St-Pierre says he hasn't faced Khabib yet because it's the UFC's fault: 'They're afraid I'll beat him'

G. St-Pierre (right) states that the fight against K. Nurmagomedov (left) did not happen because of the UFC. Photo: Montage SL/MMA Press

Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre spoke publicly about the possibility of facing the lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg.), Khabib Nurmagomedov. After months of speculation, the Canadian stated that the clash was not scheduled due to obstacles related to the Ultimate board. In a recent interview with 'TSN', the fighter spoke about the subject.

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“I think they don't want me to beat him, because if I left after beating him, I would ruin an entire investment,” joked Georges.

The UFC, in fact, has been working to build a good image of the Russian, who gained a lot of notoriety within mixed martial arts after beating the Irishman Conor McGregor, in October last year at UFC 229. The two elevated the promotion of the fight and put on a performance that broke pay-per-view sales records.

Since defeating Conor, Khabib has expressed interest in facing the former welterweight (up to 77kg) and middleweight (up to 83,9kg) champion. For the Russian, St-Pierre is a legend of the sport and the fighter remains motivated with the expectation of a great confrontation.

Regarding the possibility of the fight, St-Pierre listed issues in which he believes he is better than the Russian. The Canadian stated that he can see areas in which he could beat the, to this day, unbeatable fighter.

“I think there are different areas of fighting where I’m better than him. Although he is better than me in some things, I am faster, I control the distance better and I get into the takedown faster. He's better near the grid. If I keep this fight open, I'll win”, concluded the former UFC fighter.

The two athletes have already expressed their interest in facing each other. However, it is up to the UFC to rush negotiations and schedule the super fight. Both, however, will have to wait until next year, as Nurmagomedov has a commitment scheduled against Dustin poirier for September 7th, at UFC 242, for the unification of the lightweight title.