MMA superstar and UFC Legend George St-Pierre returns to competition in a grappling tournament this December. The former two-weight champion will compete in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational. He joined former competitor Michael Bisping on the Brits YouTube Channel to discuss the recently announced news and a potential opponent.
Potential Matchups for George St-Pierre
As soon as the news broke earlier this month, fans began to speculate about the opponent for St-Pierre in December. A mix of active UFC stars and legends were all in the mix, but most intriguing was the undefeated phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani champion retired from the sport at 29-0 in 2020 as he had promised his mother the UFC 254 would be his final bout. Since then, fans have been trying to find a way for Nurmagomedov to come back into the sport, the grappling invitational was an opportunity, and rumours began to circle. However, St-Pierre cooled the talk regarding this when he spoke on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel,
“No, I think it was just the fans that were excited about it because the fight never happened. I think he [Khabib] is retired.” He followed this up by revealing the UFC’s main option for his opponent, “The number one choice for UFC was Nick Diaz.”
Nick Diaz last fought back in September of 2021 against Robbie Lawler, who just retired at UFC 290 in a brilliant send-off. Diaz has fought Georges St-Pierre previously and lost a unanimous decision during St-Pierre’s welterweight title reign. However, in a grappling invitational, we could see the true talent of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt flourish, so it will undoubtedly be a match the fans want to see.
Competing in Front of Fans
With the new date set as December 9th for the invitational, it is believed that it will not be an event at the UFC Apex and will be held in front of a crowd. This is something that St-Pierre wanted, and he confirmed when speaking to Bisping.
“It will be out in a bigger venue, so there will be an audience to watch the show, and that’s what I wanted in the beginning” St-Pierre expressed the difference when fighting in front of an atmosphere in comparison to the gym. He also mentioned not wanting the invitational to appear on just a buying platform.
Who would you like to see George St-Pierre face at the Invitational? Let us know!
Featured image credits to Getty Images
