Watch superstar ‘GSP’ before April 30 showdown vs. Shields
HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 14, 2011) – Long before Georges “Rush: St. Pierre became a living legend and achieved rock star status in the mixed-martial-arts world, he learned how to fight in his native Canada prior to him joining the UFC, and now MMA fans in the United States have an opportunity to watch the 2-time Canadian Athlete of the Year before he became “GSP.”
His first five pro MMA fights, plus one other non-UFC match, are available for viewing through a special one-hour special, “George St. Pierre: Rush To The Top,” exclusively distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media, ), the undisputed distribution champion of mixed martial arts and boxing fights in North America.
The special includes St. Pierre’s six non-UFC fights, including his rarely seen 2002 debut, now available on cable and satellite pay-per-view via DISH Network, DirecTV, Avail-TVN and iN DEMAND, as well as via Video On Demand, for only $9.95. Check listings for replays through the entire month of April and into May.
St. Pierre, who sports an amazing 21-2-0 professional MMA career record (8 KOs, 5 submissions), studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), wrestling as well as boxing, and today he holds a third-degree black belt in Kyokushin, as well as black belts in BJJ and Gaidojutsu.
“GSP” made his MMA pro debut January 25, 2002, defeating previously unbeaten (4-0) Ivan Menjivar, in Montreal, by first-round technical knockout (punches) in UCC 7: Bad Boyz. Five months later in Gatineau, Canada, Georges captured the UCC (Canadian) Welterweight Championship, forcing Justin Bruckmann (4-1) to submit (arm-bar) in the opening round in UCC 10: Battle for the Belts 2002.His first and only UCC title defense came October 11, 2002 in Montreal, when St. Pierre stopped Travis Galbraith (5-1) in the first round at UCC11: The Next Level.
In his next fight, Georges took on Thomas Denny, who was riding a three-fight win streak January 25, 2003 into UCC12: Adrenaline in Montreal. It took St. Pierre two rounds to win for the first time as Denny was defeated by technical knockout on cuts. Denny was a US citizen so the fight wasn’t for St. Pierre’s UCC title belt.
In his fifth and last pro match before joining UFC fight, “Rush” took on UFC veteran Pete Spratt, who was coming off of a victory by submission in UFC 42 against Robbie Lawler, who went on to capture the Elite XC middleweight title. St. Pierre locked-in a rear naked choke against Spratt (12-6), who tapped-out at 3:40 of the first round in their November 29, 2003 fight in Victoriaville, Canada on the TKO 14: Road Warriors card.
Three fights after making his UFC debut, GSP bounced back from his first pro MMA loss (Matt Hughes, 1st round submission – arm-bar) in his last non-UFC fight at TKO 19: Rage, in which he defeated Dave Strasser by first-round submission (Kimura) in Montreal.
GSP’s most notable victims include B.J. Penn (twice), Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Dan Hardy, John Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Josh Koscheck. Georges is scheduled to next defend his title belt April 30 headlining UFC 129 against Jake Shields in Toronto.
For more information about the “George St. Pierre: Rush To The Top” PPV special go to www.integratedsportsnet.com. Follow Integrated Sports Media on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.
Integrated Sports Media (ISM): North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sporting events has presented World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson; World Championship and world-class boxing matches showcasing Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Amir Khan,Tomasz Adamek, Ricky Hatton, Giovani Segura, Cristian Mijares, Zab Judah, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Arthur Abraham, John Ruiz, Nicolai Valuev, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, ISM has distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports Media events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.
