[ad_1]
Fighting fans probably saw the latest of former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, as the Canadian superstar officially retired from MMA earlier this week.
While GSP left the door open for a possible return on the road, this opportunity is incredibly slim, since UFC has already closed the door to a possible clash between "Rush" and current lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This was the match St-Pierre had bet on before announcing his retirement from the sport, but the UFC did not want to pit the undefeated Khabib against one of the greatest fighters of all time.
"We were trying to make the fight (Khabib) happen. It was the battle of the legacy, "St-Pierre told ESPN. "(My team) tried to talk about whether I could fight against Khabib at 155 for the title. They tried untitled, catchweight. They tried all the possible solutions, but they categorically refused the idea of fighting against Khabib.
"They had other plans for Khabib," he said. "He's a young prodigy. He is undefeated. Basically, he's the perfect fighter, the invincible guy. The guy to beat. "
"A few weeks ago, my agent said," We have tried several times and they are not interested. "
Despite Khabib's call for a fight with GSP, the promotion seems interested in other options for "The Eagle". Whether it's a rematch with Conor McGregor, a long-awaited showdown with lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, or featherweight King Max Holloway, Khabib will be pushed in another direction when he returns of suspension later this year.
St-Pierre obviously would like to have the opportunity to give the Russian champion his first professional defeat, which is significant enough to revive a career as prestigious as GSP, but the veteran understands why the UFC did not want to have anything to do with that.
"I'm not a business specialist, but it's a risk they do not want to take," St-Pierre said. "I'm older, maybe it's my last fight. I take it one fight at a time, and I'm not interested in a fight with the guarantee that if I win, I have to do something else. I am not at this point in my career, in my life right now.
"He is younger. It's an investment. I am the past, he is the present. He is the main player who can help the UFC to grow and reach different parts of the world, in terms of popularity. They are very aware of it. The fight is a sport that everyone can lose on any day. It was perhaps a risk they were not willing to take, from the point of view of business. "
Considering that St-Pierre has returned after a four-year layoff to win Michael Bisping's UFC middleweight title in 2017, it is still possible that he will resurface for an over-match with Khabib one day or so. other. The only problem is that the GSP will be 38 years old this May, so that the match should take place fairly quickly.
[ad_2]
Source link