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Georges St. Pierre would be willing to return to the UFC if the company made him an offer he couldn't refuse

Aug 3, 2020, 23:36 IST
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Georges St. Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov.Photos by Frank Franklin II / Mahmoud Khaled / AP Photos
  • Retired MMA fighter Georges St. Pierre appeared to suggest that he would return to the UFC if Dana White made him an offer he can't refuse.
  • "They [could] call me," St. Pierre told a Canadian sports channel recently. "They know where to find me."
  • St. Pierre has been linked with two comeback opponents — a fight against the current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a welterweight battle against 170-pound king Kamaru Usman.
  • Earlier in the year, St. Pierre said the UFC was not interested in matching him against Nurmagomedov as the company feared he'd win, then retire with the 155-pound title.
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Georges St. Pierre would be willing to return to the UFC if the company made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"They [could] call me," St. Pierre told the Canadian sports channel RDS.

St. Pierre is one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters to have competed in the young sport, winning the UFC welterweight championship twice and the UFC middleweight championship once while beating a who's who of big-name athletes like BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Nick Diaz, and Michael Bisping.

If the popular Canadian did return, it could be against Nurmagomedov — an unbeaten fighter who, as the reigning champion of the lightweight division, has wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.

The Dagestani wrestler has a flawless record of 28 wins (eight knockouts, 10 submissions, and 10 decisions), and competes in his 29th bout against the interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje on October 24.

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Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has previously floated the idea of a welterweight mega-match between his client, the dominant current ruler at 155-pounds, and St. Pierre.

It could even happen next year for Nurmagomedov's 30th fight — one he may retire after. In that scenario, the UFC president Dana White said he'd do whatever Nurmagomedov wanted, CBS Sports reported last week.

Though St. Pierre wanted to stress that he is happy in retirement, he did recently say that he is open to offers.

"I'm still in good shape, not because I have a fight coming up but because I like to stay that way," said St-Pierre to RDS.

"Having said that, I'm not in fighting form. If I had a fight, I'd have to go to training camp. I just got into the Hall of Fame, I'm retired, and I'm fine.

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"If the UFC has something to ask of me, an offer to make that I couldn't refuse, they [could] just call me, they know where to find me."

St. Pierre hinted earlier in the year that he was working toward a fight against Nurmagomedov, but a potential bout fell apart because the UFC feared he'd win and then immediately retire with the title like he did after besting Bisping in 2017.

"If you look on the UFC's side, if I put myself in their shoes … they didn't want to take the risk of me winning the title and then vacating again," St. Pierre said in April.

Nurmagomedov, though, is not the only viable option for St. Pierre should the 39-year-old come out of retirement.

The current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is also interested in testing himself against the retired fighter.

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After Usman out-pointed Jorge Masvidal on "Fight Island" last month, "The Nigerian Nightmare" told reporters at a post-fight press conference that a match with St. Pierre would be a "crazy fight."

He said: "It's a huge fight, and I think a lot of people would want to see it."

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