King Georges: Georges St-Pierre rules the UFC's welterweight division. But can the stylish and personable Canadian become the sport's next breakout star?

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2009 by Sean Hyson

These days, St-Pierre can do a chinup with 120 pounds around his waist. He can lift 120-pound dumbbells for bench presses and front squat 270 pounds. Chaimberg says St-Pierre also put four inches on his vertical jump, which is now at a staggering 40 inches. Not bad for a 188-pounder who cuts down to 170 for fights. "His body fat is around 5%," says Chaimberg. "He builds a pound of muscle every two to three months."

St-Pierre's technical proficiency and all-around athleticism have made him one of MMA's best ambassadors--a shining example of great technique, conditioning, and talent, honed through nearly a lifetime of strict martial arts cross training. (He began with karate lessons at age 6, picking up Muay Thai kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Olympic-style wrestling in his teens.) Unlike Kimbo Slice-style brawlers or even Matt Hughes, who's been known for excelling at only one style of fighting (wrestling), St-Pierre represents a burgeoning generation of true mixed martial artists. These fighters are dangerous in every aspect of the game--stand-up striking, wrestling, and submission grappling on the mat. "Matt Hughes is a great wrestler," says Kevin Iole, a boxing and MMA reporter for Yahoo! Sports, "but he uses it as a wrestler. GSP transitions from striking to MMA wrestling to jiu-jitsu, one after the other. And that's where the sport is headed."

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St-Pierre's personality makes him the perfect man to lead the charge. "He's so respectful, and he dresses so well" says Iole. "I don't think you'll find a classier athlete than Georges." He regularly bows to opponents and has never been one to talk trash or swear in interviews. He's even professed that he has no excuse for his loss to Serra, despite the fact that his father had fallen ill during his training and his cousin died around the same time. "Serra beat me fair and square ...," he says. "A lot of problems happened [before the fight], but I'm a professional athlete. I should have been able to deal with it." St-Pierre gained revenge on Serra last April in front of 21,000 fans in his hometown. The event set a UFC attendance record. At the start of the fight, GSP surprised pundits by immediately taking Serra to the mat--a dangerous strategy against a great ground fighter. He pummeled Serra with punches and knees, disregarding Serra's exceptional jiu-jitsu skills. "I didn't want to get caught again" St-Pierre says, "I went fight through."

With his leading man looks and bilingual appeal (he speaks French), St-Pierre can easily grow the sport outside its core male base to attract female and international fans. "I ran into some girls who were wearing GSP shirts" says Iole, "and they said they would have never watched MMA without GSP. They thought he was cute. You always see him in a sharp suit, and he has that accent ... He's a charismatic guy who carries a lot of appeal."

In October, Hollywood superfirm Creative Artists Agency (CAA) signed St-Pierre, making him the first MMA athlete to join their celebrity ranks. "They liked that we had not affiliated ourselves with a lot of fight-specific brands," says Spencer. The St-Pierre brand will be in full force this year, with the GSP action figures hitting stores this month. The champ shot a cameo appearance last year in an MMA action flick, Never Surrender, also due out in 2009. More acting roles may follow soon.