Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why a fight with Georges St-Pierre will not happen.
A fight with Georges St-Pierre has been Khabib Nurmagomedov’s dream matchup, but the recently retired Russian is adamant the fight will not happen.
When the two fighters met in an episode of UFC Embedded in 2017, Khabib said it was his late father’s dream to see him compete against GSP. Since then, Khabib has won the UFC lightweight title and defended it three times. Nurmagomedov (29-0) retired after his latest title defense against Justin Gaethje last October.
Talking recently to ACA fighter Magomed Ismailov, Khabib thinks a fight with St-Pierre is past its expiry date.
“When you say Georges St-Pierre, this name really motivates me,” Khabib concluded. “GSP really makes me excited and so on but it’s all over, brother. He’s 40 years old. Let’s just leave it. For sure we like him as a human being. He is the legend. He is the decent representative of mixed martial arts. Let it be like this, there’s GSP and Khabib.”
St-Pierre (26-2) is considered one of the greatest fighters of all-time. “Rush” dominated the welterweight division for almost a decade, taking a three-year hiatus in 2014 only to win the middleweight title against Michael Bisping in his return to the sport.
Following his retirement, Khabib has played down any chance of returning and insisted the lightweight division should move on without him. UFC president Dana White isn’t on the same page, remaining adamant that Khabib is still the champion.