Firas Zahabi doesn’t think Khabib Nurmagomedov would be able to implement his game plan in a hypothetical fight against Georges St-Pierre.
Speaking on the “FightTips” podcast, Zahabi said he doesn’t think that UFC lightweight champ Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC), would be able to keep his star student, former two-division UFC champ St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), down on the mat
“Even if Khabib would take Georges down, let’s give the best case scenario: I think Georges is getting up, personally,” Zahabi said. “He’s going to get up. Georges’ jiu-jitsu is impeccable. It’s impeccable. It’s not going to be like holding down anybody in the 155-pound division today. It’s another level. Georges, even if Khabib gets him down – and I love Khabib, I’m a mega Khabib fan, as a person and as a fighter, huge fan of his – Georges’ ability to get up is incredible, and I would be surprised if Khabib ever gets more than one takedown. It would shock me. It would surprise me, to be honest.”
St-Pierre, who remarkably had no collegiate or major wrestling background, is widely considered as one of the best wrestlers in MMA history, leading the all-time statistic for most takedowns landed throughout his career at 90.
He also has barely ever spent time on his back, which is why Zahabi thinks that stylistically, Numragomedov wouldn’t be able to display his usual dominant style of grappling.
“Georges is incredibly hard to take down,” Zahabi said. “Look at his career: How many times has he been taken down? And when he was taken down, how long did he stay down? It was a fraction of a second. He’s always up. He’s a difficult human being to keep down.”
And if the grappling is neutralized for both fighters, they’d be forced to stand and trade, and Zahabi would give the edge to St-Pierre in the striking.
“There’s no way I can tell you I’m not biased – I’m biased for sure,” he said. “But I think Georges’ kicking ability alone will bank him in rounds. They’re both good jabbers, actually. I think Khabib is a good jabber. But I think defensively, Georges is far superior – defensively. His boxing is longer and better, more precise. If you look at it statistically, I think Georges’ numbers are better, and he has a superior kicking ability.”
But at 38, the longtime former welterweight king has nothing left to prove. One of the greatest fighters of all time, St-Pierre made a comeback in 2017 and took out Michael Bisping to claim the UFC’s middleweight title. While Zahabi wouldn’t rule out a St-Pierre return, it would have to be a fight that motivates him.
An undefeated 28-0 Nurmagomedov could just be that fight, but they’d have to meet somewhere halfway, or in a non-title welterweight bout.
“I don’t think he’s done,” Zahabi said. “I just think he’s so competitive that one day he’s going to see a guy that everybody think is unbeatable, and he’s going to want to come back. Khabib is one of those guys, but it has to be a 165 fight. Will the UFC do it? That’s the question.
“Georges doesn’t want to be champion at welterweight anymore because that means he would have to defend the title every three or four months, which I think that lifestyle, he’s done with.”
Firas Zahabi: 'I would be surprised if Khabib ever gets more than one takedown' on Georges St-Pierre
