Octagon icon Georges St-Pierre believes he could have been the man to hand Khabib Nurmagomedov his first loss in MMA.
During Nurmagomedov’s dozen years of competing in the cage, ‘The Eagle’ never once felt what it was like to be on the losing end of a fight. He ultimately retired in 2020 with a perfect 29-0 record, including a lightweight world title win and three successful defenses against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
St-Pierre, who dominated the welterweight division before coming out of retirement to take the middleweight title in 2017, would have loved the chance to end Nurmagomedov’s undefeated reign. In fact, the two fighters were even rumored for a clash in 2020 that sadly never came to fruition.
During a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, ‘Rush’ believes that he could have been the first and only blemish on the Dagestani’s otherwise perfect run.
“I think Khabib could have beat me, I’m not saying I could have beat Khabib all the time,” St-Pierre said. “I was confident enough to take that fight that I was thinking that if I take that fight I’m going to beat him that day at that particular place, that doesn’t mean I will beat him all the time. But I was confident, maybe I’m wrong.
“I think I would have beat him because if he would have come to put pressure on me, I would have put him down. I would have had the confidence to try to go for it.”
Georges St-Pierre explains how he could have beat Khabib Nurmagomedov in their potential 2020 matchup:
“I’m not saying I would’ve beat Khabib all the time. I was confident enough to take that fight,I was thinking if I’m going to beat him, I’m going to beat him that day at that… pic.twitter.com/cZLb3478K9
— FightCrack (@FightCrack) March 28, 2024
Asked what kind of strategy he would have used to overcome Nurmagomedov’s smothering style inside the Octagon, St-Pierre said:
“Khabib, he’s got a very good overhand right,” St-Pierre said. “He’s very good at measuring distance and at creating a dilemma in the mind of his opponent between a takedown and an overhand right. He’s very, very good, he’s at his most dangerous when he puts you with your back against the fence because he’s a master at chain wrestling. My style is different. My style is more in the middle.
“I’m very good at using fakes and creating distractions to get at your legs. I’m more of that dynamic guy, I call it proactive and reactive takedowns from the center. But Khabib is better when he’s got his opponent, his back against the fence. So my strategy if I would have gone against Khabib would have been to keep the fight as much as I can in the middle and not be afraid to go to take him down.
“I think that I would have maybe been the first guy that he fought or one of the only guys that would have tried to put him down, and I’ve put down everybody that I’ve fought.”
Georges St-Pierre Reveals His All-Time and Modern-Day MMA GOATS
When it comes to the Mount Rushmore of MMA, Georges St-Pierre believes that no one deserves it more than the man who won the first-ever UFC tournament in 1993 — Royce Gracie.
The BJJ icon is a bonafide legend in both jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, though St-Pierre admits that Gracie would likely struggle in today’s UFC where fighters have and continue to evolve.
“The one that made the difference for me because he inspired me was Royce Gracie. Do I think Royce Gracie would do well nowadays in the Octagon? No, I don’t. I think the best, pound-for-pound, is not even born yet because things will continue to get better. Records are made to be beaten. For the time being, I think the person who has done something that will never be done again, I think Royce Gracie is No. 1. I grew up watching him.”
“In terms of where we are now, I think it’s hard to find someone better than Jon Jones. He’s extremely talented, but he’s also extremely tough. Before, I had no idea how tough he was. I trained with him. I’ve seen him going through the grind and he’s so freaking tough.”
GSP also named former UFC and current ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson as one of his all-time greats, noting how ‘Mighty Mouse’ continues to beat some of the best fighters in the world despite being 37 years old. Earlier this month, Johnson took home gold and silver medals at the IBJJF Pan Championships in Florida.
Along the way, he defeated a 6’3″, 250-pound opponent in the open weight tournament.
Watch the full podcast episode below:
