Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who also held gold at 185 pounds, wanted to become the first UFC fighter to capture a championship title in three different weight classes.
Which would have required a drop to lightweight.
Since the promotion refused to give “Rush” an immediate title shot, the French-Canadian icon opted to call it a career, and hung up his mixed martial arts (MMA) gloves during a much-ballyhooed ceremony earlier this year.
“Right now I think the ship has sailed on 155,” St-Pierre’s head trainer, Firas Zahabi, told MMA Junkie. “I don’t think Georges will ever do 155. I think there was a time and place and window where Georges would make that sacrifice to do a mega-fight. But I think that window’s passed, personally.”
Reigning lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, has kept the conversation alive by insisting his latest contract came with a “St-Pierre clause,” allowing “The Eagle” to put his title on the line if “Rush” decided to make his return to the Octagon in 2020.
“I’m not talking for Georges,” Zahabi continued. “In my opinion he’ll only come back for a mega-fight. Like a mega-fight. No titles needed, either. Could be a title. I don’t think that’s really important to him. Like a mega-fight. Only those two names (Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor) that are the names big enough for him and enticing.”
He might want to compare notes with St-Pierre, who already told the media that beating “Notorious” does nothing for his legacy. Even more so now that McGregor has no titles and is coming off a submission loss to Nurmagomedov.
Then again in this crazy business, I’ve learned to not rule anything out.