A super-fight fight between Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been mooted for a long time. Is something finally brewing?
Judging by Ali Abdelaziz’s twitter feed, that could well be the case.
Khabib’s manager initially posted a tweet saying,
“People saying Khabib in the works verse GSP is completely true.”
He then did a complete 180, deleting the tweet, and replacing it with,
“Khabib vs GSP the rumor completely false Fake news.”
— Jay (@Jaymma_) February 2, 2021
Khabib vs Gsp The rumor completely false Fake news
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) February 2, 2021
Both fighters are of course, retired.
However, it’s a conversation that just won’t go away. The latest rumblings of a potential fight between the pair came from Kenny Florian. The former fighter detailed the following exchange on the Anik and Florian podcast, telling his co-host Jon Anik,
“I heard some pretty crazy news over the weekend.”
Kenny Florian said that he heard from a well known coach that Georges St-Pierre is getting ready for a fight with Khabib. pic.twitter.com/ZJIz5qKt0U
— Nicole Bosco (@NikBos) February 2, 2021
“I won’t say exactly where it’s from but it’s from a well-known coach who, apparently, is aware of a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and a legend in the UFC, a former two-time champion, Georges St-Pierre. Supposedly that is a fight that, I don’t know if it’s confirmed, but it is a fight that Georges might be getting ready for and is preparing for.
“I don’t think he’d be getting ready for that or be telling people that he’s going to be getting ready for a big fight unless it was actually happening.”
“And for me, I think the only fight Khabib Nurmagomedov would come back for would be against a legend of that kind of stature. A guy that did many similar things that he did. And you can kind of bill it as a fight between two of the biggest takedown monsters in UFC.”
Having cleared out the lightweight division, there doesn’t appear to be many fights at 155lb that would entice Khabib out of retirement. Despite being 40-years-old, GSP would be an intriguing challenge. Both are often referred to as the greatest to ever compete in their respective weight classes. A win for either man would certainly enhance their legacy.
Khabib’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov always wanted his son to fight GSP. ‘The Eagle’s’ coach, Javier Mendez, also concurs that the Canadian is likely the only opponent that could coax the Dagestani icon back into the Octagon.
Speaking to Submission Radio (transcription via Denis Shkuratov,) Mendez said,
“if they can put GSP on the table, maybe there’s a chance there. And I’m not saying it will happen, because I don’t know, but I’m just saying GSP might be the only one. I’ve always thought it was GSP, because that’s what his father wanted, and I think if they can get that one worked out and he can get his mother’s permission, I think that one could work. But I don’t think anybody else is gonna work. Period.”
Javier Mendez on why GSP might be the “only one” who could get Khabib to return:
“I’ve always thought it was GSP, because that’s what his father wanted, and I think if they can get that one worked out and he can get his mother’s permission, I think that one could work.” pic.twitter.com/vC9n3ovbeZ
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionRadio) January 27, 2021
Do you think this fight will ever happen, and if so, at what weight class?