Jason Burgos
UFC icon Georges St-Pierre may have just left the door open for Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions to book their next mixed martial arts dream fight after this weekend’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight.
To many long-time UFC fans, St-Pierre is the greatest fighter in MMA history. The Canadian put together a stellar resume during his 15 years in the sport. He posted a 26-2 record and will go down as the greatest welterweight of all time after successfully defending the title 10 times. He then cemented his place as a true legend when he returned in 2017, after four years in retirement, to win the UFC middleweight belt.
It was the perfect way to end his incomparable career, and he has never returned to high-level competition since. However, he kept the door open in a new interview with MMA Junkie this week. During the conversation, he admitted he “gets requests maybe once or twice a month for either fighting in MMA, boxing, wrestling, or grappling.”
Yet instead of saying he turned them all down because he was done competing in high-level combat sports, he said it just wasn’t the right time to get involved in any of those opportunities. He is prioritizing other projects at the moment and is dealing with a recent back injury. Nevertheless, the 44-year-old UFC great isn’t completely against one last matchup in something.
MVP has no problem promoting greybeard combat legends
That information should perk up the ears at the offices of MVP and Netflix. The fight promotion run by Jake Paul and the streaming giant is promoting a huge MMA card this weekend that is headlined by an improbable dream fight between a 39-year-old Ronda Rousey and a 44-year-old Gina Carano. The card also features a 41-year-old Nate Diaz and a 42-year-old Junior dos Santos.
If the event is a success, Netflix would certainly be open to another since live sports content is a major priority for the streaming service right now. But with the UFC having a stranglehold on so much of the top talent in the sport, MVP would need to turn to some legendary names again, and St-Pierre would be a strong option. Especially if the fight took place in Canada.
But what opponents would make the MMA icon actually consider a return to fighting? Two names make the most sense. They are Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Is Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva or Khabib Nurmagomedov now possible?
A super-fight between St-Pierre and Silva is something UFC fans badly wanted back in 2010 and 2011. While it looked like a real possibility at the time, it never happened. With the Brazilian turning 51 last month, is a fight with GSP well passed it’s best buy date? Yup, but old school fans would still watch it if it were on Netflix. Plus, we are in a time of well-passed their prime combat legends fighting all the time, and fans tune in.
The fight that would really intrigue fight fans is St-Pierre vs. Nurmagomedov. The Russian turns 38 in September, so the age issue is less ridiculous than a St-Pierre and Silva matchup and on par with what we will see this weekend. The UFC lightweight legend has stated in the past that GSP was his deceased father’s favorite fighter, and he has always wanted a clash with “Rush.”
The biggest issue in making this one is whether Nurmagomedov still has any contractual ties to the UFC. Plus, there is a real chance UFC CEO Dana White will try to jump in and steal the fight from MVP.
Either way, the door is up just a crack, and MVP-Netflix should inquire if Rousey vs. Carano is a success.
