Georges St-Pierre is undoubtedly one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He is the most accomplished MMA fighter in history. He holds the record for most victories in title bouts. He is an icon of the sport, and an icon of French Canada. It’s only natural that his hometown would honor him with a bronze statue in his likeness.
You might be confused, then, why the statue in his hometown of St-Isidore, Quebec, bears a striking resemblance to Barack Obama.
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In fairness, the statue is spot on from the neck down. GSP, a Welterweight who was once ranked best in the world, was (and still is) a remarkably fit man. The face, however, looks far more like the 44th President of the United States than the fighter from Quebec.
GSP took to Instagram to express his gratitude:
“I am very moved by this honour that the municipality of my childhood has bestowed on me. I hope that Place GSP will be a space for inspiration and encounters for every generation, and a symbol of perseverance, especially for young people who have big dreams.”
It’s clear that the UFC star has no issue with his likeness. It’s far from the worst impression an artist has made of an athlete. Remember Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous bronze bust in Portugal?
GSP was a clinical, conservative fighter in his day. He outclassed opponents, preferring to dominate fights with scoring rather than knockouts or submissions. This approach proved to be successful, with notable victories over BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, and Nick Diaz to his name. GSP occasionally took advantage of his potent ability to end fights, such as in his final bout against Michael Bisping.
This fight ended in a rear naked choke at 4.23 of round 3, a rare submission victory for the Canadian, and an even rarer submission loss for Bisping. In fact, it was only the second loss via submission of Bisping’s entire MMA career.
St-Pierre hasn’t fought in the Octagon since then. The event, UFC 217, broke the record in the Canadian pay-per-view market previously set by McGregor vs Mayweather in 2017. He vacated the title a month later, citing medical issues. These ongoing issues prevented GSP from fighting for several years, until he formally announced his retirement in 2019. Since then he’s enjoyed fad diets and an acting role in Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Although the Barack-St-Pierre hybrid statue is pretty funny, there’s no denying that the man is a titan of MMA and fully deserving of this recognition. It’s a testament to the rising profile of the UFC and its athletes that such an accolade is possible. Not many athletes get a statue in their hometown, but the UFC hall of famer is one of them.