Georges St-Pierre admits he was prepared to come out of retirement for one fight
Georges St-Pierre, one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, recently admitted that he was prepared to come out of retirement for one last fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Speaking on Full Send Podcast, the UFC Hall of Famer revealed that he was told by some members of Nurmagomedov's camp that 'The Eagle' would call him out at UFC 254. However, to everyone's surprise, the then-lightweight champion hung up his gloves after defending his title against Justin Gaethje and retired from the sport.
'Rush' recalled:
"I remember looking at Daniel [Cormier], I knew some people in his camp told me that he [Khabib Nurmagomedov] was going to call me out. Then he retired and you know what, maybe it's better like that for both of us. So we have a good ending because if we would have fought, one of us would have lost, you know?" [sic]
Watch the full podcast below:
A superfight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre has long been rumored, but with both fighters now retired, it's now completely off the table. 'The Eagle' has called for a fight against GSP on numerous occasions, as the Canadian icon was the favorite fighter of Khabib's late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
The former lightweight champion famously called out St-Pierre after winning the 155-pound title back in 2018, but the fight never came to fruition.
Evidence it’s not Khabib’s fault the GSP fight didn’t happen. Clear call-out. https://t.co/Mt9nlqxdxS
Is Georges St-Pierre the greatest UFC fighter of all time?
The UFC GOAT debate is subjective and often debated among fans and experts. UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, if not the greatest.
During his illustrious MMA career, GSP achieved remarkable success. He defended the UFC welterweight championship nine times, the third-longest reign in UFC history after Anderson Silva's middleweight title run and Demetrious Johnson's flyweight reign.
Notably, St-Pierre ultimately vacated the 170-pound strap, while Silva and Johnson were eventually dethroned. After vacating the welterweight title, 'Rush' took a four-year hiatus before returning against Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at UFC 217. He won via third-round submission, joining an illustrious group of two-division champions.
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On This Day in 2017, @GeorgesStPierre returned after four years out and beat Michael Bisping at #UFC217 to become middleweight champion.
His final UFC fight to date.. 🤔 https://t.co/utPdskzNNO
Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre all have a case for being the greatest of all time in UFC history. It essentially comes down to subjectivity and criteria, but without a doubt, St-Pierre is one of the greatest and most impactful fighters we've ever seen.
∙ 13 wins in title bouts.
∙ Nine consecutive title defences.
∙ Most wins and fight time in the UFC welterweight division.
∙ Fourth two-weight UFC champ ever.
∙ 2,237 days as a UFC champion.
GSP enters the UFC Hall of Fame 🇨🇦 https://t.co/xyPOEhfbxW