Kamaru Usman Wants Georges St-Pierre Fight Next, GSP Responds.
Kamaru Usman recently went on TMZ after his second successful title defense, a unanimous decision victory over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251. He was immediately asked, ‘if you had the choice, who would the dream fight be for The Nigerian Nightmare?’ Usman responded:
“Honestly, I would have to say Georges St-Pierre. Right now we’re tied for the record of most consecutive wins in the welterweight division (12), and Georges is a tough guy, Georges is a legend, Georges is a guy that’s been around for a while, has put his time in, and is considered one of the best. That’s where I aim to be. Georges can still do it, he proved it two years ago when he came back that he could still do it.
“And I feel that he’s still able to do it, I feel like he’s still able to come in and be that opponent to where people are unsure. Like, you know what, we don’t know if Usman’s got this one, and I think Georges St-Pierre can be that guy. That’s what I’m looking for, those are what champions are made of. When you get that feeling, (like) I’m not sure, this one’s a tough one, I don’t know how this one’s gonna go but I’m gonna damn well go out there and compete and see what happens. I think Georges St-Pierre can be that guy, and if Georges wants to do it, he can get it too if he wants to do it.”
He was then asked how a fight between the two of them would go, and had the following to say:
“I think Georges was one of the first of what I consider a hybrid of the sport, he can do everything well. And it worked for a long, long time, but I just think I’m the newer and improved version. I think I’m a bit stronger, I’m just a little bit better everywhere.”
A week later, TMZ also interviewed the greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre. The interviewer showed him a video of their interview with Usman, and St-Pierre had the following to say about the matter:
“For me, it’s very complimentary because for a fighter the goal is to do as less (little) work possible to gain the most money. And they know a fight with me will give them a lot of money, and plus, if they win, they can have the legacy that comes with it. But, for my part, you know, it’s a mixed feeling. For sure sometimes I’m watching the fight and I’m like, man, I think I can beat these guys, or after I’m done training I feel like I’m very confident. But then after I go home at night and I’m thinking about all that crazy thoughts, I’m going to be 40-years-old soon.
“Do I really want to go back into a hardcore training camp of two months, put myself in jail so to speak and you know, getting ready for hell. And I’m like, no, I don’t. You know, I’ve done it for a very long time, and unfortunately in my sport there’s too many guys that retire too late, and I do not want to be one of these guys. I’m very fortunate, I’m healthy, most importantly, and I’m also wealthy. I came at the right time, the right timing, I made a lot of money. And I think when I matured and calculated the pros and cons, it’s better I stay retired.”
He went on to say he’s working on another big project, he remains a very big fan of the sport, and he loves to watch all the best guys in the sport, including Usman. He went on to pay Usman this incredible compliment following his win over Masvidal:
“I saw the fight, he’s amazing, what a great fight. He’s very, very smart. You know, everybody talks about his physical abilities and his skills, but I think his best attribute is his brain. He’s very, very smart, he’s very good at becoming the perfect nemesis for his opponent. He fought almost a perfect fight. I mean, he’s an amazing fighter and he’s gonna go far, he’s gonna be one of the best if he keeps going like that.”
He went on to say that while he isn’t certain he’ll never return, the probability is highly unlikely, stating “you can take the fighter out of the competition, but you can’t take the competition out of the fighter. But I need to stay objective and smart about my decisions and right now, to come back, to fight for the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman and risk it all, there’s more cons than pros. So it’s not worth it for me.”
Do you want to see Kamaru Usman face off against Georges St-Pierre?
