Georges St.
Pierre is about to become the first mixed martial artist ever
inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
On Thursday, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame announced
that St. Pierre (26-2) would be a part of the 2023 membership
class. The legendary mixed martial arts fighter, who is also a
member of the UFC Hall of Fame, will be one of 11 individuals to
receive this Canadian honor on Oct. 19. Among the hundreds inducted
in the athlete or “builders of the sport” categories, “GSP” joins
an impressive list of names including hockey greats Wayne Gretzky,
Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Guy Lafleur, basketball star Steve
Nash and fellow 2023 classmate 9th dan judoka Hiroshi Nakamura.
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In addition to his Hall of Fame induction, he will be receiving the
Order of Sport
award, which is “Canada’s highest sporting honor
that…recognizes Canadians who have achieved the highest level of
sporting accomplishment and who have the purpose and passion for
going beyond their sport success, educating all Canadians on the
transformative power of sport.” This award was created in 2019, and
it is given to all individuals and teams chosen for Canada’s Sports
Hall of Fame.
“I’m honored to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and
receive the Order of Sport,” St-Pierre said in a statement provided
by the UFC. “Martial arts changed my life and I was fortunate to be
able to represent Canada on the biggest stage in the world. I want
to thank UFC and all my fans, as none of this would have been
possible without them.”
The all-time great from St. Isidore, Quebec, Canada, put a stamp on
his career by snatching the middleweight title from Michael
Bisping at UFC 217 in 2017. This victory came after nearly four
years away from the sport, as “Rush” retired due to the pressure
sustained by being a long-standing champion. Before surrendering
his 170-pound belt in 2013, St. Pierre successfully defended his
throne nine times in a row, a record at the time. His final run
with the UFC saw him prevail in 13 consecutive bouts, where he is
currently tied with four other combatants for the third-longest win
streak in company history.
St. Pierre plans on returning to active competition later this
year, albeit not in the sport of MMA. Instead, he will serve in the
main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 in December, in a
grappling match against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Potential
names of adversaries who have either voiced their interest in
facing him or are rumored to be options include Demian
Maia, Charles
Oliveira, Khabib
Nurmagomedov and former rival Nick Diaz.
Additionally, the Canadian will be joining the commentary booth for
Fight Pass Invitational 5 to call the matches, which will take
place sometime in September.