G. St-Pierre (left) and K. Usman (right) are highlights in the history of UFC welterweights. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage
Champion for five years and holder of the record for most UFC welterweight (up to 77 kg) belt defenses, Georges St-Pierre was unanimous for a long time when it came to the discussion of the greatest fighter in the history of the division. The success of Kamaru Usman as the current holder of the title, however, it caused many fans and experts to include the Nigerian's name in the discussion.
In an interview with “MMA Underground”, Georges St-Pierre spoke about the subject, praising Kamaru Usman and admitted that perhaps the Nigerian is, in fact, the greatest welterweight of all time.
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“It’s a different time. We compete against different people at different times. I think that Kamaru Usman might be the biggest of all time now. However, I think you need to wait until the end of his career before saying he's the greatest of all time, because you can have ups and downs, you know? But he's definitely in the fight. He's definitely among the greatest of all time, for sure. I really like watching him fight”, revealed GSP.
Away from the Octagon since 2017, when he won the UFC middleweight title (up to 83,9 kg) by submitting Michael Bisping, George St-Pierre guarantees not to be shaken by the emergence of a potential rival for the position of “greatest of all time”.
“Believe it or not, it doesn’t bother me at all. Do you know why I retired? Because I realized when I was young that I was very competitive. I wanted to be the best and be known as the best. My legacy was very important. It was the thing I cared about most. I managed to become the best. I cared a lot about what people thought of me. The reason I retired is because now I only really care about what the people I love think of me. I don’t care about people who don’t know me”, explained the former champion.
Finally, Georges St-Pierre stated that he believes that the next generation always tends to surpass the previous one, paraphrasing Isaac Newton and using athletics legends as an example.
“Everyone who competes deserves credit. I think today's fighters are better than yesterday's fighters and the next generation will be even better. As Newton said: 'if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants'. That's why Usain Bolt runs faster than Jesse Owens. Maybe he's not better, but he had access to more knowledge and technology. Plus, he had a yardstick in Jesse Owens. In combat sports it’s the same thing, but always subjective (…). Things get better with time. Maybe the greatest of all time hasn’t even been born yet”, he concluded.
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