"The fighters of today are better than the one of yesterday" - Georges St-Pierre talks about Israel Adesanya and considers Kamaru Usman's potential G.O.A.T. status
Georges St-Pierre believes that Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya are among the best MMA fighters of today. Speaking to MMA Underground’s John Morgan, the former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion notably discussed the comparisons between himself and Usman.
Morgan indicated that certain sections of the MMA community believe that Usman has surpassed GSP as the welterweight G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). St-Pierre responded by stating:
“It’s a different time. We competed against different people in the different time. I think Kamaru Usman, he could be the greatest of all time right now. However, I think you need to wait until the end of the career of someone before saying he’s the greatest of all time because sometimes, your stock can go up or it can go down.”
St-Pierre highlighted that Usman is definitely amongst the best of all time. Additionally, ‘Rush’ pointed out that Usman is on a tear, adding that he really enjoys watching ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ compete.
GSP emphasized that he’s very happy for all the fighters who are doing well, including Usman. The UFC Hall of Famer said:
“Adesanya is up there. He’s among one of the best as well. All the guys that are competing. I think they deserve the credit, and they’re on the spotlight right now. And I think the fighters of today are better than the one of yesterday. And the one of the next generation will be better than the one that we have today.”
Kamaru Usman is currently recovering from his hand injury issues. While his exact comeback date hasn’t been officially confirmed, he’s expected to defend the UFC welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards later this year.
Watch Georges St-Pierre give his take regarding Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya at the 8:39-minute mark in the video below:
Kelvin Gastelum on Israel Adesanya’s dominance in the UFC middleweight division
UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum is no stranger to reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's prowess. Gastelum faced Adesanya for the interim UFC middleweight title in an all-time-classic fight in 2019. ‘The Last Stylebender’ defeated Gastelum via unanimous decision and thereby captured the interim belt.
Adesanya eventually won the undisputed title and has successfully defended it four times thus far. He is currently scheduled to defend his belt against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2.
Meanwhile, Gastelum has suffered a few setbacks in the fights ensuing his bout with the Nigerian-born New Zealand native. Speaking to The Schmo, Gastelum recently addressed Adesanya’s dominance at middleweight and asserted that he isn’t surprised by it. Gastelum said:
"He's a great fighter. He's proved himself every step of the way...And I think he's gotten better."