GSP - SEEING RED

APRIL 19, 2008 - Montreal Quebec, Canada

This is the night GSP became a two time UFC Welterweight Champion and then went on a 9x title defense run over 6 years, before moving up to 185lbs and winning the UFC Middleweight Title at UFC 217. I shot this image moments before GSP walked out to face Matt Serra and take the 170lb UFC Title from him.

I’ve been a part of a lot of historic moments in MMA, but the fight camp that led to this night, was unreal and unforgettable.

I spent a few weeks documenting Georges training between Jacksons MMA In Alburquerque, New Mexico, Tri Starr MMA and Grant Brothers Boxing in Montreal as the “GSP Architect” Phil Nurse, along with Greg Jackson, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Jon Chaimberg and Firas Zahabi, crafted a path of greatness for Georges.

Through this journey, I learned a lot about Georges’ humility, his “white belt mentality” of learning from anyone, his focus and overall demeanor and it taught me how to move around him. He misses nothing when he enters a room and my role was to be present and capture but never be a distraction. To this day, I apply everything I learned from working with him to my career and it’s continued to serve me well. 

In 2009, the UFC was not handing out credentials to photographers, so I made my own credential at a late night print shop the night before and on fight night, I walked into the Bell Centre with team GSP and took my front row seat to shoot sports history.