Fighter: The Unauthorized Biography of Georges St-Pierre, UFC Champion
Georges St-Pierreis a UFC welterweight champion whose charm and good looks have made him the poster boy for mixed martial arts and its premiere league, the UFC. Dedicated to martial arts and MMA since it was a fringe spectacle, he is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.But St-Pierre is more than just today’s champ—he’s a marketer’s dream: handsome, charismatic and funny in a self-effacing way. He is a fluently bilingual francophone Canadian who has strong family ties and had to work hard for everything he has achieved. He draws a line between his public image and private life. He is part of the top talent that the UFS is riding on in its ongoing transformation from niche market to mainstream sport.Fighteris the first book to be published about the ascent of Georges St-Pierre. From his childhood in small-town Quebec to his brutally efficient title defense against Josh Koscheck, author Jerry Langton reveals a portrait of an athlete with uncommon physical strength, mental toughness, and superb discipline. Fighter also takes the reader inside the Octagon, dissecting the pivotal MMA wins—and losses—GSP has experienced in his meteoric career. Woven into the story of the rise of GSP is the transformation of the UFC into a serious contender against the heavyweight leagues of the MBA, NFL, and MLB for the hearts, minds, and dollars of sports fans in North America and abroad.Langton’s painstaking research, background interviews and vivid fight recaps detail the history and current state of MMA, the UFC and of GSP himself, and how vitally invested they are in each other’s future. For Georges St-Pierre, the future is all about retaining his championship title against opponents who will step up their game. His legion of fans can hardly wait.