Canadian mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre completed a stunning comeback to the sport in New York’s Madison Square Garden, beating Michael Bisping by submission to claim the middleweight title after a four-year absence from the octagon.
The 36-year-old choked reigning champion Bisping into unconsciousness at the end of the third round to claim the belt after a thrilling back-and-forth battle on a night when three UFC titles changed hands.
Fighting for the first time in a heavier weight class, former welterweight champ St-Pierre, who walked away from the sport in his prime in 2013, had the better of the early exchanges, rocking the Briton several times.
Photo: AFP
However, Bisping’s toughness and superb stamina started to tell in the second as St-Pierre started to slow down, and even when he was taken down to the mat, St-Pierre could not manage to keep the 38-year-old there.
Instead, Bisping landed a few heavy blows of his own, forcing St-Pierre onto the back foot toward the end of the round.
At the end of the third round, St-Pierre sent Bisping crashing to the canvas, and he followed up with a series of brutal elbows before taking the Englishman’s back and applying a rear naked choke hold to finish the fight.
Rather than concede defeat, Bisping lost consciousness before referee John McCarthy stepped in to stop the fight.
“I don’t have a word in my mouth right now. It’s a dream come true guys, thank you for the support,” St-Pierre told television commentator Joe Rogan in the octagon as he thanked the fans.
“He hurt me very hard. A few times I got stunned, I tried to hide it, I wouldn’t like to do that fight again,” he added.
Earlier in the evening, challenger Rose Namajunas pulled off a stunning victory to wrest the women’s strawweight crown from Joanna Jedrzejczyk, felling the Pole with a thundering left hand to finish the fight by knockout 3 minutes and 3 seconds into the first round.
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