Georges St-Pierre has given his thoughts on the landscape of the UFC welterweight division.
The state of the UFC welterweight division is far from black and white at the moment. A few different scenarios have been going around lately and with a few fighters injured things could be up in the air for a while longer. One man who ruled the top of the division some time ago has his thoughts on how things should play out, that man is Georges St-Pierre.
St-Pierre is currently retired and has a unique view of the division from the outside. He feels that number one contender Leon Edwards should be next for the title shot. he explained his reasoning behind these thoughts in an interview with BT Sports.
“He deserves the shot. It’s unfortunate for him [that he hasn’t had it yet]. I think it’s because of the way that the Nate Diaz fight ended,” St-Pierre said. "But it happens to everybody, sometimes you get clipped. You don’t see a punch coming, you zig when you should have zagged. He did the perfect fight until that moment."
Champion Kamaru Usman recently defeated Colby Covington, and will need some time off with family and to heal up. In the meantime, Edwards was scheduled to face Jorge Masvidal, but that fight fell through when Masvidal suffered an injury. This leaves Edwards in a tough place. He could very well wait until Usman is ready and then get that title shot, or he could fight someone else and possibly lose out.
“He deserves a shot, you know. You’re in the fight business, at one point you’re going to take a shot and you might get rocked. He showed incredible heart and I think he is ready for a title shot," St-Pierre said. "But the UFC runs a business, they make money. Of course, there’s a story with Leon and [Jorge] Masvidal and as a fan, I’m curious to see what was going to happen between them as well.”
Dana White has said that he and the UFC are looking to make something happen for Edwards. He wasn't specific but it could be another matchup for a title eliminator matchup. The timeline for Usman's return was not specified, but Edwards has been known to sit out for long periods of time.
Do you agree with GSP, should Leon Edwards just get the next title shot without another fight?