Watch: Georges St-Pierre reveals exactly how he would have solved the 'Khabib Nurmagomedov puzzle'
Georges St-Pierre claims to have the perfect formula to solve the "Khabib Nurmagomedov puzzle." The former welterweight great is convinced that his explosive fighting style could help him potentially outclass Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In a recent appearance on Lex Fridman's podcast, St-Pierre was asked how he would approach solving the puzzle that is Khabib Nurmagomedov. St-Pierre said he would try his best to keep the fight at the center of the octagon and use his explosiveness to score a takedown:
"Khabib is very good against the fence. I would have to establish a game plan. But I think what I would have needed to do is take the center of the octagon right away. Use a lot of fake and feints. Keep the fight all the way out or all the way in. When I say all the way in is when you close the gap, use my proactive and reactive takedowns," said St-Pierre.
According to St-Pierre, his explosiveness could be fundamental to possibly overpowering Nurmagomedov. He admitted that the Dagestani is a better 'chain wrestler' than him, and the only way to counter Nurmagomedov's wrestling command is by being incredibly explosive, which may trigger a takedown:
"What makes my takedown very efficient is my karate. It's not my wrestling. I'm very good at timing my opponent and getting in (for a takedown) with my explosivity. If you watch my takedowns, it doesn't demand a lot of work."
St-Pierre proceeded to compare Khabib Nurmagomedov's wrestling style with Kamaru Usman's while accepting that both fighters' approach is drastically different from each other. The 39-year-old said he has the ability to take Nurmagomedov down since his fight résumé evidently suggests that he has taken down all of his opponents.
Georges St-Pierre claims the UFC didn't want him to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov:
In the same podcast with Lex Fridman, Georges St-Pierre also claimed that he was willing to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov two years ago, but the UFC did not entertain the idea by claiming that they have other plans for 'The Eagle':
"That fight (against Nurmagomedov), I wanted to happen. Khabib wanted to happen. But UFC didn't want to happen. The UFC was clear - they said they have other plans for Khabib. And it makes sense from a business standpoint because they want to keep the ball rolling," said St-Pierre.
Georges St-Pierre's last fight was against Michael Bisping in 2017. He defeated the Englishman after returning from a four-year-long hiatus and claimed the UFC middleweight title only to vacate it later.