A study in greatness: The most important in our lives are those who give us an example of what is possible so that we can lift ourselves higher. They don't give us THINGS, they give us IDEALS; and those ideals can move us from within to become better people. Georges St-Pierre was the single greatest example of a positive athletic role model I ever met in my career. Every dojo or partner he walked into or befriended was lifted by his . Starting off as an unknown youngster from Quebec, he fought his way to the top of the fight worlds toughest division and beat the best of three generations of welterweights and then came from an initial retirement to win the title at middleweight. Along the way he exhibited the highest standards of character and professionalism in an often wild sport. He ushered in the modern era of professionalism in preparation for MMA athletes to replace the traditional martial arts methodologies used by previous generations of competitors. Nobody did more to elevate the standing of the sport in the public eye as it grew from its bloodsport beginnings into the most popular combat sport in the world. He was an innovator who staked his career on the paradigm shift from single style specialists to what he stood for – integrated skills where the primary emphasis was on the interface BETWEEN skill sets rather than over emphasis on any skill set. This enabled him to outwrestle wrestlers, outstrike strikers and dominate Jiu Jitsu champions on the . He was not the best at any one of those skills – he was the best at integrating them with a speed and that no one could keep up with. He defeated all his opponents, dominated every re-match he ever took and shut down the toughest opponents to a degree what was utterly astounding. It was the greatest privilege of my coaching career to be a small part of this great mans ascent to the top of martial arts. Through all the time i knew him and i have no doubt all the way into the future – He was a martial artist first and an MMA athlete second. This made him a perpetual student, a generous teacher and a truly noble fighter. Thank you, Georges, from all of us