Georges St-Pierre says it would “break his heart” to see Conor McGregor return at UFC 329 and not be the fighter he once was, while stressing the importance of McGregor putting himself in uncomfortable situations during training camp.
McGregor faces Max Holloway on July 11 in Las Vegas after more than five years away from MMA. St-Pierre, who ended his own four-year layoff to submit Michael Bisping for the middleweight title in 2017, told MMA Junkie what he believes is essential for a successful return.
“You need to make sure when you prepare yourself that you recreate that environment and that level of discomfort that you will face. If you stay in your comfort zone during your training camp, it’s not good. You need to make sure you bring guys that make you uncomfortable. I’m not only talking about skills and sparring. Sometimes it’s good to bring guys that you’ve never trained with, and you have the butterflies, and you don’t know how they move. ‘They’re dirty, and they’re going to try to hurt me.’ It’s important.”
St-Pierre said he was not surprised McGregor chose a fight of this difficulty for his comeback.
“He comes back for big things, and he doesn’t come back for small things. It’s appropriate. Of course, if I was in Conor’s camp I would say, ‘Strap in because it’s a hell of a fight.’ But he can do it. It’s going to be interesting.”
Holloway has competed eight times since McGregor last fought, all in main events or title fights.
Georges St-Pierre is getting the Hollywood spotlight. A biopic chronicling the UFC Hall of Famer’s journey from Saint-Isidore, Quebec, to becoming a two-division champion is officially in development with director Thomas Soto at the helm.
The project will cover St-Pierre’s rise through the UFC ranks, his championship setbacks, and the historic comeback that saw him capture titles in two weight classes. Casting is currently underway for the film.
“We have been considering telling my story for a moment now, and when we found this team, it was clear to us that we wanted this to be told in a new creative way,” St-Pierre stated.
A biopic on #UFC legend Georges St-Pierre is officially in development:
• The film will trace St-Pierre’s journey from Saint-Isidore, Quebec to becoming a two-division champion
• Quebec filmmaker Thomas Soto is attached to direct
The production is being spearheaded by executive producers Brandon St-Jacques and Jean-Christophe Pelchat, with Bruno Rosato and Vito Balenzano attached as producers, while casting details are set to be revealed in due course.
Director’s Vision For ‘GSP’ Story
Thomas Soto emphasized that his approach to the material will focus on the man behind the legend.
“I want to tell the story of Georges behind ‘GSP’ in a way that feels intimate, honest, and deeply human,” the director stated.
The biopic will trace the former UFC two division champion’s journey from his formative years in Quebec through both the triumphs and adversities that defined his career. No release date has been announced for the film.
Two-Division Champion Legacy
Following his retirement, Georges St-Pierre made a stunning comeback at UFC 217 in November 2017 to defeat fellow Hall of Famer Michael Bisping and capture the middleweight championship. The victory made him one of the few fighters to hold UFC titles in two different weight classes.
“Rush” began his journey in the Octagon in 2004 and went on to win the welterweight title in a rematch against Matt Hughes at UFC 65 in November 2006. After losing the belt to Matt Serra at UFC 69 in April 2007, he returned for a dominant run that cemented his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest welterweights.
St-Pierre announced his retirement in February 2019, closing out a decorated career with a 26-2 record, including an impressive 20-2 run in the UFC, highlighted by wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, Carlos Condit, B.J. Penn, and others.
Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz have not entered live competition in years but they are still getting lucrative offers to compete with former UFC champions. The former UFC champion in this instance is Tyron Woodley with ‘The Chosen One’ mentioning the GSP and Diaz gialogue while speaking to Action Network.
Woodley has also not competed in a few years since being stopped inside the distance during his boxing rematch with Jake Paul in late-2021. When touching on the situations with both St-Pierre and Diaz as well as why the respective fights never ended up getting traction or materializing at all, Tyron Woodley said,
“I offered GSP $5 million to fight me in the Middle East. I had an organization, and we was gonna promote a fight, for me and GSP and he just flat out said, ‘Tyron, I’m not in that space any more, I’m not fighting anymore. I appreciate the offer,’ I said,’ cool, well, if you’re not in that space, we’re not’. It was nothing disrespectful, because he is the best welterweight of all time. He’s the greatest. So why would I not want to fight him?”
“If I beat Georges St. Pierre, nobody would care about [my losses to] Gilbert Burns, Vincente Luque, Colby Covington, or Kamaru Usman. None of those losses matter. I’m the best welterweight of all time, so I was looking at it from that standpoint. I did think I could beat him. I never got a chance to prove it when I was at my peak.”
“And, he just declined the fight. And then I turned around and Nick Diaz offered him the same amount of money off, $5 million to fight in the Middle East. He liked the message I sent him. He hearted it, but he never replied back.”
(Tyron Woodley & Georges St-Pierre on Instagram)
Georges St-Pierre and his last fighting foray
Georges St-Pierre last stepped into the cage in November 2017 and cemented himself even further in the history books. GSP would compte at the world’s most famous arena and ascended to the UFC championship throne once again and in a new weight class no less. At UFC 217, the Canadian combatant would do battle with Michael Bisping for the middleweight crown.
The long time welterweight kingpin would vault himself into that rareified air of two division UFC champions when Georges St-Pierre submitted ‘the Count’ to claim the 185 pound strap inside of Madison Square Garden in the pay-per-view headliner.
UFC has just announced a new massive rights deal with Paramount but the promotion’s decision to phase out pay-per-views when we enter 2026 has Georges St-Pierre concerned for the future well being of fighters and their financial situation. The rights agreement was announced on Monday with Paramount that netted the MMA leader a whopping $7.7 billion dollars over the course of the seven year deal.
Paramount+ or CBS will now carry numbered events for the UFC but Georges St-Pierre does not seem convinced this idea will be beneficial to the in-cage competitors contracted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Negotiating a cut of the capital accrued by pay-per-view events used to be a major piece of the negotiating equation for combatants with GSP likely cashing sizable cheques from the PPV points that the massive shows he was featured on would have garnered.
This subject was discussed during an interview with Covers when St-Pierre said,
“It could be good for the UFC, as a promoter, but terrible for the fighters because when I was competing I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract. I could tell the UFC, ‘Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue.”
“Because if I’m doing all the promotion, I’m helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner.’ So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage. “That’s what I think. I think it’s going to take off some leverage for the big names to have an argument to negotiate more money.”
UFC PPV points and Georges St-Pierre’s legacy as a star
While the UFC PPV points were not historically widely available to the public as far as specific amounts fighters would receive, it provided a lane for standout athletes to at least earn a bit more in a spot that is notorious for having such low revenue share among the athletes. GSP’s last outing took place in November 2017 when he finished Michael Bisping to become the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 217 and has been in some of the biggest blockbuster bouts in the history of mixed martial arts.
Georges St-Pierre’s involvement with UFC 100 made it an all time iconic show for the company with Brock Lesnar engaging in a rematch with Frank Mir in the headliner but GSP also did huge nights of business with Nick Diaz at UFC 158, BJ Penn in a rematch at UFC 94, Jake Shields at UFC 129, and a sequel clash with Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 to name but a few.
UFC welterweight title challenger Jack Della Maddalena sees similarities between reigning champion Belal Muhammad and legend Georges St-Pierre’s approach to fighting.
Della Maddalena has received a surprise opportunity this year owing to an injury to original top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
With his preparation ongoing, Della Maddalena has been analysing the man he’ll need to beat to bring UFC gold back Down Under. And like plenty of the champ’s detractors, he had one word in mine during a recent interview on Fox Sports Australia’s mainevent — “boring.”
“It’s no question he’s got a boring fight style,” Della Maddalena said of Belal Muhammad. “He’s good at holding people down and getting victories. GSP (Georges St-Pierre) got flak back in the day for being a boring style. I definitely think it’s a boring style, but winning is obviously his number one goal, and fair play to him. But I feel like I can beat him.”
Muhammad has aspirations of reaching and surpassing the legacy of the great St-Pierre, who achieved title glory in two divisions and cemented his place in the GOAT debate despite a fight style widely branded less than entertaining.
From July of 2016 to March in 2019, Tyron Woodley reigned as the UFC welterweight champion and defended the title three times. After a draw in his first defense against Stephen Thompson, “The Chosen One” would go on to beat Thompson in a rematch followed by victories over Demian Maia and Darren Till.
Despite the seven-fight unbeaten streak that he went on, Woodley never felt like he got the credit or respect that he deserved from the fans or even from the UFC at points. His fighting style didn’t make for the most exciting watches but it was undeniably effective at shutting opponents down.
One fight that would have instantly legitimatized his run as the champion was a super fight that despite it being spoken about a lot, never did materialize. In November of 2017, several months after Woodley’s decision win over Maia, the former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon to face Michael Bisping for the middleweight belt at UFC 217.
After beating Bisping at Madison Square Garden, the greatest welterweight of all time decided to vacate the title and go back into retirement, closing this chapter of his life for good.
Woodley was outspoken about St-Pierre returning at the weight class above at the time and in a recent interview, said that “GSP” has turned down fights with him on several occasions. He told Plejmo.com in a recent interview that over the past few years, there have been multiple offers on the table that St-Pierre has declined.
“Georges St-Pierre never wanted to fight me, I’ve asked Georges to fight me several times. I had an opportunity to fight him last year and the year before. It was a five to seven million dollar purse and he said no. In MMA. My middle east investor wanted the fight, seven million, but he said no. I would have beat his brains in. “
One of the latest fighters to weigh in with his own take on the discussion is the former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway. “Blessed” not only comes in with a fairly unique Mount Rushmore list but explains why they all deserve their spots.
“I would say Demetrious (Johnson) is definitely up there, Anderson Silva is there too, GSP and then you have to give it to Forrest Griffin because he helped put the UFC on the map. That TUF Finale on Spike TV was huge for the UFC, so those are my guys for sure. Those four guys are absolute animals.”
Holloway went on to talk about how, in his opinion, Johnson does not get the respect that he deserves just because he reigned supreme in the smallest of the men’s weight classes.
“When you talk about Demetrious Johnson, it seems insane to me how he is viewed just because he fought at 125 lbs. This 125-er would absolutely whoop your ass. A lot of bigger guys think they can hang with him, you get these influencers and social media personalities who go around screaming, ‘I’m 260 bro, he’s 125lbs. Brother, Demetrious Johnson would take your ACL and your arm home and then he would come back and cut your head off if he wanted to. You could do nothing about it, he’s such a beast.”
The BMF titleholder added that he has a lot of respect for the greatest welterweight and middleweight of all time, both of which made his list.
“I wish I was fighting during the time that GSP was around, I would have loved to have shared the Octagon with him. He’s one of the greats, as was Anderson Silva – he was such a beast.”
Holloway signed off by explaining the reasoning behind his picks, detailing his own specific criteria and why that eliminates his long time rival, Daniel Cormier.
“Some people might disagree with my Mount Rushmore, but I’m looking at the way these fighters carried themselves inside and outside of the Octagon, how they were ambassadors for the sport and for the company as well. ‘DC’ is probably going to be mad that he’s not on my Mount Rushmore of MMA, but I don’t like the way he carries himself out of the UFC. He thinks he’s the ‘Daddest Man on the Planet’, he is delusional.”
A new upcoming MMA TV series is coming to Netflix on November 8 with the French release, “LA CAGE”, arriving on the streaming service. The show follows Melvin Boomer’s lead character who is a young fighter that dreams of making it to the top.
In this Rocky-like rise, he’s given an opportunity to take that next big step in his career which will lead to bigger and better things.
All five episodes of the series are directed by Franck Gastambide who also stars in the series, appearing to play the role of Boomer’s coach.
However, the real element that is going to get MMA fans talking is the inclusion of some of the biggest names in the sport today.
The trailer that has been released for La Cage shows that no expense has been spared to make this a major release for fight fans. It features three major promotions in the UFC, KSW and French promotion ARES, all with fight scenes that take place at live events.
Also, the likes of Jon Jones, Ciryl Gane and Georges St-Pierre are all playing themselves. St-Pierre would appear to be the most relevant of the three as the former two-weight UFC champion ends up becoming a part of the team as a huge inspiration to the young fighter.
La Cage’s IMDB page also lists several other notable names from the French MMA scene as cast members, including the UFC’s Taylor Lapilus and Morgan Charriere, PFL’s Abdoul Abdouraguimov, KSW’s Salahdine Parnasse and ONE Championship’s Anissa Meksen.
Scoring and controversy go hand in hand in MMA. The sport is still relatively new, and tons of decisions over the years have left the fans divided, enraged, and dissatisfied, among other things.
From Dominick Reyes losing against Jon Jones to Paddy Pimblett getting the nod against Jared Gordon, there are countless examples of controversial MMA decisions. Such incidents can occur at an amateur event as well as during a UFC title fight, which explains why the MMA community expects the scoring system to get more objective.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks is easily one of the most questioned decisions ever, and Marc Goddard broke it down to explain how scorecards in MMA can vary greatly…
Marc Goddard Reveals Unnoticed Factor That Made Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks A Split Decision From Unanimous
Goddard recently appeared on the talkSPORT MMA YouTube channel to deliver a masterclass on MMA scoring. When asked about judges having contradictory scorecards after a fight, the renowned referee brought up GSP’s last defense of the UFC welterweight title before leaving the sport temporarily.
Goddard started by explaining that 15 scores had to be submitted by three judges across the five rounds between St-Pierre and Hendricks. Fourteen of these 15 scorecards were identical. One judge scored the first round for Hendricks, which turned the majority decision into a split one.
“It’s perfectly understandable why he scored it that way because if you look at the fight and you’ll see there’s a certain point in the first round when Johny’s against the cage. He’s defending a double leg, George is in on a double with him and he throws a series of elbows and you know yourself, being elbowed in the head is not a nice experience and depending on what’s between your ears, that can make a hollow sound or a dull sound. But you look, it was a series of elbows, he was physically marked up by them. And if you look, go back and watch that fight, and as you see those elbows come in, who’s the judge that sat right underneath where they’re happening, Nelson ‘Doc’ Hamilton. And he saw something which was used in his. It was a close round, but at that point, it was enough to swing him.”
Goddard pointed out that the judge who scored the first round for Hendricks (the ref says it’s Nelson Hamilton mistakenly, but it was Glenn Trowbridge) was seated right next to the fighters during the sequence when “Big Rig” landed some vicious elbows on GSP while defending a double leg. According to the referee, the impact of these elbows would’ve been obvious to one judge in a way it wasn’t for the other two.
By using this example, Goddard wanted to point out how real-time scoring is very different from what the fans see. Based on their sitting position, all judges get a different viewing angle and hear differently which naturally affects their decisions.
The acclaimed MMA figure further explained that in contrast to popular understanding, a split decision signifies a close fight. However, because fans have usually placed bets and they’re very passionate about their favorites, split decisions are often instantly seen as robberies.
“There’s so many factors that come into play when you’re looking at MMA, not just on the highest level. This is regardless of level. There’s so many factors, line of site, your view, how you hear things, how you see things, etc,” Goddard continued, “You know, obviously, if you’re cut or swollen during the fight, the judges can see it. All these factors mate and it’s so like, like I said when the public jump on something because of it’s something they heard and obviously all their misunderstanding on top of that, it just snowballs and exasperates it. And it’s mindblowing!”
By bringing up several minor factors that MMA fans ignore as viewers, Goddard aimed to highlight how likely it is for scorecards to be different, especially in close fights. However, the popular sentiment is that scorecards should be unanimous in most cases and a split decision means that at least one judge got it wrong.
Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, recently offered a comprehensive analysis the dream match-up against Khabib Nurmagomedov, breaking it down across all aspects of the game— striking, grappling, submissions, and more.
“The Eagle” is widely hailed as one of the most dominant forces in UFC history, boasting a flawless professional record of 29-0. Nurmagomedov has often expressed that it was his dream to challenge another legend of the sport, St-Pierre. However, this fantasy matchup remains one of MMA’s greatest “what-ifs,” as the two icons competed in different weight classes and eras.
Zahabi Offers Honest Take On St-Pierre vs. Nurmagomedov Showdown
During a recent appearance on Life Haqq, Zahabi was asked to share his impartial take on who would emerge victorious in a hypothetical 165-pound catchweight clash between St-Pierre and Nurmagomedov.
The esteemed MMA coach noted that GSP has the upper hand in standup striking, citing his higher volume of career strikes. However, Zahabi acknowledged that while St-Pierre is equally adept in grappling, Nurmagomedov holds a distinct advantage when it comes to takedowns and takedown defense.
Zahabi went on to assess that both UFC Hall of Famers are evenly matched when it comes to controlling the pace of the fight. While he acknowledged that their ground-and-pound skills are nearly identical, he gave a slight advantage to “The Eagle”.
The TriStar Gym owner also weighed in on their submission game, favoring St-Pierre. Zahabi explained that GSP faced more grappling-heavy opponents throughout his career, whereas Nurmagomedov predominantly squared off against elite strikers like Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. He further remarked that, in his view, both legends are equally matched in terms of stamina, predicting that their fantasy showdown would likely go the full five rounds
Lastly, Zahabi offered his prediction, stating that, realistically, this would be an incredibly tough fight to declare a definitive winner. He added that any decision would likely be highly contentious, making it a controversial bout to score.
“If it were a pound-for-pound thing, I would say it’s an even fight,” Zahabi said. “I think it’s going to be a pick who you think won, you know. It’s just such a hard thing to call. It would be really tough. It would be a very tough fight to call.”
Merab Dvalishvili comfortably beat Sean O’Malley on the scorecards to win the UFC bantamweight championship at UFC 306. He secured six takedowns, ten minutes of ground control, and outstruck the champion to silence all the doubters.
“The Machine” had to wait a long time to get his first UFC title shot. After losing his first two fights in the promotion, he won ten in a row and fired through top tier competition like Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo to become the undeniable contender.
Many believe that Dvalishvili’s fighting style is one reason why the UFC didn’t push him as much as other stars like Sean O’Malley, Umar Nurmagomedov, or Ilia Topuria. Here’s what Georges St-Pierre’s coach thinks on the matter…
GSP’s Coach Criticzes Merab Dvalishvili For Rarely Threatening To Finish Sean O’Malley Or Past Opponents
Firas Zahabi discussed the UFC 306 main event on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel recently. The coach admitted to loving Dvalishvili’s unhinged personality and smartness inside the Octagon but couldn’t help but notice the lack of finishes on his record.
“His finishing record is abysmal guys. I gotta be honest. I’m telling you guys I love the guy he’s the new world champion I think he’s awesome. However, his finishing rate. Imagine you could take down almost everybody you’ve ever fought and you literally only have one submission. That doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re literally taking everyone down, how come you never finish?”
Zahabi highlighted that Dvalishvili has had the potential to take down all his opponents (except Jose Aldo). Still, he only has one submission win in his pro MMA record which is as baffling as it sounds.
According to GSP’s coach, Dvalishvili must prioritize finishing his fights as a champ. His title victory already has MMA circles divided and a couple of similar performances might stop him from reaping all the benefits of being a UFC champion.
“If he doesn’t do it. I’ll tell you something. The fans will get sick of him. They’ll get sick of him running around the ring and just taking people down. Running around the ring and taking people down, like, they’re going to get sick of that. He has to entertain the crowd, he has to show finishing ability. If he doesn’t, can be disastrous to his career.”
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre will always be remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it. That was the case when he retired on top of the sport back in 2013 but his return at UFC 217 in 2017, where he defeated Michael Bisping to win the 185-pound belt, added to it.
However, if there’s one thing that was slightly bizarre about the time that St-Pierre decided to go on hiatus after his welterweight title reign, it was his fascination with aliens.
It has been some time since the days where “GSP” would make comments that would have fans both puzzled and concerned all at the same time. But if you thought that he had moved on from this passion of his, you are sorely mistaken, as a recent social media post proves.
St-Pierre looked to get his followers talking about the latest development in UFO sightings, claiming that, “If you are not aware of this topic, it is high time you learn more about it.”
If you are not aware of this topic, it is high time you learn more about it. UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are now called UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) because these strange things have sometimes been detected not only in the air but also in the water by… pic.twitter.com/8s8PFWb2EM
Fight Fans React To Georges St-Pierre’s Recent Dive Back Into The World Of Aliens & UFOs
It certainly didn’t take MMA fans too long before giving their take on St-Pierre’s latest social media post.
In addition to some mocking remarks, his statement did seem to generate the desired conversation regarding UFOs and UAPs with a fair amount of responses back to him with follow-up points.
“Most of the time it’s the government trying out new military stuff that will quite frankly be announced to the public 50 years from now They’re always ahead.”
Most of the time it’s the government trying out new military stuff that will quite frankly be announced to the public 50 years from now
“Thank you for raising awareness on this subject, George! I’ve been covering this topic extensively. More people need to realize this is absolutely real and the implications of this phenomena are extremely significant for our world. We need answers.”
Thank you for raising awareness on this subject, George! I've been covering this topic extensively. More people need to realize this is absolutely real and the implications of this phenomena are extremely significant for our world. We need answers.
Following a solid UFC debut against Kevin Holland, Michael Page lost to Ian Garry at UFC 303 via unanimous decision. Despite having success on the feet, he could not stop a couple of Garry’s takedowns and was controlled for over seven minutes.
The fight was close with Garry decisively winning the first and Page bouncing back in the second. MVP started strong in the third but a late takedown helped “Machado” get the judges’ nod.
Here’s what Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, thinks of MVP’s future in the UFC welterweight division and whether he can be the champion one day…
Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Expects Michael ‘Venom’ Page To Improve His Resume In The UFC
Zahabi recently talked about MVP’s potential to become the UFC welterweight champion on his YouTube channel. Although he claimed Page to be the better striker in the Garry fight, he is skeptical about the Bellator star’s ability to handle other high-level opponents.
“I think MVP looked good in the striking. The third round was close. I gave the first round, obviously to Ian. Second round, I gave it to MVP. Third round, I had MVP and then Ian Garry came out with the double leg.”
While looking at Page’s record, Zahabi highlighted that many of his opponents in Bellator can’t be compared to the top-ranked UFC welterweights. Apart from Holland and Douglas Lima, his most notable win is over Paul Daley. According to GSP’s coach, Lima won the rematch against “Venom”, which is why he isn’t impressed by the latter’s resume.
“It was a close fight but those are just higher level competitors. And It Was the First Time We see Him Against higher level competitors. The THing is MVP’s Had a lot of fights in his career but he’s fought a lot of guys you’ve never heard of. He’s fought a lot of guys you’ve never heard of.”
The coach said that most of Page’s opponents won’t make it to the top 15 in the UFC welterweight division. As a result, “Venom” might be overwhelmed by the competition in the promotion.
Zahabi gave Page his props for the impressive win over Holland and advised him to continue fighting the top 15 ranked UFC welterweights. He didn’t sound confident about MVP winning gold at 170 pounds, though.
Once the pictures went out, fans could not help but notice the apparent infection right under Makhachev’s left knee. This was followed by people searching for Makhachev’s pictures during camp and noticing that he might have had the infection for quite some time because his knee was covered during training.
Islam might have a Staph infection 🤔
If true then this is Dustin’s 2nd opponent in a row to fight with a Staph infection pic.twitter.com/nE8GkK1HcX
Not just MMA fans, but the likes of Conor McGregor has also been vocal about Makhachev’s infection heading into the fight. Another name on the list is Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, who thinks that the lightweight champ isn’t going to be at his best during the fight as a result of it.
St-Pierre’s Coach Coach Calls Islam Makhachev’s Staph Infection ‘Pretty Bad’
While discussing UFC 302 on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi was asked how Makhachev’s alleged staph infection could influence his fight. The coach first checked out the pictures from the latest photo shoot and was quick to suggest that Makhachev indeed absolutely has a staph infection.
“That’s pretty bad, yeah. That’s staph my friends. I could tell you. I’m not a doctor, okay? I didn’t go to medical school, okay? But I know staph when I see it. I’ve travelled all over the world. I’ve trained with thousands of people, thousands. I can tell you a staph infection when I see it.”
Zahabi was clearly stunned to see Makhachev’s leg. He went on to claim that having a staph infection right before such a huge fight isn’t ideal at all, and that antibiotic medication could negatively impact the champ’s performance at UFC 302.
“Damn, listen. If he’s on staph meds, and the fight’s this weekend, if that picture was this week, damn, that’s not good news.”
It is worth noting that Poirier’s last opponent, Benoît Saint Denis, went into their fight at UFC 299 with a staph infection as well. After a strong first round, the Frenchman was knocked out. He claimed that the antibiotics drained his energy and he could only maintain pressure for one round.
Could a similar fate be awaiting the current lightweight champion as well?
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Georges St-Pierre had lost his hunger to compete even before he held middleweight gold.
Khabib and GSP are two of the consensus frontrunners in the debate over who holds the crown as the greatest of all time. But while they have that in common, they also share another similarity: retiring on top.
While “The Eagle” hung up his gloves from his place atop the lightweight mountain following his victory over Justin Gaethje in 2020, “Rush” called time on his career early in 2019 having not competed since his middleweight title win against Michael Bisping two years prior.
St-Pierre retired with a 26-2 record, having not been beaten in 13 fights since his shock defeat to Matt Serra in 2007. Across the decade after his final blemish, he held titles in two weight classes, defeated the likes of BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz, and defended the 170-pound belt a record nine times.
The Dagestani suggested that when he was in his own prime, GSP was long past his. And despite the fact “Rush” returned from a previous lengthy hiatus to win the middleweight strap in 2017, Khabib believes it was clear St-Pierre’s hunger was gone during his controversial 2013 victory over Johny Hendricks.
“When I was on top, when it was my prime time, it was not his prime time. When did he finish? ’12, ’13? After four years he came back, fight only with Michael Bisping. Last, almost 10 years, I think his time is finished,” said Khabib. “My opinion is his prime time was like 2010, ’11, ’12, but ’13 it was not his time.
“Even when he fight Johny Hendricks. On this time, I feel he’s not enjoying (being) inside the cage. He’s not hungry anymore. I don’t know about his feeling, this is what I feel. For this sport, you have to be hungry. If you’re not hungry, if you don’t want this, you have to finish,” Khabib concluded.
Khabib Nurmagomedov & Georges St-Pierre.
The only two fighters to retire at the very top of the sport.
Respect is the foundation of martial arts and both of them valued this.
Fans of UFC legend Georges St-Pierre have a chance to meet him at Dublin Comic Con: Summer Edition 2022.
GSP is easily one of the greatest MMA fighters in the history of the sport. While in the UFC, he dominated in two divisions and departed as the middleweight champ.
He has won several accolades attributed to his success, which include Fighter of the Year from Sports Illustrated, Inside MMA, and Black Belt Magazine. Also, Canada named him their Athlete of the Year three years in a row from 2008 to 2010.
Today, he remains one of the UFC’s most decorated fighters. “Rush” was an octagon sensation that put on stellar performances every time he entered the Octagon.
With 9 consecutive title defenses, you cannot discuss GOAT status in the promotion without hearing the name Georges St-Pierre.
In addition to his cage fights, St-Pierre fought on the big screen, as well. Marvel fans witnessed the elite fighter take on Captain America in The Winter Soldier, showcasing his skills in a completely different environment.
To shake the hand of the MMA legend is the dream of many. And soon, those people will have the opportunity to do just that.
At the Comic-Con in Dublin, GSP will reveal details about himself, his career, and his plans for the future during an event called “An Evening With Georges St-Pierre.” It will take place Saturday, August 6 at The Convention Centre Dublin in Ireland.
Don’t miss the chance to see the former UFC superstar in close range. Earlier today (February 28), general admission and VIP tickets went on sale.
Please visit TIXR for more information on the event and ticket purchasing.
UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal is always ready for a scrap, as evidenced by his nickname “Gamebred.”
But he feels that one particular matchup above all others would’ve been a headache to prepare for.
Masvidal is set to face former friend and former American Top Team teammate Colby Covington in the UFC 272 headliner. It is one of the most anticipated fights of 2022 and a chance for both welterweights to get back into the title shot conversation.
Masvidal has lost back-to-back fights to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman but remains one of the UFC’s biggest stars. His forward-pushing style to go along with his fight-ready personality has made him a household name in the Octagon.
Masvidal has faced some of the best fighters in UFC history, including Usman and former UFC champion Benson Henderson.
During a recent Q+A session on Rumble, Masvidal pointed to former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as the toughest hypothetical matchup for him.
“GSP’s one of the best ever. He’s got that fu**ing amazing [ability where] he could wrestle, wrestle, wrestle, or he could strike, he actually had great boxing, you know, very technical. He didn’t have the most power but he would set it up beautifully and get you off your feet.
Georges St-Pierre, Photo Credit: Getty Images
“It’s one of those fights, it’s like a nightmare matchup for me but those are the fights that I wanted… Obviously, I’m going to put the money on me, I’m gonna be going for his chin the whole time with flying knees, hoping I get him to duck into something bad, you know, and make it into a war but GSP’s one of the best ever. I would have loved to be standing in front of the cage across that guy and just fu**inggiving it my all to take his a** out.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
St-Pierre retired following a split decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 but would return to win the middleweight title at UFC 217. He would go back into retirement but has hinted at a potential move to boxing in the future.
As Masvidal pointed out, St-Pierre’s legacy in the sport of MMA is unquestionable. He remains one of the most talked-about fighters in the history of the UFC and is one of the pioneers of the promotion’s rise in popularity.
How do you think Jorge Masvidal would’ve fared against Georges St-Pierre?
Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo holds himself in high regard, even higher than the legend Georges St-Pierre.
Cejudo hasn’t fought in the Octagon since defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. He announced his retirement in his post-fight interview but has since hinted at a UFC comeback.
Similar to St-Pierre’s title win over Michael Bisping, Cejudo has alluded to a matchup one division up against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Cejudo threw his name into the conversation to fill in against Volkanovski before the UFC opted to book Chan Sung Jung for the bout.
Nowadays, Cejudo remains a fixture of MMA culture. He has coached multiple current and former UFC champions such as Deiveson Figueiredo and Jon Jones, along with podcasting.
“These are my top five. No. 1 Jon Jones. No. 2 Demetrious Johnson. No. 3 Anderson Silva. And you know what, I’ve been thinking about it a lot Schmo, I am actually No. 4. I used to put GSP there, but I am actually No. 4, just for the fact that I won both my bouts with [the] two greatests. Just because Bisping had a championship at that time doesn’t mean he was the best in the world.
Georges St-Pierre
“I literally beat the best guys in the world. I beat three Hall of Famers in my last four fights. Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw, and Dominick Cruz. I am gonna have to put myself in that GOAT mountain man. I used to think more of GSP. But in reality, I just feel he cherry picked, man, with all the due respect to the legend. So, I am gonna have to put him at No. 5.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
St-Pierre went back into retirement following his win over Bisping at UFC 217. He teased a potential matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov in recent years, but the fight never materialized.
Cejudo has the chance to prove his ranking of himself if he’s able to become a three-division champion. For now, it’s unclear if he’ll ever return to the cage.
What are your thoughts on Henry Cejudo’s Top-5 all-time list?
Chimaev is currently eyeing up the possibility of facing the champion in a fight or two, with the Swede scheduled to face top-ranked contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 on April 9th.
It appears visa issues are delaying confirmation of the fight taking place, with Chimaev’s current visa expiring in late March.
Chimaev: Usman Needs Two-Division Success To Be Considered GOAT
Speaking to RT Sport MMA, Chimaev referenced St-Pierre’s success of becoming a double champion in the UFC when asked whether he considers the current welterweight champion the division’s greatest of all time.
“Kamaru has been the champion at one weight,” Chimaev said. “Georges has done it at two or three weight classes, right? Two. So if Kamaru does what GSP did, then he will catch up with him. If he does more, he will surpass him.”
St-Pierre defended his welterweight title nine times as a champion, cementing his place in the Hall of Fame and as arguably the greatest welterweight of all time. Meanwhile, Usman has defended his belt five times, entering the GOAT discussion himself. He also holds the record for most consecutive wins in the division.
Potentially, Chimaev will be looking to spoil any chances of Usman achieving such fate as surpassing St-Pierre’s welterweight records by defeating ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ further down the line.
The current #11-ranked welterweight had threatened to ‘smash’ Usman when the UFC welterweight champion spoke on proposed plans to jump to light heavyweight to take on Jan Blachowicz when he was the title holder.
Leon Edwards is likely up next to try dethrone Usman, who recently undertook surgery on his right hand to repair a ligament. That bout is rumored to take place on international fight week, which will host UFC 276.
Who do you see as the welterweight GOAT? Georges St-Pierre or Kamaru Usman?
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks he would get the last laugh against Georges St-Pierre if they were to fight again.
Bisping made his second title defense against the returning St-Pierre at UFC 217. After going back-and-forth on the feet, St-Pierre would eventually get the fight to the ground and put Bisping to sleep with a rear-naked choke.
Despite being the larger man in the matchup, Bisping appeared to have issues with St-Pierre’s athleticism and grappling throughout the fight. Bisping would go on to lose to Kelvin Gastelum following the title loss, before retiring shortly afterward.
Bisping has transitioned to a career in broadcasting as a part of the UFC on ESPN crew. But he feels if he were to get a rematch against St-Pierre, things would’ve gone differently.
Michael Bisping Believes He Would ‘Smash’ Georges St-Pierre
“I would smash him,” Bisping said during a recent Q+A. “I would have smashed him that night (UFC 217) but I was injured. I was very injured and–I had one eye, and I had my ribs torn.
“You know what, and to be honest, I’m not diminishing Georges–I was impaired in that fight, I was injured and whatever. Yeah, there was nothing that really troubled me–until the shot that dropped me. I mean, we knew going into it he’d be a tremendous wrestler and that was a big part of the training camp. I couldn’t move well because of my ribs. Georges was aggressive in that fight, but he never really hurt me till the third round, when obviously he caught me with that left hook. It was a great shot and he choked me out, so God bless him for that one.” (h/t LowKickMMA)
Both athletes are in their 40s now and haven’t expressed significant interest in returning to MMA anytime soon. For now, it remains speculative as to how a Bisping vs. St-Pierre rematch would’ve played out.
What are your thoughts on Michael Bisping’s comments?
No matter the year, there is one thing you can be sure will never change: there will continue to be the never-ending debates about who is the greatest of all time (GOAT). This year, however, I say we finally add an extra dimension to these debates that is long overdue: adding the term “BOAT” to the official sports lexicon.
There is a difference between being the greatest and being the best. Being the greatest is based primarily on accomplishments and résumé. Think of this as having the strongest and most accomplished career.
Being the best is based primarily on skill level. Think of this as having the most talent and being the most dominant.
Naturally, there is some overlap between the two, which is where most of the confusion lies when there are GOAT debates with varying criteria.
Being considered the best is something that is backed by the eye test, and then the accomplishments and résumé help prove that the talent level is as high as your eyes thought.
Being the greatest is like the number of trophies you have in your closet and the number of heads you have mounted on your wall. It’s based more on what you did than how you did it. But there is still naturally some skill and domination that played a factor in that. The biggest difference is being the best can be judged in a shorter period of time while being the greatest is almost always reserved for those with a very wide body of work.
Jim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Famer
In football, you could argue that Emmitt Smith or Walter Payton is the GOAT at running back based on the records they set and their Super Bowl victories. However, the title of “BOAT” might be reserved for a Jim Brown or Barry Sanders, who ran with a form that set them apart from the pack, even if they lack the championships that a typical “GOAT” would have.
In basketball, one might argue that Kareem Abdul Jabbar is the greatest center who ever lived, with six NBA titles, six MVPs, and two Finals MVPs to support that claim. But in terms of the best? Give me the 1999-2001 Shaquille O’Neal every time. Because no one was more dominant.
In MMA, we’ve seen a couple of glaring examples of people having debates without realizing that they were arguing two completely different things.
Let’s take Jon Jones vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, for instance. The following graphic best summarizes the difference between GOAT vs. BOAT (graphic via ESPN MMA).
Here, Brett Okamoto is arguing for Khabib as the BOAT while Marc Raimondi is arguing for Jon Jones as the GOAT. The clash comes when the opposing sides feel they are limited to one term of “GOAT.” What results are impossible debates about different topics unbeknownst to the participants. We’ll have more on the Khabib vs. Jones debate a bit later on.
BOAT Sightings
While we still have a ways to go before BOAT is officially added to the sports/MMA lexicon, there have been some “BOAT” sightings that have happened over the past year.
Alexander Volkov Cites Evolution
Below, Alexander Volkov essentially argues that Fedor Emelianenko is the heavyweight GOAT while Francis Ngannou is the heavyweight BOAT.
“Right now, it’s the UFC Champion Ngannou, most likely,” Volkov told RT Sport MMA in response to who is the greatest heavyweight of all time. “Depends on the particular era of MMA. Of course, in terms of achievements, Fedor is one of the greatest, a legendary fighter who was undefeated for many years, had spectacular fights, came back from different bad situations in his fights, beat them all in his time.
“But now, there’s a new generation with new skills, new physical conditions, new techniques. And it’s unclear if the fighters of the past generation would do well against the elite fighters of the present. So before we talk about the greatest heavyweight of all time, we need to define what it really means. For me, there’s no such thing. There’s just the best fighter at the moment. Now, it’s the UFC champion, in my opinion.”
Chael P. Sonnen Weighs In
Next, here’s Chael Sonnen giving his own breakdown of how the line between the best and the greatest often gets warped into a haze.
“Khabib is the most dominant. I can prove that,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “That’s not my opinion. I can prove to you that Khabib is the most dominant. I think that is a wonderful compliment to give a guy. You were the best fighter of all time. Hard to prove. Big compliment, hard to prove. Dominance is hard…Guys, Khabib has won more 10-8 rounds in his career than anybody in the history of unarmed combat. I’m including boxing. What an incredible statement. Then, OK, who’s the greatest of all time?
Khabib Nurmagomedov
“…Khabib does have one thing against him. It’s only one. It’s only one. But it’s still against him, and it’s gonna grow over time. Now that we’re still in the Khabib era, we’ve all seen him fight, we all miss him and want to see him fight again…over time, we’re gonna forget that. We’re gonna forget how we feel right now. We’re gonna see new talent in there. So we’re now left with paper.
“And this even happens now, I mean, Jordan vs. LeBron. You talk about Jordan had six rings and LeBron had none—at one point—but this was the argument. And you could see—many people said, ‘No, LeBron’s better. I don’t give a damn if he has the rings or not. He’s gonna get ’em and he’s better.”
El Cucuy Knows What’s Up
And what kind of guy is Tony Ferguson? Tony Ferguson is the kind of guy to hop on board the BOAT movement before it was cool. Be more like Tony Ferguson.
“B.O.A.T.🕶Status” Keepin’ It Sweet On Tiramisu🍮Tuesday # GetSum 🚣♂️💨🍃 -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/FNZR1mqoDC
The two most frequent examples of GOAT vs. BOAT debates this past year were the Jon Jones/Khabib GOAT debate and the Georges St-Pierre/Kamaru Usman welterweight GOAT debate. For Jones’ part, he was offended that he was even being compared to the Dagestani in terms of their overall careers (graphic via ESPN MMA).
Here, Jones is solely arguing about greatness in terms of accomplishments. This quote and argument do not address actual talent and dominance over competition.
Now Jones did go on to say that Khabib had just started fighting elite competition, so his dominance is overstated. However, for one thing, “elite” is subjective. You could argue that Rafael dos Anjos was elite already at the time Khabib faced him in 2014. He just didn’t look like it because…you know, Khabib.
Second, if what Khabib did was easy, more people would be dominating “non-elite” competition the way Khabib did. Or maybe….just maybe…he’s just insanely good.
But the frustration Jones is experiencing in this quote below and that a Twitter user had in this tweet is a classic case of what happens when you are in debates about two different things: greatness in terms of accomplishments (GOAT) vs. being superior to everyone else purely in terms of talent (BOAT).
Georges St-Pierre vs. Kamaru Usman
First off, the date in which this viral graphic was created is unclear, as Usman’s unique opponents as champion is currently 3, not 1. Although this discrepancy calls the rest of these numbers into question, that’s not what I want to point out.
This is a classic example of the “lying with statistics” maneuver, and/or the cherry-picking fallacy. Because there’s no logical reason to have stats this in-depth but somehow neglect to mention UFC win/loss record, which at the very least is equally as important as anything else here.
And even aside from posts like these, the most common argument for GSP as the welterweight GOAT is that he had more title defenses. That’s where the majority of the pro-GSP GOAT arguments begins and ends. This argument completely ignores Usman’s longer, harder road to the title through no fault of his own.
Other things to be considered in Usman’s favor is his record for longest welterweight winning streak, having the highest winning percentage out of any fighter who has ever competed in the UFC, and the fact that he has never lost in the UFC while GSP lost twice, including to Matt Serra, and had an extremely hard time against Johnny Hendricks in a win closer than any of Usman’s wins.
Usman’s opponents were considered tougher at the time of the fights. Just compare Usman’s odds history vs. GSP’s odds history to see how experts/the public viewed their level of competition. For the most part, GSP’s level of competition was not as strong, which is something people knock Demetrious Johnson for.
In terms of GOAT vs. BOAT, GSP may very well still have the stronger argument for welterweight GOAT in terms of his overall career, but Usman would make for an easier argument on who is more likely to win any fight and is thus better.
At minimum, that is of equal value to being the GOAT. For instance, you can’t win money on someone’s overall career achievements. But you can win money when correctly judging who will be the better fighter on a given night. Usman has proven to be more reliable on that regard not only in terms of wins/losses but in terms of rounds.
To paraphrase Brett Okamoto in the earlier graphic, if my life is on the line and I’m picking who to bet on, I’m betting on the dude with the longest winning streak, the highest winning percentage in company history, and who in my opinion, the eye test shows is the more difficult fighter to beat overall. And none of those conclusions on Usman are being made with a small sample size. The man is setting records that can only be broken with amazing consistency.
Conclusion
In closing, there is a difference between being the best of all time (BOAT) and being the greatest of all time (GOAT). Let’s start firing up the scholarly articles, talk-show debates, or whatever is needed to get the term “BOAT” officially accepted into the sports lexicon! And come on, the boat emojis would be lit, too! ?️
Not recognizing the difference between GOAT and BOAT is a big reason why so many people grow frustrated when having these debates because they and their opponent are literally debating two different things without realizing it. Would differentiating these terms suddenly make these subjective debates more clear-cut and definitive? Of course not. But it sure would make the impossible a little bit easier and the goal post much clearer.
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre fought some of the baddest men on the planet during his career, but one name stands out above all others.
St-Pierre last fought Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 217, submitting him in the third round to become a multi-division champion. Following his win over Bisping, St-Pierre praised the middleweight’s toughness and grit inside the Octagon.
However, St-Pierre wouldn’t go as far as to say that Bisping provided the toughest fight of his career during a recent interview with Fighters Only. (h/t GiveMeSport)
St-Pierre named another fellow UFC Hall of Famer as the fight that gave him the most headaches during his welterweight tenure.
Credit: Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“My toughest opponent was Michael Bisping and the guy that give me the toughest fight was BJ Penn in our first fight,” St-Pierre said.
St-Pierre and Penn went to battle twice in the Octagon, once at UFC 58 and later on at UFC 94. In their first battle, St-Pierre squeaked out a split-decision win in a bout that could’ve been scored either way in the eyes of many fans.
Following his first win over Penn, he would go on to earn the welterweight title over Matt Hughes via TKO at UFC 65. After briefly losing the belt to Matt Serra, he would go on another title reign and later successfully defend it against Penn via TKO.
St-Pierre retired following a controversial win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. He would return four years later to defeat Bisping and hasn’t competed in MMA since.
Despite having moved on from MMA, St-Pierre and Penn are both contemplating transitions to boxing. While nothing is in the works for both men as of right now, we could theoretically see them fight once again in the boxing ring.
Where do you rank Georges St-Pierre amongst the UFC GOATs?
Aleksandar Rakić Prepared For Everything With Jan Blachowicz
“I’m gonna be ready to wrestle 25 minutes, I’m gonna be ready to grapple or to strike against him,” Rakić said. “It depends what Jan is gonna give me. This I’m gonna see in the first minutes or the first round or the second round. I’m gonna be prepared for everything, and I know for myself, I’m improving all of the aspects of the fight.
“I want to be the next Georges St-Pierre, to be the most well-rounded fighter in the UFC roster in the light heavyweight division, and I’m in a good way for doing that.”
Rakić is coming off of back-to-back wins over Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith. The 29-year-old light heavyweight contender has burst into title contention since making his UFC debut back in 2017.
Living up to the wrestling prowess of Georges St-Pierre will not be an easy task for Rakić. St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time and one of the best grapplers in the sport’s history.
However, one thing is clear when it comes to evaluating Rakić’s potential: he’s aiming to be one of the best light heavyweights in the sport. If he’s able to put on another impressive performance against Blachowicz, fans will start taking more notice of his wide-ranging skill set.
What is your prediction for Aleksandar Rakić vs. Jan Blachowicz?
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre has suggested Kamaru Usman is “on his way” to achieving GOAT status at 170 pounds.
With every appearance in the Octagon, Usman is further establishing his reign over the welterweight roster and cementing his status as one of the greatest to have ever fought in the UFC. At 15-0 on MMA’s biggest stage, “The Nigerian Nightmare” boasts the most consecutive wins in the 170-pound division, is just one victory away from equaling Anderson Silva’s tally, and is two more triumphs from leveling Jon Jones’ overall UFC streak record.
Since dethroning Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in 2019, Usman has defended the gold five times, twice against Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, and once versus Gilbert Burns. After marking his third win of the year by seeing off the challenge of “Chaos” for the second time, many, including UFC President Dana White, believe the champ has secured top spot in the welterweight GOAT debate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWnrtPUgfRg/
Has St-Pierre Been Dethroned?
The consensus best-ever at 170 pounds has long been Georges St-Pierre. The UFC Hall of Famer is a two-time champ, having won the belt from Matt Hughes in 2007 and regained it against Matt Serra in a 2008 unification clash. Across an incredible nine title defenses during his second reign, “Rush” saw off the challenges of stars like BJ Penn, Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Carlos Condit, and Nick Diaz.
Despite his incredible accomplishments, which also transcended over to middleweight, GSP has seemingly come to terms with the possibility of Usman surpassing his legacy in the weight class.
During a recent episode of SPORF’s Hot Takes, the Canadian was shown a tweet in which the user suggested “The Nigerian Nightmare” has what it takes to be the welterweight GOAT. In response, St-Pierre admitted the current champ is “on his way.”
“Well he’s on his way. Rome was not built in a week. It took years. So, same thing with Kamaru Usman. He’s on his way. He’s doing fantastic and I’m a big fan of him. I truly believe, right now, he’s probably the best fighter right now, and probably the best active fighter in the UFC. He’s doing very well. Only the future will tell us.”
While St-Pierre continues to push away talk of a return to the Octagon, Usman will be analyzing the current welterweight landscape in preparation for his next challenger. Most believe the champ will run it back with Leon Edwards next. “Rocky” is unbeaten in 10 fights since a loss to Usman.
With Vicente Luque, Khamzat Chimaev, and Sean Brady all looking to rise up and earn a shot at the king, Usman could get close to St Pierre’s title-defense record if he can continue his dominance in the cage.
Do you think Kamaru Usman can surpass Georges St-Pierre to become the welterweight GOAT?
