Kamaru Usman: Georges St-Pierre is ‘shadow that haunts the division’ but doesn’t want to fight

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Kamaru Usman: Georges St-Pierre is ‘shadow that haunts the division’ but doesn’t want to fight

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to face former two-division champion and UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, but doesn’t believe the fight will ever happen.

Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) is on the heels of the fifth defense of his welterweight title and has expressed interest in wanting to take on big fights. During UFC 268 fight week before his rematch with Colby Covington, that he would go on to win by unanimous decision, Usman talked about wanting to step inside the boxing ring to face its biggest star in Canelo Alvarez.

While UFC president Dana White isn’t keen on any more fantasy crossover matches between UFC fighters and top-level boxers, there is one name within the MMA world that is always of high interest.

“Georges is the shadow that haunts the division,” Usman said on a recent episode of the Full Send Podcast. “Well, did. Not anymore. When Tyron Woodley was champ, he haunted the division. When Robbie Lawler was champ, Georges haunted the division, because everyone knew the champ never lost his belt and he was just kind of floating out there, still training – you could tell he was still working out, and he was just kind of out there.”

“Like Khabib (Nurmagomedov) now. He haunts the lightweight division because everyone is like, ‘Oh, Khabib’s the champ,’ you know?”

As Usman’s title reign continues, comparisons to St-Pierre’s run have become more frequent. St-Pierre himself even considers Usman to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the game today. Mutual respect is there between these two elite competitors, but why don’t they meet inside the cage to ultimately answer the question of what would happen in a fight?

“Georges doesn’t want it,” Usman stated. “I know he doesn’t want it, so that’s okay. I’ve let that ship sail because he’s retired. Let him retire in peace, eat and drink, do whatever he wants.”

St-Pierre, 40, last competed at UFC 217 in 2017, when he came out of retirement to challenge for Michael Bisping’s middleweight title. The Canadian star won the fight by technical submission in the third round and became a champion in two weight classes. St-Pierre has since retired and moved on to other ventures like his acting career.

Usman, 34, racked up three title defenses in 2021 and has his sights set on big things in the future. However, he seems content knowing the fight against one of the biggest names the sport has ever seen will not come to fruition.

Kamaru Usman: Georges St-Pierre is ‘shadow that haunts the division’ but doesn’t want to fight