Last week, at a press conference in Australia, former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre divulged that he’d be interested in battling the winner of UFC 229’s Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor lightweight title fight.
“I would be interested in that fight,” St-Pierre said. “That’s a win-win situation. It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money — it’s gonna be a big fight. Yeah. However, I fought at 170, I relinquished a title. I fought at 185, I relinquished a title. I don’t think UFC will let me fight for the title at 155. They will be afraid I relinquish and I left the division in ruins.
“From my perspective, it’s a very winning situation. For UFC, it’s a big risk for them. Like I said, I’m older. I know Khabib, I’ve met Khabib many times. Khabib is actually bigger than me. He’s a bigger guy.”
This news did not go over well with top lightweight contender Dustin Poirier, who has already deferred his well-deserved title shot so that McGregor can battle Nurmagomedov.
“Nah, it’s not happening,” Poirier said Monday on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting.)
“Look, after I beat Nate Diaz, I’m fighting for the belt,” he continued, assuring that his UFC 230 collision with Nate Diaz will be his last stop before a title fight. “Or I’m fighting GSP, but he’s not going to get [a title shot] before I do.”
“When I beat Nate Diaz and it’s my turn to fight for that belt, when I win that belt, when history looks back at all of this, nobody can ever say I didn’t earn anything. I never took the easy route. I’ve always fought the best guys. I’ve never pulled out of a fight. I’ve never missed weight. I’ve put it all on the line every time, win, lose, or draw, and that’s what I want to be left behind in my legacy. A guy who just pushed through it all and kept at it and stayed true to the path, and this is all part of my legacy.”
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/7/2018.