It looks like Kamaru Usman vs. Georges St-Pierre is one of those fantasy matchups that just isn’t destined to happen.
Ever since he won the UFC welterweight championship, Kamaru Usman has made no secret about his desire to share the Octagon with UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre. Usman credits St-Pierre as being one of the biggest inspirations behind his decision to enter mixed martial arts and would feel honored to compete against him under the bright lights.
Kamaru Usman Ready To Clear The Line For St-Pierre
After defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251, Usman made the pitch of his next title defense coming against St-Pierre in a fight where Usman would be attempting to break St-Pierre’s consecutive win-streak record at welterweight. Usman would instead be paired against and defeat former teammate Gilbert Burns to claim this honor, but after this latest win, Usman’s reiterated that his desire to compete against St-Pierre remains.
“Of course I would like Georges,” Usman said at the UFC 258 post-fight press conference. “But I don’t want Georges because of money or anything like that. Like I said, I’m a competitor. I want Georges because Georges left on top. Georges can still do it. I see him training. Georges, I’m watching you. I see you training. Georges can still do it. So if there’s potential for that big fight, if Georges wants to come back, then of course. Georges can cut the line absolutely.”
Kamaru Usman believes that if the fight were to actually happen, the world would be able to see that it is now a new era in the welterweight division.
“I love Georges. I really do, one of the inspirations early when I started the sport,” Usman said. “But I am a whole different animal nowadays. It’s a different ball game. I love Georges. I think Georges is tough. I consider him one of the greatest. But a fight with me and Georges…OK,” Usman semi-scoffed. “Georges was massive with the jab, but you saw what I did with jabs.”
Georges St-Pierre Responds To Usman’s Challenge
Unfortunately for Kamaru Usman and the fans who would love to see this fight, Georges St-Pierre’s answer to Usman’s callout is the same as it has always been: not interested (h/t MMA Junkie).
“To go back and give three months of my life in a training camp to get a win over Kamaru Usman doesn’t get me motivated,” St-Pierre said. “I don’t think there’s anything that would get me motivated to go back to competition now. I’m not sure,” St-Pierre said in an appearance on The Good Show.
Georges St-Pierre has regularly teased a comeback fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, so it’s safe to say that his competitive drive and the motivation that comes with it is still somewhere in there. Perhaps his publicized openness to fighting Khabib paired with St-Pierre’s continued training is what has given Kamaru Usman the false hope that St-Pierre would return for a fight against him. At this rate, it appears Usman will just have to settle for moving in on St-Pierre’s other records as the Canadian contently watches from the sidelines.
Would you be interested in a fight between Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre?
