Georges St-Pierre details the strategy he would have used in his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
With both St-Pierre and Nurmagomedov now retired, this would have been a super fight like no other.
Former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre (26-2 MMA) last fought in 2017, defeating Michael Bisping (30-9 MMA) by submission at UFC 217 to capture the promotion's middleweight title. It was time to earn it. St-Pierre officially announced his retirement in February 2019.
Undefeated Nurmagomedov (29-0 mixed martial arts) holds the distinction of being the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion in history, holding the title from April 2018 to March 2021. Nurmagomedov retired from active duty in 2020.
“Rush” certainly thought about how the battle with “Eagle” would unfold.
Georges St-Pierre appeared on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast and discussed the strategy he would have used against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“Khabib has a very good overhand right. He's very good at gauging distance and creating a dilemma in the opponent's mind between a takedown and an overhand right. He's a master at chain wrestling, so he's most dangerous when he has his back against the fence.”
St-Pierre went on to outline how he would approach the fight with Khabib.
“My style is different. My style is more in the middle. I'm very good at using fakes and creating destructive power and digging into my legs. I'm more of a dynamic type. I call this an aggressive and reactive takedown from the middle, but Khabib is better when he has his opponent's back against the fence.”
“My strategy if I were to face Khabib would be to keep the fight in the middle as much as possible and not be afraid to beat him. Maybe I'm the guy he fought first or one of the few who tried to beat him. He would have been one of the guys and I've beaten everyone I've ever fought.”
As for who would have won, Georges St-Pierre concluded (h/t MMAJunkie):
“You can say whatever you want, but I think Khabib could have beaten me. I'm not saying I beat Khabib all the time. I felt confident enough going into that fight,” he said. I knew if I went into that fight, I would beat him that particular spot that day.”
“That doesn't mean I could always beat him, but I was confident. But maybe I'm wrong. If he was putting pressure on me, in a way would have beaten him, so I think I would have beaten him. I would have been confident going into it.”
Well, I believe the Canadian may have been “the one” to give Nurmagomedov his first and only loss inside the cage, but we'll never get a chance to see that play out.
Did you want to see a super fight between Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov? Any thoughts on who will be the winner?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section. PENN Nation!
