Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever and retired from the sport with a record of 26-2. During this time, he won the welterweight and middleweight belts and racked up an impressive 6 submissions but mostly won by unanimous decision.
It should also be noted that in 2008 he earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, from Bruno Fernandes, who teaches BJJ in GSP’s native Quebec in Canada. Because of his background in BJJ, this often leads to people asking just how good GSP is at BJJ? Read on for more information.
Table of Contents
GSP fights in ADCC
Back in 2005, GSP qualified for ADCC. Here, he lost to Leo Santos by a flying armbar in the first round. Whilst this may be expected as GSP is primarily a mixed martial artist and not a BJJ specialist, the very fact that GSP qualified for the ADCC finals is impressive. He qualified by a couple of wins where he showcased superior wrestling takedowns, dominant top pressure, and kimura attacks.
Had Santos not caught him with a flying armbar then who knows? Nonetheless, his qualification in the first place is an achievement as only elite grapplers make it through to the ADCC. Remember, at this point GSP was fighting in the UFC, so a lot of his attention was focused on wrestling and karate too. Obviously, if you’re only focused on grappling then you’ll be better than someone that focuses on multiple other martial arts
GSP submits Braulio Estima
Over the years, GSP has trained with many of the BJJ greats, including Roger Gracie, Gordon Ryan, and Braulio Estima. In one unearthed video during his peak, he can be seen sparring Braulio Estima who has won ADCC multiple times.
Here, he manages to snatch a Kimura on Estima and tap him. Even if it requires great physical strength, it’s still a massive accomplishment. Of course, this is only during sparring and it’s not a real event, but it’s still impressive.
GSP trains BJJ under John Danaher and Firas Zahabi
It’s no secret that whilst working as a binman in Canada, GSP would get a bus down to New York City to train with John Danaher. According to Danaher, GSP was one of the most dedicated students that he’d ever seen and was a great listener in training. Whilst in the training room, GSP had no ego and was there to learn, not to win.
He also trained vigorously in Canada with Firas Zahabi at his Tristar gym which is where he trained BJJ and MMA. Zahabi is also known as an excellent coach with wrestling, so it’s no surprise that GSP also excelled at that.
GSP used BJJ to win the UFC Middleweight title
Against Michael Bisping at UFC 2017, GSP successfully used his BJJ to win the Middleweight belt. During the third round, GSP passed Bisping’s closed guard, took his back, and sunk in a rear naked choke to claim victory.
This was a clean choke and as Bisping didn’t tap, he went unconscious. Of course, GSP had previously won other bouts with his BJJ but this was special as it was for the title. According to his coach John Danaher, this was planned by GSP who wanted to show off his superior BJJ during the fight.
Remember, Bisping is hardly a BJJ slouch either, and had a brown belt in the art at the time. Whilst performing BJJ techniques in a grappling match is one thing, doing them with strikes involved is another skill altogether.
GSP trains in the gi and uses his BJJ skill smartly in MMA
What’s refreshing about GSP is that he also trains BJJ in the gi which is often shunned by MMA fighters. The reason for this is obvious, as it isn’t as realistic as training in no gi for MMA. Nonetheless, GSP is very open minded and a bit of a purist, so it’s no surprise that he also dabbles in the gi.
What’s more, is his intelligence whilst fighting. He would often set up takedowns with karate kicks and then smother his opponents with his top game. Understandably, this is why he’s one of the best of all time.
In conclusion, GSP certainly is good at BJJ and although he’s not one of the best in the world, he can certainly hang with them which proves just how good he is. To put it into perspective, it’s also fair to say he would smoke most regular BJJ black belts.
Want to learn more about Georges St Pierre and his fighting philosophy? Check out his legendary autobiography.
