Georges St-Pierre reflects on failed UFC fight with Nate Diaz: ‘It would make me look like a bully’
Former two-weight UFC champion, Georges St-Pierre has claimed if he would have accepted an offer to fight Octagon alum, Nate Diaz during their respective tenures with the promotion, it would be viewed as a “bully” by many critics and fans alike.
St-Pierre, a former undisputed middleweight champion and decorated welterweight titleholder, called time on his illustrious mixed martial arts career back in 2019 officially, having snapped a lengthy hiatus back in 2017 in a middleweight title charge.
And landing his second Octagon crown, Canadian fan-favorite, St-Pierre headlined UFC 217 in New York at Madison Square Garden, defeating then-champion, Michael Bisping with an eventual third round rear-naked choke.
Linked with a host of fights in the immediate aftermath of his title success a division higher, St-Pierre vacated the crown following an extended battle with ulcerative colitis, with a title unification pairing against then-interim gold holder, Robert Whittaker looming.
Georges St-Pierre reflects on failed fight with Nate Diaz after UFC return
As well as a pairing with the Aussie, a potential fight with welterweight kingpin, Tyron Woodley was targeted, and even a showdown with then-Octagon star, Diaz — one in which St-Pierre admitted he had zero interest in taking.
“I considered it,” Georges St-Pierre said of a fight with Nate Diaz during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. However, I analyzed it, I talked with my trainer, Firas Zahabi, and everybody, we were all on the same page on that — it’s not worth it.
“If you put yourself in my shoes, there’s nothing good that can come out of it, expect money,” Georges St-Pierre explained. “But that isn’t the only thing that drives me. He’s a big guy; he’s about the same size as me. But because I competed at 170 [pounds] for most of my career, it would make me look bad; it would make me look like a bully., And this is if I win decisively. For example, if I win in a war and it’s back-and-forth, people would say, ‘He sucked,’ If i lose, forget it, for my legacy, this is the end of the world.”
