There could be more on the line than merely the lightweight title when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov meet at UFC 229 later this year.
That’s because former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre is keeping a close eye on how everything unfolds.
“I would be interested in that fight,” St-Pierre said Monday in Australia when asked by Submission Radio if fighting the winner of that bout would tickle his fancy. “That’s a win-win situation. It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money. It’s gonna be a big fight.”
UFC 229 is scheduled to take place Oct. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with McGregor looking to win back the 155-pound title that he was stripped of following his infamous bus attack incident prior to UFC 223 in Brooklyn — the event in which Nurmagomedov was crowned champ after beating Al Iaquinta to win the vacant title.
St-Pierre returned to mixed martial arts competition this past November following a four-year absence from the sport. The longtime welterweight (170-pound) kingpin returned to defeat then-middleweight champ Michael Bisping and win the 185-pound belt only to vacate that title in December.
“I fought at 170, I relinquished a title. I fought at 185, I relinquished a title. I don’t think UFC will let me fight for the title at 155,” St-Pierre said. “They will be afraid I relinquish and I left the division in ruins. … From my perspective, it’s a very winning situation. For UFC, it’s a big risk for them.”
In addition to the fact St-Pierre’s time in MMA is winding down — the 37-year-old isn’t certain how many more times he’ll fight, if at all, and has said he won’t fight into his forties — the Canadian superstar hasn’t competed in the lightweight division.
“I think I could make it,” St-Pierre said regarding the 155-pound lightweight limit. “I’ve never tried it. I’m not a fan of big weight cuts, but are they gonna let me do that? I don’t know. A title would be good for legacy but even if it’s not for a title it would be a big fight.”
St-Pierre mentioned that he typically walks around somewhere in the 183-185 range, which is what many lightweights walk around at. McGregor’s walkaround weight is typically somewhere in the 170-pound range while Nurmagomedov is among the biggest lightweights in the sport and has always had difficulty making weight.
“I know Khabib. I’ve met Khabib many times. Khabib is actually bigger than me,” St-Pierre said. “He’s a bigger guy. He’s a great fighter but in terms of size he walks around at 195.”
Nurmagomedov opened as the early betting favourite over McGregor and St-Pierre would tend to agree.
“If I had to put my house on it, I would have to choose Khabib over Conor,” St-Pierre said. “Khabib never lost. He’s never lost. Conor has lost before. He has lost on the ground. He has a few losses and he’s lost on the ground, which is where Khabib is good. That’s where Khabib is most competent. However, Khabib sometimes is a slow starter and he gets punched a lot … and he has a hard time [closing] the distance but once he’s got you in the clinch he’s very good. So, I believe the odds go in Khabib’s favour maybe 60-40 I believe.”
Despite St-Pierre’s apparent interest in facing the UFC 229 main event’s victor, there’s currently no indication that’s the direction the organization would choose to go.
Also, St-Pierre is in no rush to return to the cage. Instead, he’s waiting for the right opportunity, one that will add to his legacy while also padding his bank account.
Earlier this year the UFC offered St-Pierre a Nate Diaz matchup in September but GSP turned it down, saying he wouldn’t be ready to fight then and that he wasn’t too excited to fight Diaz.
“Nate Diaz’s legacy is not really an improvement for me because people, they see me as a winner already, and if I win, they will say I look like a bully a little bit because I beat his older brother [Nick Diaz in 2013],” St-Pierre said. “In terms of money, it’s gonna be big money, because Nate Diaz is a big name. I need to find guys that can help me improve legacy. Money as well. I’m at a point in my career now that I only have a few fights left if I decide to come back.”
The UFC has a November date set for Madison Square Garden, but St-Pierre also mentioned the UFC’s scheduled Dec. 8 event in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena as a potential event he could compete on. Fighting the winner of McGregor-Nurmagomedov this calendar year, though, would appear unlikely.
St-Pierre also mentioned that a tilt against fellow MMA legend Anderson Silva doesn’t particularly interest him at this point in time, even though it’s a superfight fans have pondered for close to a decade.
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