Even in retirement, Georges St-Pierre remains confident he could have beaten Khabib Nurmagamedov.
The idea of a super-fight between the two fighters has kept fans entertained for years. Even after St-Pierre and Nurmagamedov had both retired from the sport, rumors of the fight being made continued to circulate.
Now in 2024, it appears definite that the fight will never come together.
The Legacies of Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagamedov
Both arguably the ‘goat’ of their respective weight classes, fans and pundits alike were eager to see the pair pit their grappling skills against one another.
St-Pierre retired with a stellar record of 26-2, having held both the welterweight and middleweight titles during his UFC tenure. These accolades in addition to his 9 title defenses at welterweight, make him in the eyes of many, the greatest of all time.
On the flip side of the coin is Nurmagamedov, the former UFC lightweight champion of the world. Finishing his career undefeated at 29-0, the Dagestan native looked near unbeatable during his 13-fight UFC stretch – taking down and mauling a host of world-class lightweights.
Interest from both fighters was not enough to help the fight to materialize. In 2019, a year after his retirement, St-Pierre and his team came to the UFC proposing the Khabib fight. The UFC however, allegedly had “other plans” for ‘The Eagle’.
St-Pierre’s Gameplan
On the most recent episode of Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo’s Pound 4 Pound podcast, ‘Rush’ explained in detail how he would have tackled a matchup with Khabib.
“Khabib, he’s got a very good overhand right. He’s very good at measuring distance and at creating a dilemma in the mind of his opponent between a takedown and an overhand right. He’s very, very good, he’s at his most dangerous when he puts you with your back against the fence because he’s a master at chain wrestling.”
“My style is different. My style is more in the middle. I’m very good at using fakes and creating distraction to get at your legs. I’m more that dynamic guy, I call it proactive and reactive takedowns from the center. But Khabib is better when he’s got his opponent, his back against the fence.”
“So my strategy if I would have gone against Khabib would have been to keep the fight as much as I can in the middle and not be afraid to go to take him down. I think that I would have maybe been the first guy that he fought or one of the only guys that would have tried to put him down, and I’ve put down everybody that I’ve fought.”
Quotes via Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry
‘GSP’ ultimately believes his ability to manage space and stay on the offensive would have granted him a distinct advantage against the Dagestani.
The Canadian elaborated on his stance by referencing the rare times Nurmagamedov’s opponents found success. Names such as Justin Gaethje, Michael Johnson and famously Gleison Tibau were brought up to show that keeping Khabib on the back foot was key to stifling his grappling.
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