Georges St-Pierre believes it will be quite the challenge for Kamaru Usman to regain his title.
Usman recently suffered his first UFC defeat after a shock fifth-round head kick knockout from Leon Edwards in their welterweight title fight last month.
For Usman, it’s certainly new territory given his long and dominant reign as 170-pound champion.
And while just about everyone, including UFC president Dana White, expects a trilogy fight between the pair to be next, there are question marks about Usman.
Will it affect his confidence? Or will he learn from the defeat and come back an even stronger fighter?
That’s something UFC legend and former welterweight king St-Pierre is eager to see as he believes the mental side will be key for the former champion.
“Kamaru was winning the fight, but he made a crucial mistake that is unforgettable at this level,” St-Pierre told fans and media during a Q&A on Friday in Paris (via MMA Junkie). “He zigged when he should’ve zagged, and credit to Leon Edwards. He did a beautiful setup. It was amazing, and he won the world title. Now they’re going to have a rematch, hopefully, and we’ll see. Things change. You never fight the same fighter twice. You can fight the same name twice, but you never fight the same fighter twice. Every fight leaves a scar, for the best or for the worst.
“After a loss, very often we see fighters that a loss can affect their confidence. Confidence is very important for a fighter, because you can have all the skills in the world, but if you don’t have confidence, it’s like someone that has a lot of money in his bank account, but no way of accessing it. So for the magic to happen, you need the skills and the confidence. So we’ll see how mentally strong Kamaru Usman is, and if he comes back and wins the title, I think it will add up to his legacy even more. But it’s going to be a hell of a fight, a hell of a challenge.”
Georges St-Pierre: That’s What Makes MMA Special
Of course, St-Pierre suffered a bigger shock defeat as champion when he was finished by Matt Serra back in the day.
“GSP” would eventually return and exact his revenge on Serra in dominant fashion before establishing a long reign at the top of the 170-pound mountain.
But instances like that first Serra fight and Usman’s defeat are all part of what makes MMA so special for St-Pierre.
“That’s what makes the beauty of the sport, if you’re on the side of the winner, of course, because everything could happen,” St-Pierre added. “It would be boring if you would always know who would win. Like in any other sport, fighting, football – it’s no different. The best team doesn’t always win the game. It’s the team who plays the best the night of the game that will win.
“Fighting is the same. It’s not the best fighter that wins the fight. It’s the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.”
Do you agree with Georges St-Pierre?
