MMA Rumors: Georges St-Pierre Endorses Tony Ferguson To Be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Next Opponent
Former UFC middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre may have already retired, but he still continues to be linked to several big names in the world of mixed martial arts, including reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to a previous The Inquisitr article, Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, claimed that St-Pierre is next in line to be the next title challenger of “The Eagle.”
Since he expressed his desire to fight again in the Octagon last year, St-Pierre has been urging the UFC to schedule a match between him and Nurmagomedov.
Though he’s already retired, Georges St-Pierre wouldn’t deny the fact the he’s still interested in challenging Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title. St-Pierre believes that beating Nurmagomedov wouldn’t only give him a huge payday, but it will also cement his status as the greatest MMA fighter of all time. However, in an interview with Helen Yee of Las Vegas Sports Network, via Youtube, St-Pierre said he believes that if there is one fighter who deserves to be Nurmagomedov’s next opponent, it will be UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson.
“One hundred percent Tony Ferguson,” St-Pierre said, as transcribed by MMA Mania. “And it’s going to be a good fight. I’m a big fan. I don’t know [who’ll win]. It all depends who’s going to fight their fight. Tony likes a dirty fight with elbows and knees, that’s his style. Khabib likes to control guys when he’s on the floor with his top game. It all depends how it goes down, styles make fights and it’s hard to predict.”
Of all the fighters aiming to dethrone UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson is indeed the most deserving. Ferguson is on a 12-fight winning streak and is currently No. 1 in the UFC lightweight rankings, according to UFC.com. Based on his performance in his previous bouts, some people believe that “El Cucuy” has a strong chance of putting a stain to Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record.
“Do Your Best & Always Be A Good Training Partner” Never Forget ? -Champ Shit Only ?- ????? pic.twitter.com/Prvcd7nC4S
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) September 12, 2019
However, there seems to be a curse preventing the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson to happen. In four times that the UFC has tried to schedule the fight, either Nurmagomedov or Ferguson has pulled out from the match due to injury. As of now, St-Pierre admits that he doesn’t have any plan to come out of retirement, but if Ferguson won’t be available, “Rush” said that he’s open to the possibility of serving as his replacement to become Nurmagomedov’s next title challenger.
“I’m retired, and retired for a reason,” St-Pierre said. “If anything comes up, the UFC knows where to find me but right now I’m good where I’m at. I can’t complain, life is beautiful.”
Since failing to defend the UFC middleweight title, UFC President Dana White has been opposing the idea of letting Georges St-Pierre fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, White said that they may consider talking about scheduling the fight if Nurmagomedov’s camp is the one that badly wants to make it happen.
