The 10 most popular fighters in UFC history

#1: Georges St-Pierre

'GSP' became a national hero in his native Canada

When he first debuted in the UFC in 2004 – a year before MMA exploded in popularity – it was clear that big things lay in the future for young Canadian Georges St-Pierre. Few people could’ve guessed quite how big he would become, though. Almost 15 years later, ‘GSP’ is by far the most beloved fighter in UFC history, and he’s become a national hero in Canada to the point where his popularity rivals that of Wayne Gretzky and Bret Hart.

Over his time in the Octagon – where he put together a phenomenal record of 20 wins and 2 losses – not only did GSP establish himself as perhaps the greatest fighter to ever compete in the sport, but also the ultimate hero to oppose various trash-talking villains. Usually someone who sees the kind of success that St-Pierre did becomes cocky or arrogant – look at Jon Jones for instance – but ‘GSP’ always remained grounded and never became overconfident in his skills.

Not only did St-Pierre defeat great opponents like Carlos Condit, Matt Hughes and Jon Fitch, but he also embarked on huge feuds with the likes of BJ Penn, Josh Koscheck and Nick Diaz – opponents who were more than happy to poke at GSP and play the villain in the eyes of the fans. And when St-Pierre turned back their challenges – often in one-sided fashion – the fans ate it up with a spoon.

Nobody else came off like a super-hero quite like GSP did, probably because he was the only fighter who always seemed to come out on top regardless of the odds. And it was almost impossible to dislike the guy due to his humble nature, even if some fans wanted to.

When he chose to step away in 2013 – having never lost his Welterweight title – he left a gap that was almost impossible for the UFC to fill. If we see another fighter as universally popular as St-Pierre in the next 25 years of the UFC, it’ll be a surprise.