not have a better legacy.” He added, “GSP also went up and won the middleweight title, Kamaru Usman has not done that, he has a lot left to do.”
Georges St-Pierre’s final MMA fight took place in November 2017 at UFC 217. He defeated then-middleweight champion Michael Bisping to capture UFC gold in a second weight class. ‘Rush’ officially announced his MMA retirement in 2019 and was inducted into the Modern-Era Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2021.
The 40-year-old sports icon from Canada is now carving out a successful career for himself as an actor, in addition to also being an entrepreneur.