Georges St. Pierre

It's been nearly a year since Conor McGregor's last UFC fight, but don't be surprised to see him in the Octagon at some point in 2020.

UFC President Dana White recently told TMZ Sports that McGregor is expected to fight "early next year":

McGregor has not fought since going head-to head with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018. Nurmagomedov won that clash via fourth-round submission—and then chaos ensued.

A brawl broke out at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena, with Nurmagomedov jumping out of the cage to confront McGregor's team. The event proceeded to spiral out of control both inside and outside the Octagon.

McGregor was suspended six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and fined $50,000. He was eligible to fight again April 6. However, before that date arrived, he announced he was walking away from MMA:

Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today.
I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition.
I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement.
Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 26, 2019

Approximately one week later, he said he was looking to get back in the Octagon:

I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds.
All faiths challenge us to be our best selves.
It is one world and one for all ❤️
Now see you in the Octagon.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 4, 2019

The 31-year-old raised some eyebrows Sept. 15 when he tweeted out a date and location:

Dublin, December 14th.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 16, 2019

Though he did not explain the meaning behind the tweet, there was speculation that it could mark his return to the UFC. White, however, not only said 2020 was the anticipated return date but also noted a potential fight would be held in Las Vegas, not Dublin.

For fans hoping to see a McGregor-Nurmagomedov rematch following the events of UFC 229, it's a "possibility down the road." White added that McGregor will likely fight someone else first, while a Nurmagomedov-Tony Ferguson clash could also be on tap.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has said there is a "0.00" per cent chance the UFC lightweight champion will face Conor McGregor in a rematch.

The Russian is instead targeting a fight with Georges St-Pierre, as Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports (warning: contains profanity):

Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight belt against McGregor in October last year, winning in the fourth round via submission.

McGregor called for a rematch after The Eagle saw off Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on Saturday:

Book my rematch for Moscow.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 7, 2019

Abdelaziz said a second fight with the Irishman held no appeal for Nurmagomedov or his camp: "Not interested at all ... for what? We already beat him, we already whooped his ass."

"Conor is like a sour ex-girlfriend; she can't get anybody else," he added. "This is what Conor is. He's irrelevant."

The manager also said McGregor "is not a good person" and referred to a tweet sent by UFC fighter Justin Gaethje that called out The Notorious (warning: contains profanity):

😂 you’re a tool. You have lost everything already. You are a shit human, father, and husband. Fuck you.

— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) September 8, 2019

Ahead of last year's clash with Nurmagomedov, McGregor called Abdelaziz a "snitch, terrorist rat."

Abdelaziz added: "He made it this ugly. This is the only thing he can do, promote ugliness."

Nurmagomedov has previously said he has no interest in fighting McGregor again, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto:

At UFC 242 press conference last night, Dana White said if Tony Ferguson refused to fight Khabib (*scratches head*), Conor McGregor would "make sense" to be next. Reminder of what Khabib said to me weeks ago, when I asked what he would do if White called with that fight. https://t.co/x2NUXzVUYR

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 8, 2019

He wants to fight former middleweight and welterweight champion St-Pierre instead of McGregor or Tony Ferguson, per Abdelaziz: "If Khabib is going to fight for legacy, a fight with Georges St-Pierre would be a huge fight."

The manager also said that such a match-up would generate more interest and be more lucrative than a bout with Ferguson.

St-Pierre has not fought since 2017 and announced his retirement from the sport in February, but Abdelaziz said they could still fight in 2019 or early in 2020.

If St-Pierre won't come out of retirement, a clash with Ferguson would likely hold plenty of appeal with spectators. The 35-year-old (25-3) is on a 12-fight winning streak and briefly held the lightweight belt in 2017 before he was stripped of it due to injury.

Ali Abdelaziz, the agent for MMA superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov, said he's working to convince Georges St-Pierre to come out of retirement for a high-profile bout with the UFC lightweight champion.

On Saturday, TMZ Sports provided comments from Abdelaziz, who noted both fighters have described it as a potential "dream fight," but so far there's no deal in place.

"It's about weight," he said. "The problem is about weight. What weight class do we fight at?"

St-Pierre announced his decision to retire during a February press conference. He noted his choice to walk away came despite feeling he could still compete at a high level.

"There's no tears. I'm very happy to do it," he said. "It takes a lot of discipline to retire on top. It was a long process in my mind, but it's time to do it. Only a few people have done it."

GSP also confirmed there were discussions with Khabib and his representatives before the retirement press conference, but nothing came from it at the time.

"We tried to organize the fight," he said. "I know Khabib wanted it and I wanted it, but the UFC has other plans. For me, it's about taking one fight at a time, instead of being there for several fights. The way the business works, I believe, if the UFC promotes someone, they want to keep him there—to have a guarantee. I don't have that same motivation."

Khabib had made a final plea to the former welterweight and middleweight champion on Instagram after rumors about his future had started to swirl.

"After this fight you can retire," Nurmagomedov wrote. "I grow up on your fights, and have nothing but respect for you, and I believe showed that to you George when you were in Moscow. But, it would be honor for me to share Octagon with one of the greatest fighters of all time."

Nurmagomedov offered to fight GSP in November, but that's no longer on the table, as he's scheduled to take on lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September.

That said, returns from retirement are not uncommon in combat sports, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see St-Pierre back in the Octagon to face Khabib in the future.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the world of MMA.

                       

Daniel Cormier Says 3rd Jon Jones Fight Is 'All I Want'

UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier's career is drawing to a close after he turned 40 in March, but he's set to defend his title in a rematch with Stipe Miocic—whom he took the belt off in July last year—this summer.

After that, there's only one person he wants to fight before retiring: Jon Jones.

He told ESPN's Ariel Helwani as much Monday:

“It’s all I want. ... If I do stick around, that would be the fight that I would do it for. And it would be at 205 pounds because I need to go and get that back from him.”

- Daniel Cormier on fighting Jon Jones one last time. pic.twitter.com/1YmnWHO2Fr

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 7, 2019

Per MMAFighting's Jed Meshew, he said:

"It's all I want. When I fight Jones, I feel most complete when I'm preparing for competition against that guy because it makes me train harder. It makes me train smarter. I do everything right in preparation and I believe that if I do stick around that would be the fight that I do it for. And it would be at 205 pounds because I need to go and get that back from him.

"I don't need the deck stacked in my favour. My whole life I've overcome odds. I've faced uphill battle after uphill battle my entire life and I've always been able to get through it. This is one of the only things I've not been able to conquer. I need to go do it. I have to get it right."

Jones (24-1) is the only fighter to defeat DC (22-1) in his career, when he won via unanimous decision back in 2015.

The pair met again in 2017, but what was initially a knockout win for Jones was overturned to a no-contest after he failed a drug test.

As the only man Cormier has never beaten, it's clear the veteran feels there's unfinished business between them.

                      

Khabib Nurmagomedov Wants 3 Fights by April 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been suspended since he beat Conor McGregor in October last year for his part in a post-fight brawl, and he won't be eligible to fight again until July 6.

When he returns, he'll be eager to make up for his absence, as he wants to organise three fights in quick succession.

Per ESPN's Brett Okamoto, his agent Ali Abdelaziz said, "He gave me very specific instructions. He said he wants to fight September 7 and again in December. And if [former welterweight champion] Georges St-Pierre can figure things out with the UFC by April, that's the deal. He would like that fight in April."

Okamoto has previously reported the Russian is in line to make his return at UFC 242:

UFC has officially announced UFC 242 will take place on Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi. No official headliner, but Khabib Nurmagomedov's return is expected to main event. UFC also announces a five-year commitment to host live events in Abu Dhabi.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 29, 2019

St-Pierre (26-2) retired in February but has fought just once since 2013. By next April, it will have been more than two years since his last fight, so Nurmagomedov (27-0) will have much more momentum on his side if he fights in September and December.

The 30-year-old also has the significant advantage of being seven years younger, but a return for former two-division champion St-Pierre would be eagerly anticipated.

                          

Jordan Burroughs Dismantles Ben Askren 11-0 at Grapple at the Garden

Ben Askren (19-0) might be unbeaten in MMA, but he was humbled by an 11-0 defeat to Jordan Burroughs at the Beat the Streets "Grapple at the Garden" charity event Monday.

Burroughs, a four-time world champion who also won freestyle wrestling gold at the 2012 Olympics, showed his class as he eased to victory by technical fall:

BREAKING: Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) is really, really good at wrestling.

📽 via @FloWrestling pic.twitter.com/ggW8dS9j6t

— FloCombat (@FloCombat) May 7, 2019

MMA writers Dave Doyle and Damon Martin echoed each other's thoughts on the one-sided fight, which was over in the second round:

https://twitter.com/davedoylemma/status/1125633508817244160

Jordan Burroughs defeated Ben Askren 11-0 (technical fall) in their match at Beat the Streets in NYC tonight.

No shame whatsoever in losing to one of the greatest American wrestlers in history. Burroughs is a beast.

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) May 7, 2019

Askren, 34, made his UFC debut in March with a submission win over Robbie Lawler.

His next fight will see him take on Jorge Masvidal at UFC 239 on July 6, where he'll hope to fare better than he did against Burroughs.

If UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets his way, he will fight three times in the next 11 months. And one of those fights will come against Georges St-Pierre.

"He gave me very specific instructions," Nurmagomedov's agent, Ali Abdelaziz, said, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. "He said he wants to fight Sept. 7 and again in December. And if [former welterweight champion] Georges St-Pierre can figure things out with the UFC by April, that's the deal. He would like that fight in April."

Okamoto noted the 37-year-old St-Pierre announced his retirement in December but said he wanted to fight Nurmagomedov during the retirement announcement. While he claimed the UFC did not want that to happen, Abdelaziz's comment suggests it is still in play.

St-Pierre is a legend, and a fight with Nurmagomedov would create plenty of buzz.

The last fight the 155-pounder had that drew plenty of headlines was his UFC 229 victory over Conor McGregor in October. Abdelaziz said McGregor has his work cut out for him if he wants to be considered for a rematch.

"To be honest, Conor is going to have to go out there and fight somebody like Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson or Cowboy [Donald Cerrone]," he said. "He's not a worthy enough opponent right now. That's the feeling from all of us, as a team."

The actual result took a backseat to the post-fight melee that saw Nurmagomedov leap over the cage and into the crowd to fight people in McGregor's corner. A spectator even jumped into the Octagon and threw a punch at McGregor, and Nurmagomedov is serving a nine-month suspension as a result of the chaos.

He plans to make up for lost time, though, when the suspension ends, as evidenced by his desire to schedule a trio of fights within the next year.

Anderson Silva has the title defenses. Fedor Emelianenko has the mystique. Jon Jones has the genius. But there can only one greatest mixed martial artist of all time, and on Thursday, he stepped before the assembled media to announce his retirement. 

"There's no tears," former welterweight kingpin and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre said during his retirement news conference in Montreal.

His GOAT status may not be unanimous, but it isn't exactly a hot take, either. He finishes third behind Silva and Demetrious Johnson with nine title defenses—informally considered one of MMA's most important data points when evaluating the greatness of a career. And that's only one piece of a convincing puzzle.

"The gap between Georges St-Pierre as a mixed martial artist and the rest of the world is too big for anybody else to close," said ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen, who fought Silva twice, in 2017. "That is the greatest fighter we've ever seen."

St-Pierre doesn't leave behind a complicated legacy. It's a simple one, and it's pure greatness.

St-Pierre has a 26-2 professional MMA record against the cream of the crop in his own peer group and the group that came behind them. He ruled the welterweight division for seven years—his reign only ended when he voluntarily vacated the belt in 2013—and he added the middleweight title, which he also voluntarily vacated, in 2017.

At 37, there's no reason to suspect the known workout fanatic couldn't compete right now. In fact, he is retiring only after negotiations with lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through. One would expect his skills are still sharp. And since he avoided massive slugfest-related damage over the years, his head should be as well.

His career trajectory was fun to watch, and it's equally enjoyable to retrace.

St-Pierre sampled karate as a teenager to help him with bullies, which was his first brush with combat sports. Wrestling, jiu-jitsu and boxing followed. Early in his UFC career, he was a flashy, karate-flavored striker, notching four knockouts on his way to a 7-0 record.

In 2004, the 23-year-old St-Pierre got a shot at the vacant UFC welterweight title. Across the cage was Matt Hughes, the smirking Midwestern legend who must have reminded GSP of the worst of his school-age wedgie-givers. St-Pierre lost, but he subsequently launched himself on a rampage toward a rematch.

While seeking the sequel, St-Pierre went into the cage after Hughes had defeated BJ Penn and told him, "I'm not impressed by your performance."

That became the tagline of his career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYfNF35-ps

In 2006, GSP got his wish and knocked Hughes out to win back the title. But in St-Pierre's very next fight, Matt Serra pulled one of the biggest upsets in UFC history—he was a 7-1 underdog that night—with a first-round knockout shocker.

Just like that, GSP slid all the way down to the bottom of the mountain.

Serra was only there because he won a season of The Ultimate Fighter dedicated to granting a few fading Cinderellas one final shot at the glass slipper. St-Pierre was beside himself with humiliation, but it changed him. Suddenly, hype no longer existed. 

"So, I'm going to fight this guy that basically everybody tells me that I'm going to walk through him, and I start kind of believing in my own hype," St-Pierre told Fox Sports in 2016.  "The guy comes in the locker room, it's my turn to fight, he walked in the door: 'St-Pierre, you're up next. Are you ready?' And when he asked me this question, 'Are you ready?' I said to myself, 'Shoot, now I'm not ready'. I should have put more into this, and now mentally, I got broken. As I'm walking to the Octagon, if you see that fight, I'm walking and I'm like '(expletive), I'm really not ready for this.'"

He never made that mistake again. He never lost again, either.

As with the Hughes defeat, St-Pierre returned better after losing to Serra. Dramatically so.

Preparation became an obsession, as if he could reach some critical mass that would rewind him back to the  Serra stunner. If nothing else, maybe it could atone. The last vestiges of his karate beginnings fell away like the shredded remains of a T-shirt suddenly four sizes too small.

After a rubber-match defeat of Hughes to grab the interim welterweight belt, St-Pierre had Serra in his sights. Here was the new and improved GSP, showing off a wrestling style meticulously honed for MMA. His takedowns were nearly unstoppable.

He passed Serra's guard like regular people open cans of tuna. The end result was a TKO, but it was the rare kind that involved no fists or feet. St-Pierre slammed his knee into the rib cage of a helplessly turtled Serra, like a raptor trying to break into a brontosaurus egg (and no GSP story is complete without at least one dinosaur reference). Soon thereafter, St-Pierre hoisted the unified welterweight belt that no one would take from him again.

The caliber of GSP's victories over the years is amazing to rattle off. Hughes twice. Penn twice. Carlos Condit. Johny Hendricks. Nick Diaz. Sean Sherk. Josh Koschek twice. Frank Trigg. Jake Shields. Michael Bisping. Of these 10, six wore UFC gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaqVAvW_M8E

In addition to his unparalleled MMA ground game—so good that scuttlebutt around an Olympic wrestling bid never seemed that far-fetched despite his lack of pedigree in the sport—GSP made use of a stripped-down striking game that was as remarkable for its simplicity (jab, kick, random Superman punch, repeat) as its effectiveness in keeping the fight where he wanted to keep it. Add to that some of the best game-planning and cardio in the sport, and St-Pierre was the total package.

GSP could have done even more, but he stepped away from the sport for nearly four years. He also took criticism for a risk-averse style later in his career. He was selective about his opportunities, competing two times per year at most. Talk of massive occasions, be it a move down to lightweight for Nurmagomedov or Conor McGregor or a move up to middleweight when Silva was in his prime, never seemed to move beyond the talk stage.

His list of victories could be longer and could feature more finishes, but it's plenty impressive as is. If the book against St-Pierre sounds like it's written in nitpick, that's because it is. His dominance had a breadth and depth that no other's can match.

MMA fans respect St-Pierre for how he carried himself outside the ring, too. He was the rare MMA star who didn't hesitate to criticize the UFC and its business practices, which don't have a reputation of being fighter-friendly. He also wasn't afraid to turn the UFC down if he didn't feel a fair offer was on the table. That may have been one reason why he didn't fight again after taking the belt from Bisping in 2017. One can't help but wonder if he'll continue that kind of discourse with the UFC or the public.

His overriding characteristic was his humility, which bordered on bashfulness.

No matter how accomplished, wealthy, telegenic or beloved he was, St-Pierre always seemed unsure of himself. It was dissonant to watch a world-famous cage fighter who appeared more nervous to do an interview with a blogger than the blogger was to interview him. He was chronically self-aware, perhaps a by-product of the restless intellect that powered his intense interests in paleontology and other things.

That enduring humility always appeared when St-Pierre let down his guard.

"There's no such thing as the greatest of all time. It doesn't exist. It's an illusion," St-Pierre said in a UFC media call in 2017. "Even though you're the best, it doesn't mean you're not going to lose. And it doesn't mean nobody's going to beat you. ... You can be the best one day, but tomorrow you're not. That's the truth about this sport."

I beg to differ, champ.

    

Scott Harris is an MMA and feature writer for Bleacher Report and CNN.

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants MMA legend Georges St-Pierre to delay his retirement so they can fight in November.

Nurmagomedov made the proposal in an Instagram post Wednesday after ESPN.com's Ariel Helwani reported GSP is expected to retire at a press conference Thursday.

"Let's do it in November. After this fight you can retire," Nurmagomedov wrote. "I grow up on your fights, and have nothing but respect for you, and I believe showed that to you George when you were in Moscow. But, it would be honor for me to share Octagon with one of the greatest fighters of all time."

Nurmagomedov offered to fight at either 155 or 160 pounds, with Abu Dhabi, Montreal, Moscow or New York City serving as the host city for what would be a highly anticipated final clash for GSP.

It's unclear whether the 37-year-old former UFC welterweight champion will consider the offer or if his retirement decision has already been finalized.

Helwani noted St-Pierre "hoped to secure a fight" against the Russian superstar but made the decision to walk away from the sport after "it was clear that fight would not materialize."

St-Pierre took a four-year absence from MMA following his UFC 167 split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks to retain the welterweight title. He returned at UFC 217 in November 2017 to defeat Michael Bisping via rear-naked choke for the middleweight belt before vacating the championship because of ulcerative colitis.

The Canada native compiled a 26-2 record while establishing himself as one of the sport's first superstars during a professional career that began in 2002.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov owns an undefeated 27-0 mark following his submission victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October. The chaos inside and outside the Octagon following that hyped bout led to a nine-month suspension.

Now the question is if his return fight will be against one of the greatest ever or whether GSP will stick with his plan to enter retirement despite the last-ditch effort from Khabib.

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre will reportedly announce his retirement from MMA on Thursday.

According to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, St-Pierre will make it official at a press conference in Montreal. Helwani added that St-Pierre had been hoping to fight UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov but decided to retire when nothing came to fruition.

The 37-year-old St-Pierre is a three-time UFC welterweight champion and one-time UFC middleweight champion, making him one of only six multi-division champs in UFC history.

St-Pierre debuted professionally in 2002 and then made his UFC debut at UFC 46 in 2004. He stepped away from fighting after beating Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in 2013 but made his return at UFC 217 in 2017 and beat Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title.

Just over a month after beating Bisping, St-Pierre vacated the title so that he could receive treatment for ulcerative colitis.

St-Pierre is set to retire from MMA with a career record of 26-2. His only losses came against Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, but he went on to beat them both in subsequent rematches.

With a winning percentage of 90.9 percent in 22 UFC fights, St-Pierre will retire with the fifth-best winning percentage in UFC history behind only Khabib, Jon Jones, Tony Ferguson and Daniel Cormier.

St-Pierre also has the second-most wins in UFC history, and his 13-fight winning streak from 2007 until now ranks as the third-longest of all time.