Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system. In most sports that use it, welterweight is heavier than lightweight but lighter than middleweight.

Boxing[link]

Professional boxing[link]

A welterweight boxer's weight is greater than 140 pounds (63.5 kilos), but not greater than 147 pounds (66.7kilos).

Henry Armstrong holds the division record for most title defenses at 18. Felix Trinidad was the longest reigning champion, holding the IBF title six years, eight months, and fourteen days. Sugar Ray Robinson is generally considered to be the greatest welterweight of all time.

Barney Ross

Notable fighters who have fought as welterweights include Barney Ross, Jackie Fields, Johar Abu Lashin, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Jimmy McLarnin, Jack Britton, Henry Armstrong, Fritzie Zivic, Sugar Ray Robinson, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio, Emile Griffith, José Nápoles, Sugar Ray Leonard, Eisa Al Dah, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán, Julio César Chávez, Pernell Whitaker, Félix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Ike Quartey, Shane Mosley, Vernon Forrest, Zab Judah, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ricky Hatton, Micky Ward, Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, Victor Ortiz, and Manny Pacquiao.

Olympic champions[link]

• 1904 –  Albert Young (USA)
• 1920 –  Bert Schneider (CAN)
• 1924 –  Jean Delarge (BEL)
• 1928 –  Ted Morgan (NZL)
• 1932 –  Edward Flynn (USA)
• 1936 –  Sten Suvio (FIN)
• 1948 –  Július Torma (TCH)
• 1952 –  Zygmunt Chychła (POL)
• 1956 –  Nicolae Linca (ROU)
• 1960 –  Giovanni Benvenuti (ITA)
• 1964 –  Marian Kasprzyk (POL)
• 1968 –  Manfred Wolke (GDR)
• 1972 –  Emilio Correa (CUB)
• 1976 –  Jochen Bachfeld (GDR)
• 1980 –  Andrés Aldama (CUB)
• 1984 –  Mark Breland (USA)
• 1988 –  Robert Wangila (KEN)
• 1992 –  Michael Carruth (IRL)
• 1996 –  Oleg Saitov (RUS)
• 2000 –  Oleg Saitov (RUS)
• 2004 –  Bakhtiyar Artayev (KAZ)
• 2008 –  Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (KAZ)

Commonwealth champions[link]

• 2010 – Patrick Gallagher (NIR)

Professional Boxing Champions[link]

Current champions[link]

Sanctioning Body	Reign Began	Champion	Record	Defenses
WBA	April 29, 2012	Paul Malignaggi	31-4 (7 KO)	0
WBC	September 17, 2011	Floyd Mayweather, Jr.	43-0 (26 KO)	0
IBF		Vacant
WBO	November 14, 2009	Manny Pacquiao	54-3-2 (38 KO)	3

• List of welterweight boxing champions

Kickboxing[link]

The weight division system is different in each organisation. So the kickboxing weight divisions of some international organisations vary:

• International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Welterweight (Pro & Amateur) 142.1 lbs. - 147 lbs.(64.6 kg - 66.8 kg).
• World Kickboxing Association (WKA) fixed 140–147 pounds (63.5–67 kg) for welterweight.
• International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) set 142.1–147 pounds (64.6–66.8 kg) for welterweight.

Muay Thai[link]

Muay Thai has fixed its weight division as similar to boxing. According to World Muay Thai Council (WMC), its welter weight is from 140 pounds (63.5 kg) to 147 pounds (66.6 kg). And World Muay Thai Federation (WMF) which is the official amateur organization fixed from 63.5 to 67 kg for adult. The Junior category is the same as adult.

• International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) Muay Thai Welterweight (Pro & Amateur) 142.1 lbs. - 147 lbs.(64.59 kg - 66.8 kg).

Shoot boxing[link]

The official rules of shoot boxing define welterweights as between 65 and 67 kg (143.3 to 147.7 lb).

Mixed martial arts[link]

• International Sport Combat Federation ISCF: Welterweight: 155.1 to 170 lbs. / 70.45.1 kg - 77.27 kg

Taekwondo[link]

In the sport of olympic taekwondo, welterweight falls between 74 and 80 kg. At the weight classes for the olympic games it is between 68 and 80 kg.

Bodybuilding[link]

According to the National Physique Association, in bodybuilding a welterweight weighs more than 154.25 lbs and not more than 165.25 lbs.^[1]

References and notes[link]

Look up welterweight in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

1. ^ NPC Nationals Website

Georges St-Pierre
Born	Georges St-Pierre (1981-05-19) May 19, 1981 (age 31) Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada
Other names	Rush
Nationality	Canadian
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Division	Welterweight
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Montreal, Quebec
Team	Jackson's MMA Tristar Gym Grudge Training Center Renzo Gracie Academy[2]
Trainer	Head Trainer: Firas Zahabi[3] Strategy: Greg Jackson[3] Boxing: Howard Grant/Freddie Roach[3] Muay Thai: Phil Nurse[4] Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: John Danaher[5] Strength: Pierre Roy[3] Gymnastics: Patrick Beauchamp[3]
Rank	3rd dan black belt in Kyokushin kaikan 2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt in Gaidojutsu
Years active	2002 – present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	24
Wins	22
By knockout	8
By submission	5
By decision	9
Losses	2
By knockout	1
By submission	1
Website	http://www.gspofficial.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Official UFC Fighter Profile last updated on: August 27, 2009

Georges St-Pierre (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ sɛ̃ pjɛʁ]; born May 19, 1981), often referred to as GSP, is a French Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog,^[6] and numerous other publications.^[7][8][9] St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for pound fighter by ESPN sports,^[10]Yahoo! Sports (in 2011)^[11] and Sherdog.^[12] In 2008, 2009, and 2010 he was named the Canadian Athlete of the Year by Rogers Sportsnet.^[13][14][15]

Biography[link]

Georges St-Pierre was born on May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, to Roland and Pauline St-Pierre.^[16] St-Pierre had a difficult childhood, attending a school where others would steal his clothes and money.^[17] He started learning Kyokushin karate at age seven from his father and later from a Kyokushin Karate Master to defend himself against a school bully.^[18] He took up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after his karate teacher died (at this point he also trained in boxing). Before turning pro as a mixed-martial artist, St-Pierre worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club in the South Shore called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees.^[19]

St-Pierre has trained with a number of groups in a large variety of gyms throughout his fighting career. Prior to his fight with B.J. Penn at UFC 58, he trained at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York City. St-Pierre received his brown belt in BJJ from Renzo Gracie on July 21, 2006.^[20] In September 2008, St-Pierre earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Bruno Fernandes.^[21]

St-Pierre began training with Rashad Evans, Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine, Donald Cerrone and other skilled MMA fighters at Greg Jackson's Submission Fighting Gaidojutsu school in New Mexico. Some of Jackson's students accompanied St-Pierre to Montreal to help prepare him for his fight at UFC 94 against B.J. Penn at the Tristar Gym, including Keith Jardine, Nathan Marquardt, Donald Cerrone and Rashad Evans. Georges' strength and conditioning coach is Jonathan Chaimberg of Adrenaline Performance Centre in Montréal. Georges' Head Trainer is Firas Zahabi of Zahabi MMA, out of the Tristar gym. The two have cornered all of St-Pierre's most recent bouts and remain as his close friends. Currently, St-Pierre trains in Muay Thai under Phil Nurse at the Wat in New York City.^[4]

In September 2010, St-Pierre travelled to the Philippines for the first time to promote mixed martial arts to the Filipinos. He received a warm welcome for his first visit in Manila.^[22]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

St-Pierre made his UFC debut at UFC 46, where he defeated highly ranked Karo Parisyan by unanimous decision. His next fight in the UFC was against Jay Hieron at UFC 48. St-Pierre defeated Hieron via technical knockout in only 1:42 of the first round.^[23]

Following his second win in the UFC, he faced Matt Hughes at UFC 50 for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship. Despite a competitive performance against the much more experienced fighter, St-Pierre tapped out to an armbar with only 1 second remaining in the first round.^[24] The loss was the first of St-Pierre's career and he has since admitted that he was in awe of Hughes going into the title bout.^[24]

After his loss to Matt Hughes, St-Pierre rebounded with a win over Dave Strasser at TKO 19 by a first-round kimura submission.^[25] He then returned to the UFC to face Jason Miller at UFC 52, defeating Miller by unanimous decision in a bloody battle.^[26]

St-Pierre was then matched up against top contender Frank Trigg at UFC 54. St-Pierre controlled the fight and eventually snuck in a rear naked choke with less than a minute remaining in the first round.^[27] He then faced future lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 56. Midway through the second round, St-Pierre became the second fighter to defeat Sherk and the first to finish him.^[28]

At UFC 58, St-Pierre defeated former UFC welterweight champion B.J. Penn to become the No. 1 contender for the UFC welterweight title. St-Pierre won the match by split decision and was set for a rematch against then-champion Matt Hughes at UFC 63. St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from the match, however, due to a groin injury and was replaced by the man he defeated in March, B.J. Penn.^[29] The UFC announced afterward that St-Pierre would have the opportunity to fight for the title when his condition was fully healed.

[edit] The Ultimate Fighter

St-Pierre was seen as a trainer on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback on Spike TV, which featured fighters who were previously seen in UFC events including Matt Serra, Shonie Carter, Pete Sell, Patrick Côté, and Travis Lutter. St-Pierre was seen vocally supporting fellow Canadian and training partner Patrick Côté during the season's airing.^[30]

Winning and losing the title[link]

At UFC 63, St-Pierre made an appearance to support fellow Canadian David "The Crow" Loiseau. At that time he was seen pushing Loiseau to "fight his fight" against Mike Swick. At the same event, after Matt Hughes had defeated B.J. Penn, St-Pierre stepped into the ring to hype up his upcoming title fight against Hughes, stating that he was glad that Hughes won his fight, but that he was "not impressed" by Hughes' performance.^[31]

According to both commentator Joe Rogan and Hughes' own autobiography, Hughes was unhappy with St-Pierre's statement. Hughes said that they "had words" off-camera shortly after, at which time St-Pierre apologized, saying he had misunderstood something Hughes had said on the microphone and did not mean to offend him. St-Pierre challenged Matt Hughes again at UFC 65 for the UFC Welterweight Championship. The fight was almost stopped near the end of the first round when St-Pierre sent Hughes to the mat with a superman punch and left hook, but Hughes managed to survive the first round. In the second round, St-Pierre won the fight via technical knockout after a left kick to Hughes' head followed by a barrage of unanswered punches and elbows. After the fight, on January 30, 2007, St-Pierre signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC.^[32]

At UFC 69, St-Pierre lost the welterweight title to The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Matt Serra when he made St-Pierre tap to strikes at 3:25 of round one. Matt Serra was an 11–1 underdog going into the bout.^[33] St-Pierre has said that he lost the match partially due to a lack of focus because of problems in his personal life, including the death of a close cousin and his father's serious illness,^[34] and later parted ways with his manager and most of his entourage. St-Pierre has since gone on to say that he should not have made any excuses and that Serra was simply the better fighter that night.^[35]

Road back to title contention[link]

St-Pierre in 2007

On August 25, 2007, at UFC 74 St-Pierre won a unanimous decision over Josh Koscheck (30–27, 29–28, 29–28).^[36] He outwrestled Koscheck, who is a four-time Division I NCAA All-American and an NCAA wrestling champion, by scoring takedowns, stopping Koscheck's takedown attempts and maintaining top position throughout most of the fight.^[37] Many predicted that Koscheck would outmatch St-Pierre on the ground due to his credentials, but St-Pierre was confident that he was a better wrestler and striker and was more well-versed in submissions than Koscheck.^[38]

Before and after the fight, St-Pierre stated his intention to reclaim his lost title, miming the act of placing a championship belt around his waist while still in the octagon. His win over Koscheck had placed him in the No. 1 contender spot for the UFC Welterweight Championship. That fight was to be against the winner of Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Matt Serra had to pull out of UFC 79 due to a back injury sustained during training,^[39] and instead St-Pierre faced Hughes in a rubber match for the interim UFC Welterweight Championship. Hughes was unable to mount any serious offense against St-Pierre, who again showcased his wrestling skills by not only avoiding all of Hughes' takedown attempts, but also taking Hughes down at will.^[40] In a reversal of their first fight, St-Pierre attempted a kimura on Hughes' right arm,^[41] then switched to a straight armbar with fifteen seconds left in the second round. Hughes fought the extension, but was forced to verbally submit at 4:55 of the second round,^[42] making St-Pierre the interim Welterweight Champion.

At UFC 83 on April 19, 2008, St-Pierre fought Matt Serra to determine the undisputed UFC welterweight champion. It was the UFC's first event in Canada and was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec.^[43] Instead of starting with strikes, St-Pierre pressed the action early with a takedown and then mixed up his attack, which never allowed Serra the chance to mount a significant offense.^[44] In the second round, St-Pierre continued his previous actions and forced Serra into the turtle position and delivered several knees to Serra's midsection.^[45] Near the end of round two, the fight was stopped by referee Yves Lavigne with a visibly gassed Serra unable to defend himself from St-Pierre's continuous knee blows or improve his position.

Defending the title[link]

St-Pierre's first title defense since winning the belt back was against Jon Fitch at UFC 87. Fitch was on a 16-fight winning streak; a victory against St-Pierre would have been Fitch's ninth consecutive UFC win, a new UFC record. St-Pierre defeated Jon Fitch by unanimous decision with scores of 50–43, 50–44, and 50–44,^[46], scoring multiple devastating strikes and taking the former Purdue wrestling captain down seemingly at will.

The win over Fitch set up one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history, as BJ Penn stepped into the octagon after the fight to essentially challenge St-Pierre to a rematch of their bout at UFC 58 in 2006, which ended in a split-decision victory for St-Pierre. The rematch occurred on January 31, 2009, at UFC 94. The first round of the fight was somewhat even, with Penn exercising elusive head movement, fast hands and good take-down defense, thwarting all of St-Pierre's take-down attempts while both exchanged punches. In the ensuing three rounds, however, Penn turned out a lackluster performance. St-Pierre scored his first take-down of the night midway through the second round and by the end of the round Penn was visibly tired. At the start of round three, St-Pierre landed a superman punch that bloodied Penn's nose and shortly took Penn down again. From that point on, St-Pierre took Penn down almost at will, repeatedly passed Penn's renowned guard and persistently punished the Hawaiian with a ground-and-pound attack.^[47]

Penn later admitted that he could not recall anything that happened during the 3rd and 4th rounds because "I was probably borderline knocked out or something."^[48] At the end of the fourth round, after more of St-Pierre's ground-and-pound onslaught, Penn's corner man Jason Parillo requested that the referee stop the fight. Penn failed to attend the post-fight press conference due to having stayed in the hospital. During the fight, Penn complained that St-Pierre was too slippery to hold, which led to suspicion about petroleum jelly being illegally applied to St-Pierre's back. The matter was formally investigated by the UFC and Nevada State Athletic Commission upon the request of the Penn camp.^[49] Dana White said it was unfortunate GSP's dominant win was overshadowed by the cornerman controversy. "Do I think that he got greased? Yeah, I do," White told The Canadian Press prior to the UFC 95 weigh-in Friday at the Dominion Theatre. "Absolutely, 100 per cent, I think that that guy was rubbing grease on him. "Do I think Georges was trying to cheat? Absolutely not at all. But that cornerman was rubbing grease on him. You cannot do that."^[50]

Prior to UFC 100, Beau Dure of USA Today stated that St-Pierre was possibly "the best in the world."^[51] At the event, St-Pierre defeated No. 1 contender Thiago Alves. Alves showed promise on his feet standing up in the fight, but St-Pierre's wrestling offensive, endurance and ground control proved too much for the challenger and put St-Pierre en route to a unanimous decision victory, despite suffering a pulled groin muscle in the third round. While St-Pierre said in his post fight interview that the injury was sustained in the third round, he later said on his blog that the injury in fact occurred in the fourth round.^[52] On July 18, 2009, it was revealed that St-Pierre's groin injury would not require surgery.^[53]

A scheduled bout between Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann would have determined the No. 1 contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship. In early September, Swick pulled out of the fight due to an injury, effectively cancelling the title elimination aspect of the fight. After Martin Kampmann lost to Paul Daley at UFC 103, a fight between Swick and Dan Hardy was announced for UFC 105, with the winner, Dan Hardy, earning No. 1 contendership for St-Pierre's title.^[54]

St-Pierre successfully defended his welterweight title against Dan Hardy on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111 which took place in Newark, NJ.^[55] St-Pierre dominated the fight with his wrestling. He caught Hardy in the first round with an armbar, but Hardy refused to tap and eventually fought out of the hold. In the fourth round St-Pierre caught Hardy in a kimura while in the reverse-mount position, but Hardy once again refused to tap and St-Pierre released the hold before causing any serious damage. St-Pierre went on to win the fight by unanimous decision (50–43, 50–44 and 50–45).^[56][57] After the fight, he stated that he was glad to win but was not impressed by his performance, stating that he wanted to finish the fight. He also gave credit to Hardy for his toughness.^[58]

St-Pierre's next fight was a rematch against Josh Koscheck at UFC 124, where he won by unanimous decision (50–45, 50–45, 50–45).^[59][60] St-Pierre once again dominated the fight, this time relying on superior striking, using accurate boxing. He landed a total of 55 jabs to Koschecks head.^[61] Joe Rogan stated it was "the most jabs I've ever seen in an MMA fight." During the first round, Koscheck's right eye became very swollen from one of St-Pierre's jabs. By the end of the fight, his right eye was completely swollen shut and suffered a broken orbital bone. St-Pierre stated at the post-fight conference that he wanted to catch Koscheck off-guard by striking with him instead of wrestling.^[62]

UFC president Dana White stated that Jake Shields would be St-Pierre's next opponent and confirmed that the two would meet in the main event of UFC 129 on April 30, 2011, in Toronto.^[63] White had said that if St-Pierre defeated Shields, it could mark a move to middleweight and a superfight against Anderson Silva.^[64] St-Pierre defeated Shields via unanimous decision.

St-Pierre received a 60-day medical suspension following his UFC 129 fight with Shields due to damage to his left eye.^[65] St-Pierre's trainer, Firas Zahabi, just two days after the fight, however, said that doctors had examined St-Pierre and declared that his eye didn't suffer any serious damage and he should be able to resume training after 10 days.^[66]

At the UFC 129 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White stated that St-Pierre could next fight Strikeforce Welterweight champion Nick Diaz. "I've got to go talk him about boxing first, and then we'll see what happens there. It's an interesting fight," White said. "I was there live for that last fight and I was blown away by Nick Diaz’s last fight. He looked incredible."^[67]

Dana White confirmed via Twitter that GSP's next opponent would be Nick Diaz at UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[68] However, UFC president Dana White announced at the UFC 137 press conference that Carlos Condit would no longer face B.J. Penn and would instead replace Nick Diaz, who had failed to show up for any event related press appearances, and would face St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Title at UFC 137.^[69] On October 18, 2011 it was announced that GSP had pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury.^[70] After conferring with management and UFC officials, Condit elected not to compete against a replacement fighter at UFC 137, but face St-Pierre in early 2012.^[71][72] However, after Nick Diaz defeated B.J. Penn at UFC 137, UFC officials decided to have St. Pierre fight Diaz at UFC 143.^[73] According to White, GSP said "He's [Nick Diaz] the most disrespectful human being I've ever met and I'm going to put the worst beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC."^[74]

However, on December 7, 2011, it was revealed St-Pierre had sustained an ACL injury to his right knee and the injury would sideline him for around ten months, forcing him out of the bout with Diaz. Diaz lost to Carlos Condit at UFC 143, in a fight for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship. Condit will now face St-Pierre on a later date for the Undisputed UFC Welterweight Championship.^[75]

Though his exact date of return from injury is unknown, it has been speculated that St-Pierre will look to defend his title against Condit on November 17, 2012 at UFC 154.^[76]

2012 Summer Olympics[link]

It was revealed on January 2, 2010 that St-Pierre was considering leaving MMA so he could try out for the Canadian freestyle wrestling team and compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Though many sources have stated (his wrestling coaches, Rob Moore and Cleo Ncube) that while he is a great wrestler within MMA, it is generally agreed that he would have to spend many years preparing before he can even qualify for the Olympic team. He has stated that he is a mixed martial artist first, and that MMA and the UFC take precedence over training for the Olympics.^[77] Prior to UFC 111, St-Pierre also stated that he was still considering trying to qualify for wrestling in the 2012 Olympic Games, but that he had not yet decided. However, a recent interview has revealed this to not be a priority of his anymore, citing "..defending the belt.." as a main goal.^[78]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Mixed Martial Arts

• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year^[79]
• Inside MMA on HDNet
  • Fighter of the Year (2009)^{[citation needed]}
• MMAJunkie.com
  • Fight of the Year (2008)^[80]
  • Fighter of the Year (2009)^[81]
• Rogers Sportsnet
  • Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year (2008)^[82]
  • Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year (2009)^[83]
  • Rogers Sportsnet Canadian Athlete of the Year (2010)^[84]
• Spike Guys' Choice Awards
  • Most Dangerous Man of the Year (2010)^[85]
• Sports Illustrated (SI.com)
  • Fighter of the Year (2009)^[86]
• TKO Major League MMA
  • TKO Canadian Welterweight Championship (One time)^{[citation needed]}
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Interim UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
  • UFC Welterweight Championship (Two times, current)
  • Fight of the Night (Two times)
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
  • Second most consecutive championship defenses in the UFC (Six)
  • Most consecutive Welterweight Championship defenses in the UFC (Six)
  • Canadian Cover Athlete for UFC Undisputed 2009
  • Second most wins in the UFC (Sixteen)
  • St-Pierre along with Jon Fitch, holds the record for the most UFC wins by decision (9 Victories).
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 2008 Most Outstanding Fighter^[87]
  • 2009 Most Outstanding Fighter^[87]
  • 2010 Most Outstanding Fighter^[87]
  • 2011 MMA Most Valuable Fighter^[88]
• Fighters Only
  • 2008 Submission of the Year^{[citation needed]}
• MMAPayout
  • Fighter of the Year (2009)^[89]
• World MMA Awards
  • Fighter of the Year (2009)^[90]
• ESPY Award
  • Best Fighter ESPY Award - Nomination (2008)
  • Best Fighter ESPY Award - Nomination (2010)
  • Best Fighter ESPY Award - Nomination (2011)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Acting career[link]

St-Pierre has acted in two films, both written by martial artist Hector Echavarria. He plays Shaman in Death Warrior,^[91] and Georges in Never Surrender.^[92]

See also[link]

• List of current mixed martial arts champions
• List of UFC champions
• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official UFC profile
• Official website
• Professional MMA record for Georges St-Pierre from Sherdog
• Official Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter

v t e Karateka Rafael Aghayev · Seishō Arakaki · Steve Arneil · Hideyuki Ashihara · Steven Bellamy · Billy Blanks · Jon Bluming · Tino Ceberano · Sonny Chiba · Chōshin Chibana · Howard Collins · Joe Corley · Keinosuke Enoeda · Shigeru Egami · Glaube Feitosa · Francisco Filho · Seiko Fujita · Michael G. Foster · Gichin Funakoshi · Gigō Funakoshi · Alexander Gerunov · Shinpan Gusukuma · Mitsusuke Harada · Yuchoku Higa · Kanryō Higaonna · Morio Higaonna · Shane Higashi · Loek Hollander · Andy Hug · Seikichi Iha · Motokatsu Inoue · Ankō Itosu · Manzo Iwata · John Jarvis · Nobuaki Kakuda · Hirokazu Kanazawa · Hajime Kazumi · Katsunori Kikuno · Chogi Kishaba · Chokei Kishaba · Chōtoku Kyan · Lechi Kurbanov · Kenwa Mabuni · Lyoto Machida · Akira Masuda · Shokei Matsui · Sōkon Matsumura · Miyuki Miura · Chōki Motobu · Chōyū Motobu · Chōjun Miyagi · Shōshin Nagamine · Andrews Nakahara · Seigi Nakamura · Tadashi Nakamura · Masatoshi Nakayama · Jōkō Ninomiya · Chuck Norris · Hironori Ōtsuka · Masutatsu Ōyama · Henry Plée · Katsuaki Satō · Semmy Schilt · Katsuhiko Shinzato · Yoshiji Soeno · Hohan Sōken · Georges St-Pierre · Taiji Kase · Ewerton Teixeira · Kenji Tokitsu · Robert Trias · Masami Tsuruoka · Sannosuke Ueshima · Luca Valdesi · Bill Wallace · Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon · Gōgen Yamaguchi · Terutomo Yamazaki

Anderson Silva
The Spider
Born	Anderson da Silva[1] (1975-04-14) April 14, 1975 (age 37) São Paulo, Brazil[2]
Other names	The Spider[3]
Residence	Curitiba, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[4]
Weight	184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Division	Welterweight (pre-2003) Middleweight Light Heavyweight
Reach	77.6 in (197 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Torrance, California, United States
Team	Chute Boxe Academy Muay Thai Dream Team Black House Team Nogueira
Trainer	Boxing: Josuel Distak and Luiz Dorea Jiu-Jitsu: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Sylvio Behring and Ramon Lemos Wrestling: Mark Munoz
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt in Judo Black belt in Taekwondo Yellow rope in Capoeira
Years active	1997 – present
Professional boxing record
Total	2
Wins	1
By knockout	1
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	35
Wins	31
By knockout	18
By submission	6
By decision	7
Losses	4
By submission	2
By decision	1
By disqualification	1
Other information
Children	5
Website	http://www.spideranderson.com/
Boxing record from Boxrec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 14, 2011 (2011-09-14)

Anderson da Silva^[1] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɐ̃deʁsõ ˈsiwvɐ]; born April 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion^[5] and the promotion's longest reigning champion.^[6] With 14 consecutive wins and 9 title defenses, Silva holds the longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history.^[7]

Silva is ranked as the number one Middleweight in the world by multiple publications,^[8][9][10] and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to ESPN, Sherdog, Yahoo! Sports, MMAFighting.com and other publications.^[11][12][13] UFC president Dana White has proclaimed Silva as "the greatest mixed martial artist ever."^{[14][undue weight? – discuss]} Silva is also the last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion and a former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Besides the UFC and Cage Rage, Silva has fought for a number of other MMA promotions including the Pride Fighting Championships, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock.

Biography[link]

Although known primarily for his mastery of Muay Thai striking, Silva is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, a rank he earned in 2006 from Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira who follows Gracie Lineage through Carlson Gracie, like Murilo Bustamante and the Brazilian Top Team. He began martial arts training at the age of 14, training Tae kwon do and earning a black belt by the age of 18.^[15] He is also a black belt in Judo^[15] and a yellow rope in Capoeira.^[16]

Once a member of the Chute Boxe Academy, Silva left to form the Muay Thai Dream Team. In late November 2006, he joined new team Black House with Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Assuerio Silva, and the Nogueira brothers. ^[17][18][19]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

Silva initially fought in his native Brazil in the welterweight category. According to Sherdog.com, Silva made his professional debut in 1997 with a pair of wins.^[3] Silva recorded his first loss in 2000 to Luiz Azeredo by decision. After that fight, he went on a nine-fight winning streak, winning six of those fights by either submission or TKO.^[3] After winning his first match in Japan he was put up against Shooto champion Hayato Sakurai on August 26, 2001. Silva beat Sakurai by unanimous decision after three rounds and became the new Shooto Middleweight Champion (at 167 lb) and the first man to defeat Sakurai who was undefeated in his first 20 fights.^[3]

Pride Fighting Championships[link]

In 2002, Silva began fighting in Pride. In his first fight with the promotion, he stopped Alex Stiebling with a cut resulting from a high kick. In his next match, he won via decision against the "Diet Butcher" Alexander Otsuka. At Pride 25, Silva faced former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton. Newton tried to shoot in on Silva, but was hit with a flying knee. Newton collapsed and Silva finished the fight with strikes, winning by technical knockout.^[3]

At Pride 26, Silva faced Daiju Takase. Considering his record at the time – with only four wins to seven losses – Takase was a big underdog. Surprisingly, after dominating most of the fight with takedowns, top position, and effective ground and pound, Takase submitted Silva with a triangle choke late in the first round.^[20] After his loss to Takase, Silva fought in other promotions around the world. On June 27, 2004, Silva fought Jeremy Horn and earned a decision victory.

Cage Rage[link]

Three months later, Silva made his debut in the Cage Rage promotion in England. At Cage Rage 8 Silva fought and defeated noted striker Lee Murray by decision.^[3] That year, Silva returned to Pride on December 31 to face Ryo Chonan. Silva was in control with a take down and body triangle in the first round. Chonan was able to counter Silva's knees from the clinch, with knees, and takedowns. Chonan was perceived by some to be winning up until the finish, as during the third round, Bas Rutten, who was commentating alongside Mauro Ranallo, stated that he believed Anderson must obtain a knockout or strong finish or he would lose the fight. Despite being the underdog, Chonan ended the fight in the third round with a flying scissor heel hook, forcing Silva to submit.^[3] After the loss to Chonan, Silva continued fighting in the Cage Rage promotion, as well as other promotions around the world. Silva defended his Cage Rage title against Curtis Stout.

Although he was slated to fight Matt Lindland at Cage Rage 16, Lindland's decision to fight Mike Van Arsdale at Raze Fight Night put an end to the highly-anticipated match up. Instead, Silva defended his championship against Tony Fryklund, winning the fight with a reverse elbow, knocking out Fryklund early in the first round.^[21]

Silva vs. Okami[link]

Silva competed in Hawaii's Rumble on the Rock promotion, where he fought Yushin Okami in the first round of the 175 lb tournament. Although he was labeled as the favorite to win the tournament, Silva lost his fight when he kicked Okami in the face from the guard position. Okami's knees were on the ground at the time, making the attack an illegal strike to the head of a downed opponent. Silva later said that the rule had not been properly explained to him before the bout. "When I fought Okami the rules really weren't explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in," said Silva. "You could kick a downed opponent to the groin or to the head when your back's on the ground. So the rules weren’t explained to me properly."^[22] While Okami was given the opportunity to recover and continue fighting, Okami opted for the disqualification win. Silva responded by saying he "felt it was a cheap, cowardly way of winning," and that "people that were there saw that he was in the condition to come back and keep fighting, and he didn't."^[23]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

Although speculation ran rampant about where Silva would sign next, the UFC announced in late April 2006 that they had signed him to a multi-fight contract. It was not long before the UFC started promoting Silva, releasing an interview segment almost immediately after announcing his arrival.^[24]

Silva made his debut at Ultimate Fight Night 5 on June 28, 2006. His opponent was The Ultimate Fighter 1 contestant Chris Leben who had gone undefeated in the UFC with five consecutive victories. Leben, confident of victory, had predicted he would KO Silva in a pre-fight interview. A relatively unknown fighter in the United States, Silva made an emphatic debut when he knocked out Leben with a flurry of pinpoint strikes, followed by a final knee strike at 49 seconds into the first round. Silva's striking accuracy was 100%.

Middleweight champion[link]

In response to the victory, the UFC tallied a poll on their main page, asking viewers to select Silva's next opponent. The majority of voters selected the UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Silva fought Franklin at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006, and defeated him by TKO (strikes) at 2:59 in the first round. Silva hit Franklin with knees to the body from the Muay Thai-clinch, then badly broke Franklin's nose with a knee to the face.^[25] Unable to strike back, Franklin dodged the last of Silva's strikes before falling to the ground, where referee "Big" John McCarthy ended the fight. Silva was crowned the new UFC Middleweight Champion, becoming the second man to defeat Franklin, after Black House-teammate Lyoto Machida.

Title defenses and light heavyweight bouts[link]

UFC 67

On February 3, 2007 at UFC 67, Silva was scheduled to fight The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter in what would be his first title defense since defeating Rich Franklin in October 2006. However, Lutter failed to make the 185 pounds (84 kg) weight limit and the match was changed to a non-title bout.^[26] Many felt that Lutter's best chance to win was to take the fight to the ground, with Lutter being an accomplished Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Silva won via submission with combination of a triangle choke and elbow strikes in the second round.

UFC 73

In his next fight at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007, Silva successfully defended his title against Nate Marquardt, winning by TKO at 4:50 in the first round.

UFC 77

Three months later, on October 20, 2007 at UFC 77, Silva fought a title defense rematch against Rich Franklin, in Franklin's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio at the U.S. Bank Arena.^[27] Silva defended his belt by defeating Franklin via TKO in the 2nd round.

UFC 82

On March 1, 2008 at UFC 82 Silva fought Pride Middleweight champion Dan Henderson, in a title unification bout (UFC and Pride titles on the line). Again, many thought that Henderson had the edge on the ground, having competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. Silva defended his title by defeating Henderson via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.

UFC Fight Night 14

At UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin on July 19, 2008, Silva made his debut at Light Heavyweight (205 lb (93 kg)) in a bout against James Irvin. Silva won via KO due to strikes in 1:01 of the first round after catching Irvin's attempted leg kick with his left arm and delivering a straight right that dropped Irvin to the mat, Silva then finished a prone Irvin with a blitz of punches to the head.^{[28][29][30][31]}

UFC 90

Silva's next fight was on October 25, 2008 at UFC 90 in Rosemont, Illinois, Silva defended his Middleweight title against Patrick Côté. In the third round, Côté landed awkwardly on his right leg while throwing a kick and fell to the mat grasping his right knee in pain. Referee Herb Dean declared the fight over when Côté could not continue, ruling the bout a TKO victory for Silva. Côté, however, became the first of Silva's UFC opponents to make it past the 2nd round.

After his fight with Côté, Silva was criticized for seemingly avoiding contact during the bout.^[32][33] Dana White criticized Silva, saying: "I didn't understand Silva's tactics... It wasn't the Anderson Silva I've been watching the last two years."^[34] Silva said in the post-fight news conference:^[35]

"There are many people saying I was disrespecting Cote, but this is absolutely not true. My game plan since the beginning was fight five rounds, inducing him to commit mistakes and capitalize on that during the first three rounds and look for the knockout during the fourth and fifth rounds. It was working, and the biggest proof of that is that I almost didn’t waste any blows. I connected with a couple of good punches and knees, but unfortunately he got hurt and the fight was over. This is not my fault."

UFC 97

On April 18, 2009 at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada, Anderson Silva defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision, and recorded his UFC record 9th consecutive win in the octagon. Thales Leites is credited with being the first man in UFC history to take Silva through 5 rounds to a judges' decision. The crowd repeatedly booed his lackluster performance, bored expression, and frustrated attempts to goad his opponent into fighting, and in the 4th and 5th rounds took to dancing, lowering his guard and slapping his opponent without retaliation. Following the fight, Dana White has stated that he was "embarrassed" by Silva's performance, but still said that he believes him to be "the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world".^[36]

UFC 101

At UFC 101 which took place on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Silva again fought at 205 pounds against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin was knocked down three times in the first round. The bout earned Silva Beatdown of the Year honors from Sherdog. The bout shared those honors with the second bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.^[37] Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of the Night bonuses and Silva received $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night.

After defeating Griffin, a Yahoo! Sports reporter allegedly claimed that Silva's manager, Ed Soares, had confirmed that Silva would abandon his Middleweight belt to fight at Light Heavyweight.^[38] However, Soares and a UFC spokesperson confirmed that a conversation agreeing Silva would permanently move up to Light Heavyweight never took place. Silva did not relinquish his title to fight exclusively at Light Heavyweight. Soares stated his attorney plans to speak to Yahoo! Sports about the matter.^[39]

UFC 112

Silva was expected to defend the UFC Middleweight Championship against Vitor Belfort on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108. However, Ed Soares announced that the bout would not take place as Silva would not be fully recovered from surgery.^[40] Silva was then set to face Belfort on February 6, 2010 at UFC 109.^[41] The fight, however, was dependent on Silva's healing, which he described as "not going as planned."^[42] The fight was canceled because of Silva's slow recovery.^[43] Silva was once again scheduled to face Belfort on April 10, 2010 at UFC 112.^[44] The fight was later canceled again due to an injury to Belfort.^[45] Demian Maia was selected to fill the spot and take on Silva for the belt.

In the first two rounds fighting Maia, Silva appeared to mock his opponent while employing quick, precise striking. In the third round, however, Silva's tempo seemed to change. He looked to Maia to be the aggressor while he largely circled and taunted his opponent. In the fifth round, Silva's lack of action prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva for his conduct. The crowd began to side with Maia, who was the only fighter attempting to engage.^[46] After 5 rounds, Silva was declared the winner via unanimous decision.

Silva was widely criticized for his performance. Dana White said it was the most embarrassed he had ever been since becoming UFC president.^[47] Midway through the fourth round, White walked away from the fight and gave the championship belt to Silva's manager, Ed Soares. White was so annoyed that he declined to personally place the belt around Silva's waist, claiming it was the first time he had done so after a title match.^[48] It was also claimed that Silva verbally taunted Maia saying "Come on, hit me in the face playboy."^[49]

In the immediate post-fight interview, Silva apologized and said that he wasn't himself and that he would need to go back and reevaluate the humility that got him to where he is. In the post-fight interview, Silva made multiple references about how Demian insulted him before the bout.

UFC 117

On August 7, 2010, Silva faced Chael Sonnen for the UFC Middleweight Title at UFC 117. In the first round, Sonnen stunned Silva with a punch before taking him down and dominating from the top position, landing multiple blows. The following three rounds played out in a similar fashion, going to the ground early with Sonnen dominating from inside Silva's guard. In the fifth round, Silva slipped after being tagged by Sonnen's left hook and the challenger took advantage by once again establishing a top position and delivering strikes to Silva. With about two minutes left in the round, Silva was able to lock up a triangle armbar on Sonnen, forcing Sonnen to submit at 3:10 of Round 5.

Silva was hit more in the fight than in his entire career. According to CompuStrike, in his first 11 UFC fights, Silva was hit 208 times. Sonnen hit him a total of 289 times.^[50] After the bout it was revealed that Sonnen would have won a judges' decision. All three judges had Sonnen marked as the winner of all four rounds, judges Nelson Hamilton and Dan Stell had Sonnen taking Round 1 10–8, as well as Hamilton awarding the challenger another 10–8 total in Round 3.^[51]

Silva allegedly went into the fight with injured ribs and his doctor advised him not to fight. During the first round, Sonnen cracked his rib and Silva was out until 2011 because of the injury.^[52] Following the fight the California State Athletic Commission confirmed that Chael Sonnen tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED's).^[53][54] Doping tests revealed Sonnen had an elevated testosterone to epitestosterone ratio which fell outside of the normal range prior to his fight with Silva (a result that is consistent with testosterone replacement therapy).^[55] The California State Athletic Commission confirmed, however, that his actual testosterone levels were normal.^[56] Dana White announced that Sonnen would get a rematch when Silva returns. This was revoked after the issue with PEDs came to light, but Dana White had a change of heart, after Sonnen came back and won two straight, and scheduled the rematch.