Now that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is official for the UFC 229 headliner, there figure to be plenty of suitors willing to face the winner of that blockbuster lightweight championship bout.
That includes former middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who recently said he’d be interested in facing the winner of the Oct. 6 contest.
“I would be interested in that fight,” St. Pierre said a recent press conference filmed by Submission Radio. “That’s a win-win situation. That’s a win-win situation. It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money. It’s going to be a big fight.
“However, I fought at 170. I relinquished the title [in 2013]. Then I fought at 185. I relinquished the title [in 2017]. I don’t think the UFC will let me fight for the title at 155. They will be afraid that I’ll relinquish and leave the division in ruins again.”
St. Pierre’s intuition has proven to be correct. In an interview on “The BBC MMA Show,” UFC President Dana White confirmed that the Canadian star will not be in line to face the Nurmagomedov-McGregor winner. After defeating Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight crown in his comeback fight at UFC 217, St. Pierre vacated the belt without making a single defense.
Allowing St. Pierre to move to 155 pounds and vie for that title could create a similar situation.
“I’m not interested in that fight,” White said. “He knows that, and I’ve told him that many times.”
“Georges St-Pierre is looking for one-off fights where he can make a lot of money, which, it’s smart – that’s what he should do. But we’re not interested in that.”
However, White would welcome a return to welterweight for “Rush,” the division he ruled for years before taking a hiatus from the sport in 2013. White mentioned UFC 231, which takes place at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Dec. 8, as a potential landing spot for St. Pierre if he does take another fight.
“I’m interested in Georges St. Pierre coming back at [170 pounds], not at 155 pounds,” White said.
White then expressed doubt regarding St. Pierre’s desire to fight, something he did frequently prior to the ex-champ’s return to action in November 2017.
“I don’t know. He’s not too excited about fighting or defending his title or anything like that,” White said. “I don’t know if he’ll ever fight again.”