UFC President Dana White Responds To Georges St-Pierre’s Request To Fight Winner Of McGregor-Nurmagomedov Bout
Nine months since winning and relinquishing the UFC middleweight belt, Georges St-Pierre is planning to fight again in the Octagon. After fighting in the welterweight and middleweight division, the 37-year-old Canadian mixed martial artists expressed his desire to move down to the lightweight division and face the winner of the Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC 229 bout.
“I would be interested in that fight,” St-Pierre said during his international tour (h/t SB Nation‘s MMA Mania). “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 the title and I fought at 185, I relinquished the title. I don’t think the UFC will let me fight for the title at 155. They will be afraid I’ll relinquish and I’ll leave the division in ruins again.”
Georges St-Pierre believes that fighting either McGregor or Nurmagomedov is good for his legacy and will give him a huge payday. However, after what he has done in the welterweight and middleweight division, St-Pierre doesn’t seem to be very optimistic that the UFC will let him fight for the lightweight title. In a recent interview with reporters, UFC President Dana White said that the GSP versus McGregor/Nurmagomedov bout might not happen and added that St-Pierre should stay in one division.
“Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen,” White said, via MMA Junkie.
Dana White: Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib-McGregor winner 'probably not going to happen' https://t.co/9DsaKzufnh
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 8, 2018
Despite not agreeing on the idea of letting Georges St-Pierre fight for the lightweight title, UFC President Dana White expressed his desire to have the former UFC middleweight champion back in the Octagon. White revealed that they are planning to book a fight for St-Pierre at UFC 231 in Toronto on Dec. 8. White didn’t name any MMA fighter GSP could face next, but the UFC legend laid out three requirements for his potential opponent, according to MMAjunkie.
First, it needs to be a legacy upgrade. Second, it needs to make him serious money. And lastly, it would be great if they weren’t much bigger than him. As most people think, both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov fit all the three criteria. Fighting McGregor or Nurmagomedov will undeniably give him a huge payday, and adding another belt to his collection will be good for his legacy. Unfortunately, the UFC doesn’t seem to be interested in giving GSP what he wants.
Other fighters who could be St-Pierre’s next opponent include Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva. However, it remains questionable if GSP would be interested in fighting again in the Octagon if his three criteria will not be met.
