- Georges St. Pierre had high praise for
Khabib Nurmagomedov after theUFC lightweight champion retired with a win and an unbeaten career Saturday. - Nurmagomedov sent
Justin Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke at UFC 254 onFight Island , broke down in tears in the Octagon, and then announced his shock retirement to the world. - It had long been speculated that Nurmagomedov would retire on his 30th fight rather than his 29th, with St. Pierre seen as the ideal opponent considering the Canadian's status as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time.
- "Man, it was a perfect fight and a perfect career that you have," St. Pierre told Nurmagomedov.
FIGHT ISLAND — Georges St. Pierre hailed the "invincible" UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov who retired Saturday after a "perfect career" in the UFC.
"I was not expecting that at all," St. Pierre told ESPN, saying he thought — like the media — that Nurmagomedov wanted to retire after his 30th match, rather than calling it a day after his 29th.
Nurmagomedov retained his UFC lightweight championship with a second round submission over the American challenger Justin Gaethje at the behind-closed-doors UFC 254 event in Abu Dhabi's Flash Forum on Fight Island.
Moments after sending Gaethje to sleep with the triangle choke, he broke down in tears on all fours in the middle of the UFC Octagon.
The Dagestan wrestler was consoled by his opponent after he regained consciousness, and then got on the microphone to announce he would never fight again after his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, died aged 57 after coronavirus complications in July.
The UFC boss Dana White said at a Fight Island press conference attended by Insider, that Nurmagomedov was the "baddest mother f----- on the planet" after winning in style three weeks after being treated for broken bones in a hospital.
Nurmagomedov's old rival, the former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor, also congratulated the undefeated champion on Twitter.
"What a great way to finish a career," St. Pierre said. "He left an incredible legacy. One of the best to have ever done it – maybe the best to have ever done it."
A former two-weight UFC champion, St. Pierre is widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
The 39-year-old last competed at UFC 217 in 2017, defeating Michael Bisping with a rear-naked choke submission in the third round — his first fight in four years.
Since then, the Canadian has been linked with a legacy fight against Nurmagomedov in what would have been billed the best of the best from two UFC eras.
"[The fight] did not happen," St-Pierre said. "I'm good where I am. Khabib is invincible now. He's undefeated. It was a perfect career. There's nothing we can say bad about him. It's a perfect career, like 29-0 and you retire on top with the best performance of his career.
"What do you want more? It was incredible. It was a perfect fight in a perfect career — as close as it gets."
He continued: "I always see an athlete taking too many fights. That's something I really don't wish [on] someone. Khabib did an amazing decision [to retire].
"Like everything in life, everything has a beginning and has an end. The life of a professional athlete, even an elite athlete, has a window. If we fight past that window, that's when the problems arrive and appear."
He finished with a message for Nurmagomedov.
"Khabib, follow your heart. Follow what makes you happy and what makes people who love [you] happy.
"No pressure. Take the right decision at the right time, and the possibilities for you are limitless.
"You can do whatever you want. Congratulations. What an amazing career.
"Man, it was a perfect fight and a perfect career that you have."
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