Former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed it was “interesting” to hear former two-divivision titleholder, Georges St-Pierre predict a victory over him if they ever shared the Octagon together, having confirmed a potential super-fight was floated for 2020.
Nurmagomedov, a former undisputed lightweight champion and subsequent Hall of Fame inductee, retired from mixed martial arts competition four year ago, ending his illustrious career with a second round arm-triangle submission win against former interim champion, Justin Gaethje in the pair’s title unification bout.
Ending his career boasting a stunning 29-0 unbeaten record, Nurmagomedov has stressed his desire to remain retired from active competition in the aftermath of his exit from fighting – as well as coaching, however, St-Pierre revealed this week that a bout against himself was floated soon after he hung up his gloves.
“I think Khabib (Nurmagomedov) could have beat me, I’m not saying I could beat Khabib all the time,” Georges St-Pierre said. “I was confident enough to take that fight that I was thinking that if I take that fight, I’m going to beat him that day at that particular place, that doesn’t mean I will beat him all the time. But I was confident – maybe I’m wrong.”
“I think I would have beat him because if he would have come to put pressure on me, I would have put him down,” Georges St-Pierre explained. “I would have the confidence to try to go for it. …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.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov responds to Georges St-Pierre’s prediction of win
And sharing his thoughts on Canadian icon, St-Pierre’s bold claim of a triumph against himself, Nurmagomedov – who previously revealed the former was his late father, Abdulmanap’s favorite fighter in MMA, claimed it was “interesting” to hear the ex-champion speak about him.
“I learn from this guy (Georges St-Pierre) a lot,” Khabib Nurmagomedov posted on his official X account. “Even [to] hear he talk about me is so interesting. GSP all day.”
All respect from Khabib in response to Georges St-Pierre's comments
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— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 29, 2024
Who do you pick in a super-fight between Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov?