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Georges St-Pierre reveals failed UFC fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020: ‘I would’ve put him down’

Former two-weight UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre has revealed the promotion had approached him with a potential fight against Hall…

Former two-weight UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre has revealed the promotion had approached him with a potential fight against Hall of Fame star and former lightweight kingpin, Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2020, ultimately to no avail – however, it came as a bout he believes he would have won.

St-Pierre, a former undisputed welterweight and middleweight titleholder under the banner of the promotion, called time on his professional career back in 2019, having landed the 185-pound title two years prior in a return to the Octagon in a submission win over Michael Bisping.

And as for Nurmagomedov, the former lightweight champion also ended his illustrious career back in 2020, successfully unifying the divisional crowns with a spectacular second round triangle choke submission win over then-interim champion, Justin Gaethje.

Forever linked with a superifhgt clash against Nurmagomedov since his retirement, St-Pierre – a fellow Hall of Fame inductee to boot, claimed the promotion had fielded a potential fight to himself and the Russian, fruitlessly, however.

Georges St-Pierre talks failed Khabib Nurmagomedov fight

Breaking down a potential fight the undefeated Sambo specialist, St-Pierre claimed he would have beaten Nurmagomedov if they actually fought each other.

“I think Khabib (Nurmagomedov) could have beat me, I’m not saying I could beat Khabib all the time,” Georges St-Pierre said during an appearance on the Pound-4-Pound podcast. “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.”

Islam Makhachev backed as "more dangerous" than Khabib Nurmagomedov by Daniel Cormier UFC — Mandatory Credit: Giuseppe Cacace – AFP

Prior to St-Pierre’s claims about Nurmagomedov this week, the Russian’s former head coach, Javier Mendez revealed that in his humble opinion, he viewed the former lightweight champion as the most “dangerous’ fighter to ever step foot inside the Octagon.

Who would have won a superfight: Georges St-Pierre or Khabib Nurmagomedov?

Georges St-Pierre reveals failed UFC fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020: ‘I would’ve put him down’

Former two-weight UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre has revealed the promotion had approached him with a potential fight against Hall…

Georges St-Pierre talks failed Khabib Nurmagomedov fight

Breaking down a potential fight the undefeated Sambo specialist, St-Pierre claimed he would have beaten Nurmagomedov if they actually fought each other.

Who would have won a superfight: Georges St-Pierre or Khabib Nurmagomedov?

UFC icon Georges St-Pierre claims martial arts will help children overcome bullying: ‘I think that’s how we get out of bullying’

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes confidence is key in deterring bullies, and there is no better confidence…

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes confidence is key in deterring bullies, and there is no better confidence builder than martial arts.

According to the website DoSomething.org, 1 in 5 students between the ages of 12-18 has been bullied. 160,000 kids have skipped school at some point to avoid being bullied. As a result, students who reported that they were frequently bullied scored lower in multiple subjects, including reading, mathematics, and science.

So how do we fix this?

Speaking with BangTao MMA — the premiere Muay Thai and MMA training center in Phuket, Thailand during a Q&A session, the former welterweight world champion shared how he was able to overcome being bullied as a child.

“I started doing karate at a very young age because I was a victim of bullying at school. Every week I was getting beat up at school. I was a kid who grew up with a lot of anger. I didn’t have a lot of friends and my parents saw I was taking a very bad path. My dad started to teach me [karate], but he was very busy and we didn’t have a lot of money so my dad decided to send me to a karate school.

“I think that’s how we get out of bullying. I did not get out of bullying because I beat up all my bullies. I got rid of bullying because… I remember I wanted to change as a kid. I was looking at myself in the mirror and I did not like what I was seeing but I could see how I could change my environment. I had a dream of being someone different. The way to get out for me was through martial arts and karate, it helped me gain the confidence to carry myself differently.

“I used to be very shy. They taught me in the academy to change everything. Stand up straight when I talk to people, when I shake someone’s hand, a firm handshake, and look them in the eyes.”

Georges St-Pierre Turned his Bully-Deterrent Into a Lifelong Career

In recent years, multiple combat sports gyms have been doing their part to help children who have suffered the indignity of being bullied at school. BJJ icon Tom DeBlass kickstarted a campaign called Buddies over Bullies, a nationwide antibullying outreach organization that aims to provide “sensible solutions for those being bullied.”

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has also unveiled its Gracie Bullyproof program which teaches children to use verbal assertiveness to deter bullies and several non-violent self-defense techniques to stay safe if physically assaulted.

Bullies in society are like animals,” St-Pierre continued. “The lion will always hunt the weakest animal in the group, and they never go against the alpha if they don’t have to. Bullies are the same. They go against the weak as they are an easy target. I was very weak, but when I started changing myself from the inside out and carried myself with more confidence it transformed my environment.

“I had to fight a few times but I did not get revenge on everyone who had hurt me. Well, maybe one or two times. I was able to defend and get the upper hand but there are a lot more times when I was young where I got beaten up. When I got the upper hand. So my [fight] record in the street when I was in school was not very good, but what I mean is, if kids are victims of bullying, what is important is that they are able to find confidence. I found confidence through martial arts, from karate and that transformed into a passion and it’s how I earn my living now.”

Georges St-Pierre Believes Muay Thai Could Benefit From More Drama: ‘It’s the Conor McGregor Effect’

Octagon icon Georges St-Pierre believes the sport of Muay Thai could benefit from incorporating some of the drama that…

Octagon icon Georges St-Pierre believes the sport of Muay Thai could benefit from incorporating some of the drama that has made MMA one of the fastest-growing professional sports in America.

Muay Thai has seen an undeniable spike in popularity due in large part to the rise of superstars like Rodtang and Superlek, two of ONE Championship’s biggest draws in the art of eight limbs. But for fight fans, particularly in the United States, the biggest obstacle to embracing combat sports outside of MMA and boxing is the lack of drama.

Professional fighters and MMA as a whole have seen a massive explosion in popularity over the last decade and it all seemingly started with Chael Sonnen, a solid ground-based fighter who often talked his way into title fights with a WWE-style persona that had fans either dying to see him win or chomping at the bit to watch him take a beating. Either way, people were offering up their hard-earned money to see it.

Speaking with BangTao MMA — the most premiere Muay Thai and MMA training center in Phuket, Thailand during a Q&A session, former two-division UFC titleholder Georges St-Pierre suggested that Muay Thai could benefit by implementing some of the melodrama that has captivated North American crowds in recent years.

“I think what makes a fight more attractive, is not only a question of skills,” St-Pierre said. Whether it’s in Muay Thai, judo, or jiu-jitsu it’s a question of emotion, and fights are promoted on emotion. A lot of people will disagree with me because they are purists. The reason they watch a fight is to find out who is the best fighter. But most people don’t watch a fight for the same reason as us. They watch a fight because this guy said this to him and they want to see what happens.

“I’ve seen it throughout my career, it’s true. That’s why you see a lot of fighters nowadays promote themselves as a caricature, if they are mad they act like they are more mad. If they are happy they act like they are more happy. If they want to be arrogant, they want to be more arrogant.“

Georges St-Pierre Says Muay Thai Fighters Need to take a page out of Conor McGregor’s Playbook

There is perhaps no greater example of a fighter using emotion to sell a fight than Conor McGregor. The Irishman has featured in eight of the promotion’s top 10 highest-grossing pay-per-views of all time. None bigger than his lightweight title clash with UFC Hall of Famer and undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Looking back, their clash at UFC 229 in October 2018 largely failed to live up to the hype with McGregor succumbing to a fourth-round submission. But when talking about the historic rivalry, all anyone seems to remember is the intense build-up or the chaotic aftermath that saw both fighters ultimately suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

St-Pierre believes Muay Thai could benefit from a few McGregor-esque personalities in the sport, but was quick to caution that authenticity is crucial. If a fighter is simply playing a character — i.e. Colby Covington — rather than accentuating who they already are, fans will see right through it.

I think it’s the Conor McGregor effect. Conor did a lot of great things for the sport. He brought the attention to a level that was never done before. However, I believe if you want to be attractive to an audience you need to stay authentic to who you are, because if you are not it shows. Conor was great at what he did because he was authentic, but there are a lot of people who are not authentic and it doesn’t look good.

For me, I love to watch Muay Thai but for a big audience, maybe it misses a bit of charisma in terms of emotional context. That’s one of the things I think they should focus on. More on the relation between the two opponents and why they are going to fight and who said what. I know it sounds crazy but that’s how I think you promote a fight.

Georges St-Pierre Believes Muay Thai Could Benefit From More Drama: ‘It’s the Conor McGregor Effect’

Octagon icon Georges St-Pierre believes the sport of Muay Thai could benefit from incorporating some of the drama that…

Octagon icon Georges St-Pierre believes the sport of Muay Thai could benefit from incorporating some of the drama that has made MMA one of the fastest-growing professional sports in America.

“I think what makes a fight more attractive, is not only a question of skills,” St-Pierre said. Whether it’s in Muay Thai, judo, or jiu-jitsu it’s a question of emotion, and fights are promoted on emotion. A lot of people will disagree with me because they are purists. The reason they watch a fight is to find out who is the best fighter. But most people don’t watch a fight for the same reason as us. They watch a fight because this guy said this to him and they want to see what happens.

“I’ve seen it throughout my career, it’s true. That’s why you see a lot of fighters nowadays promote themselves as a caricature, if they are mad they act like they are more mad. If they are happy they act like they are more happy. If they want to be arrogant, they want to be more arrogant.“

Georges St-Pierre Says Muay Thai Fighters Need to take a page out of Conor McGregor’s Playbook

I think it’s the Conor McGregor effect. Conor did a lot of great things for the sport. He brought the attention to a level that was never done before. However, I believe if you want to be attractive to an audience you need to stay authentic to who you are, because if you are not it shows. Conor was great at what he did because he was authentic, but there are a lot of people who are not authentic and it doesn’t look good.

For me, I love to watch Muay Thai but for a big audience, maybe it misses a bit of charisma in terms of emotional context. That’s one of the things I think they should focus on. More on the relation between the two opponents and why they are going to fight and who said what. I know it sounds crazy but that’s how I think you promote a fight.

Georges St-Pierre reveals he never received offer to fight at UFC 300: ‘For now, there’s nothing on the radar’

Former undisputed middleweight champion and welterweight titleholder, Georges St-Pierre has revealed he has not been contacted by the organization…

Former undisputed middleweight champion and welterweight titleholder, Georges St-Pierre has revealed he has not been contacted by the organization regarding a stunning return to the Octagon at UFC 300 in April, claiming nothing is on “the radar” for him currently, despite speculation linking him with a comeback to the promotion.

St-Pierre, a former undisputed welterweight champion and middleweight gold holder, most recently headlined UFC 217 back in 2017 at Madison Square Garden, snapping his four-year hiatus from the sport with a stunning rear-naked choke technical submission win over fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Michael Bisping to snatch the 185 pound title and become a two-division gold holder.

Georges St-Pierre has been sidelined since 2017

Avenging his sole two career losses to both Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra with rematch stoppage victories, Canadian star, St-Pierre has been continually linked with a slew of comebacks to the Octagon since vacating the middleweight crown following UFC 217.

Arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Tristar veteran, St-Pierre has been linked with superfights against the likes of Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Khabib Nurmagomedov – and even more recently, Leon Edwards, with the Birmingham native expected to feature at UFC 300 in April.

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However, according to St-Pierre, who took part in a Q&A session yesterday (19/1/2024) at Thailand’s premiere gym for Muay Thai and MMA training, BangTao MMA, based in Phuket, Thailand, revealed a return to his prior welterweight stomping grounds at UFC 300 has not been floated.

“It’s a rumor,” Georges St-Pierre said. “And I’ve never been offered a fight and I’ve made it clear I have no desire to come back and fight in mixed martial arts. I was supposed to compete in a grappling competition but because I had an injury in November where I partially tore my labrum and rotator cuff, and it’s still not recovered, so there are many things I cannot do right now, like wrestling, like grappling.”

“I’m not fully recovered yet,” Georges St-Pierre explained. “For me, the grappling was a fun thing, and the thrill of competition again, and for the fans. For now, there’s nothing on the radar and a shoulder injury takes an incredibly long time to recover. If something comes up for a charity then maybe, but it’s not what I’m focusing on. I am 42 years old now, I’m not the same person I used to be when I was competing.”