Georges St. Pierre Wins Sportsnet's Canadian Athlete of the Year

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre went toe-to-toe against Pittsburgh Penguins' captain and Stanley Cup champ Sidney Crosby, though not in the cage or on ice. Both these men were contenders for the title of Sportsnet's 2009 Canadian Athlete of the Year.

Sportsnet readers were asked first to choose from among a field of outstanding Canadian athletes, including Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist Christine Nesbitt. St. Pierre and Crosby were the front runners and faced off for a final week of voting. The fight card was the same in 2008 and with the same results.

And the winner is... Georges St. Pierre. With more than sixty percent of the vote, the Quebec-based mixed martial artist has won the title for the second year in a row.

This has been a great year for St. Pierre. He has defended his title twice, in UFC 94 against B.J. Penn and UFC 100 against Thiago Alves. Though temporarily sidelined with a groin injury suffered in latter fight, the 28-year-old French Canadian seems unstoppable. He has even spoken of the possibility of shifting his focus to compete for a spot on the Canadian wrestling team for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England.

Known as an all-around athlete, St. Pierre has black belts in Brazilian jiu jitsu and Kyokushin karate, and has trained in boxing and wrestling. He first won the welterweight championship after defeating Matt Hughes at UFC 65. The victory was short-lived, as he was defeated at UFC 69 by Matt Serra, the Ultimate Fighter 4 welterweight champion. St. Pierre fought his way back into contention with wins over Josh Koscheck at UFC 74 and Matt Hughes at UFC 79. A second fight against Serra at UFC 83 regained St. Pierre his champion belt. This victory was particularly sweet as it took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

St. Pierre has since remained undefeated. He is scheduled to take on a new contender, Dan Hardy. The two men will compete for the welterweight championship at UFC 111 on March 27 in Newark, N.J.

Sources:
Web Staff, GSP a repeat winner, Sportsnet.ca
Web Staff, Rank your top Canadian Athlete, Sportsnet.ca
Greg Savage, GSP Sees 2012 Olympics as a Possibility, Sherdog.com
MMAjunkie.com Staff, Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy official for UFC 111 on March 27 in New Jersey, MMAjunkie.com