Earlier this year Georges St-Pierre teased his return to action but in a grappling match. When this announcement was made, fans began to speculate about a matchup between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov in a grappling setting. Rumors continued to float about the same. BJJ world champion Craig Jones claimed that ‘The Eagle’ wanted $5 million for the supposed match against ‘GSP’. However, these rumors were quickly shut down by Rizvan Magomedov of Dominance MMA. A month after that, a famous MMA reporter cleared the air on GSP’s potential match and gave them a piece of sad news via Twitter.
For UFC fans, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre are two of the best grapplers to have ever fought in the promotion. Needless to say, given how similar their styles of fighting were, somewhat similar. Fans always wondered who would win in a fight between ‘The Eagle’ and ‘Rush’. Unfortunately, this always remained in talks and the match never happened.
Georges St-Pierre vs Khabib Nurmagomedov remains a pipe dream
In a recent Tweet, Aaron Bronsteter shared an update regarding GSP’s return and his potential opponent. The update left fans heartbroken. Bronsteter mentioned in the tweet that he had a conversation with GSP regarding the grappling match.
According to the MMA reporter, the former welterweight champion was supposed to face Nick Diaz in the match. But the fight was postponed due to injury. He said:
“Just spoke with Georges St-Pierre, who revealed that he had agreed to face Nick Diaz in his grappling bout at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational in December. Unfortunately, both suffered injuries recently and it has been postponed.”
Just spoke with Georges St-Pierre, who revealed that he had agreed to face Nick Diaz in his grappling bout at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational in December.
Unfortunately, both suffered injuries recently and it has been postponed.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 19, 2023
Nick Diaz and St-Pierre had a heated rivalry which ultimately culminated in a title fight that Diaz lost at UFC 158 in 2013. The elder Diaz brother is known for his grappling skills and he will most certainly put on a show against his former rival.
With that said, while Diaz is a good opponent for the former middleweight champion, there were plenty of options available for GSP’s return. One name that stood out was Khabib Nurmagomedov, but here’s why it is not happening.
Team Khabib Nurmagomedov dismissed $5 million fight claim against GSP
GSP’s announcement to fight in a grappling match as mentioned led to speculations regarding his potential opponent. The names that came up included Demian Maia, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and Anderson Silva. Many fans voiced their desire to see ‘The Eagle’ and ‘Rush’ face each other.
Dana White tried his level best to make the fight happen. There were claims from Craig Jones that the Dagestani icon wanted too much money to fight GSP. However, Nurmagomedov’s manager said that the claims were not true and made fun of Jones’s sources.
After losing his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, ‘The Eagle’ had promised his mother that he would not fight without his father. This is possibly one of the big reasons why Nurmagomedov has stayed firm with his decision to retire.
With all that said, fans would have definitely loved to see ‘Rush’ take on Nurmagomedov. Since that is not happening the best option is without a doubt a grappling match against this long-time rival, Nick Diaz. Further updates regarding the fight are awaited.
