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There is a marked difference between being afraid and fighting scared. The former can push you to limits you never thought possible while the latter will likely get you KTFO. That’s why legendary fighters like George St-Pierre embrace that fear and use it as motivation to reach great heights.
And there are none greater than the top of the 155-pound mountain, where reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has sat for the last several years. Not only is “The Eagle” unbeaten in his professional MMA career, his performances cast him in an invincible light.
“If I come back, it would be for one fight,” St-Pierre told ESPN. “And I need to take, for me, the biggest fish. And the top guy right now, the name is Khabib. As a fighter, the most exciting thing is to take the guy who seems invincible, unbeatable. He has the aura of invincibility. But it’s also the scariest thing to do.”
St-Pierre turns 40 next May and despite his previous agreement to drop down to 155 pounds, the window on that move appears to have closed. In addition, UFC President Dana White is not keen on bringing “Rush” back just to capture another title and split (like last time).
In addition, Nurmagomedov is already booked for a lightweight title defense at UFC 254 later this month and probably won’t resurface until early next year. Rumors abound that something “special” awaits “The Eagle” but the chances of that being St-Pierre seem remote.