One of MMA’s most celebrated champions will soon add another accolade to his resume.
On Saturday’s UFC 249 broadcast, it was officially announced that welterweight legend and two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre will be inducted into the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
St-Pierre’s induction is expected to take place later this year with the ceremony airing on UFC Fight Pass, according to a press release.
“It’s a great honour to be inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame,” St-Pierre said. “I want to thank Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, Dana White and the entire UFC team, my family, my coaches and teammates, my past collaborators, my opponents and of course, all UFC fans. It’s been an amazing journey, without them none of this would have been possible.”
In a UFC career that began in 2004, St-Pierre emerged as one of the promotion’s most successful fighters and proven box office draws. He headlined multiple pay-per-views and holds wins over Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn, Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Johny Hendricks, Sean Sherk, Carlos Condit, Jon Fitch, and Michael Bisping among many other notable names.
A native of Montreal, Canada, St-Pierre became the UFC welterweight champion at UFC 65 when he defeated Hughes by second-round TKO. Though he would falter in his first defense against Matt Serra, he soon regained the title and successfully defended it nine consecutive times in his second reign.
After a close split-decision win over Hendricks, “GSP” took a leave of absence from the sport before returning at UFC 217 to challenge middleweight champion Michael Bisping. He became the fourth multi-division champion in UFC history when he defeated Bisping by third-round submission.
St-Pierre, 38, still holds the record for most successful UFC welterweight title defenses. He also earned a reputation as a top draw and in April 2011 he sold out 55,000-plus seats at Rogers Centre in Toronto when he headlined against Shields. That remains the most highly-attended North American event ever for the UFC.
Source: MMAfighting.com
