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UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has long expressed a desire to fight former welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre before calling it a career. Now, with Nurmagomedov ready to return to action, he is renewing those talks.
This week, Nurmagomedov was speaking to reporters when he revealed he wants to fight GSP next April.
For the champ, it would be a way to honor his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away at age 57 due to complications from the novel coronavirus COVID-19 back in July. According to Nurmagomedov, a bout with GSP was his father’s “dream” fight.
“Regarding Georges St-Pierre, that fight really inspires me,” Khabib said during a media event in Russia, as transcribed by TMZ Sports. “It was my father’s dream fight. But time passes, Georges St-Pierre will be 40 next year. I think he has to decide whether we’ll fight or not.
“If I beat [Justin Gaethje] in October, then fight St-Pierre in April before Ramadan, that would be ideal.”
Khabib then said that he believes UFC president Dana White will make the fight happen if St-Pierre agrees to share the cage.
“Dana told me after this fight they’ll talk to St-Pierre,” Nurmagomedov added. “If he agrees, we’ll fight. Both I and the UFC want that to happen.”
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Nurmagomedov had his most recent outing at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi where he defeated Dustin Poirier to retain the lightweight championship via third-round submission.
With the win, Khabib advanced to 28-0 in his professional career. His 28 consecutive wins gives him the longest winning streak in all of mixed martial arts. Khabib first won the vacant lightweight championship on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223 when he scored a dominant decision win over Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn, New York. He became the first Russian to win a UFC title. The submission victory over Poirier was his second title defense. Nurmagomedov’s first title defense was a submission victory over Conor McGregor in October 2018.
