Former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre left the UFC with his legacy intact but there was one bout he desperately wanted to consolidate it, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He had his eyes set on history and a three-division title collection. It was a fight that fans would no doubt pay to see but it was never made.
Now Dana White has hinted as to why. Apparently, it all goes back to St-Pierre relinquishing his belt after his last comeback.
The Canadian beat Michael Bisping to secure the middleweight title in 2017 but never defended it due to health issues. Speaking to TSN, White explained he held a grudge over that.
Well there’s two things — first of all, who doesn’t love Georges St-Pierre? Love Georges St-Pierre, the best ever as far as human beings, great guy, love him. Georges St-Pierre and I had a deal, he was going to fight Bisping at 185 pounds and if he won, he would defend the title. He bailed on that. Didn’t do it. So you can’t just come out and hand pick fights that you want for titles.
"He fought Bisping and then you look at the guys that are behind Bisping and they’re all killers. They’re all literally killers."
White went on to explain that there are other more pressing fights for the Russian, including Tony Ferguson and a Conor McGregor rematch.
“There’s guys backed up that want to fight in that division. You can’t come back out of retirement and hand pick fights that you want when you didn’t even keep your word with me."
Khabib Nurmagomdov is already set to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 and he has numerous options after that. Apparently if Dana White has his way, St-Pierre will not be one of them.
