Georges St-Pierre understands why UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to fight him, but he currently has no interest in ending retirement.
St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), the former two-time UFC welterweight champ and former middleweight titleholder, is regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. He’s also one of the biggest pay-per-view draws in company history.
Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) on the other hand, is on his way to becoming one of the best 170-pounders in history. He beat ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos and most recently Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251. He also holds a win over contender Leon Edwards, which means he’s almost cleared out the division already.
But St-Pierre, who already came out of retirement once in 2017 when he defeated Michael Bisping for the 185-pound belt, doesn’t see a need to come back again as he approaches his 40th birthday.
Although St-Pierre sees Usman’s callout as “very complimentary,” he just doesn’t think it’s worth going through the daily grind of a fight at this point of his life.
“Sometimes I’m watching the fights, and I’m like, ‘Man I think I can beat these guys.’ Or after when I’m done training I feel like I’m very confident,” St-Pierre told TMZ. “But then after I go home at night, and I’m thinking about all that crazy thoughts, and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna be 40 years old soon. Do I really want to go back and do a hardcore training camp of two months, put myself in jail so to speak, and get ready for hell? I’m like, ‘No, I don’t.’
“I’ve done it for a very long time, and unfortunately in my sport there are too many guys that retire too late, and I do not want to be one of these guys.”
St-Pierre may not have any interest in fighting Usman, but that didn’t stop him from praising the champion’s skills and his recent win over Masvidal.
“I saw the fight. He’s amazing,” St-Pierre said. “What a great fight. He’s very, very smart. Everyone talks about his physical abilities and his skills, but what I think is his best attribute is his brain. He’s very, very smart. He’s very good at becoming the perfect nemesis for his opponent, and he fought almost a perfect fight. He’s an amazing fighter, and he’s gonna go far. He’s gonna be one of the best if he keeps going like that.”
Throughout his career, St-Pierre was one of the smartest fighters, which prevented him from taking too much damage. He’s held the title for years and emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC, which has resulted in him being financially stable.
That, he admitted, contributes to a lack of interest in his return.
“I’m very fortunate, I’m healthy most importantly, and I’m also wealthy,” St-Pierre said. “I came out at the right time. I made a lot of money, and I think the problems are when I matured and calculated the pros and cons, it’s better that I stay retired.”
Georges St-Pierre says he won't end retirement to challenge 'amazing' Kamaru Usman
