Georges St-Pierre even had doubters close to him going into his UFC return.

St-Pierre took on Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title. The championship tilt served as UFC 217’s main event. “Rush” captured the gold via third-round submission to the delight of the fans inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

St-Pierre hadn’t competed since Nov. 2013. Speaking to the media, St-Pierre said even people in his own entourage thought returning wasn’t a good idea:

“I feel very privileged to live that moment. It was a big risk, but bigger the risk, bigger the reward. Even though a lot of people in my entourage told me it was a bad idea, I always trusted my myself and I always believed I was able to do it, and I did it and I’m very proud.”