Can Georges St-Pierre conquer the lightweight division?
After avoiding jail time for his infamous Brooklyn bus attack, former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor will soon return to action inside the Octagon. The UFC recently booked a fight between “The Notorious” and reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 on Oct. 6, 2018, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though the super fight is still two months away from happening, another MMA legend has already expressed his desire to fight the winner of McGregor-Nurmagomedov UFC 229 bout.
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said he is interested in moving down to the lightweight division to fight either Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov. St-Pierre believes fighting a big name in the lightweight division will be good for his legacy and will give him a huge payday.
“I would be interested in that fight,” St-Pierre said during his international tour (h/t SB Nation’s MMA Mania). “That’s a win-win situation. It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money. It’s gonna be a big fight. Yeah, however, I fought at 170, I relinquished the title and I fought at 185, I relinquished the title. I don’t think the UFC will let me fight for the title at 155. They will be afraid I’ll relinquish and I’ll leave the division in ruins again.”
Georges St-Pierre last fought at UFC 217 where he succeeded to beat former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping via technical submission in the third round. Unfortunately, more than a month after becoming the UFC middleweight champion, St-Pierre decided to vacate the title. St-Pierre revealed that he’s suffering from ulcerative colitis and doesn’t want to hold up the middleweight division. St-Pierre is expected to do the same when he succeeds to become the new ruler of the lightweight division.
Before his fight with Conor McGregor was announced, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has also expressed his willingness to face Georges St-Pierre in the Octagon. “The Eagle” called St-Pierre as the “greatest competitor in the UFC” and added that he would be a tough matchup for him. However, Nurmagomedov is very confident he can beat St-Pierre when they fight each other inside the Octagon.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor will surely love the idea of fighting an MMA legend like Georges St-Pierre. As most people think, McGregor is more interested in money fights than ruling any division in the UFC. However, as of now, McGregor should keep his focus in his upcoming fight. If everything goes as planned, McGregor could be the first fighter to give Nurmagomedov his first loss.
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