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For years, Georges St-Pierre dominated the UFC welterweight division, cementing his legacy as an all-time great. The Canadian was one of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draws and was instrumental in the promotion’s success in Canada. St-Pierre cleaned out the division during his reign as champion, which was made evident by the number of rematches he fought.
After retaining his title against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, St-Pierre relinquished his title and took a break from the sport. After 4 years away, ‘Rush’ returned at UFC 217, defeating Michael Bisping to become the new UFC middleweight champion. He would later once again relinquish the title and announce his retirement from the sport.
Although St-Pierre competed against many contenders at 170lbs, there were still interesting fights that never took place. This list will look at 5 George St-Pierre fights that never happened in the UFC.
#5. St-Pierre vs. Robert Whittaker
After Georges St-Pierre became UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, then interim-UFC middleweight champion, was announced as his first challenger.
The former TUF winner began his UFC career as a welterweight and made a permanent move to 185lbs in 2014. The move served him well as he picked up wins over the likes of Uriah Hall, ‘Jacare’ Souza, and Yoel Romero.
After St-Pierre vacated the title due to illness, Whittaker was promoted from interim champion to undisputed champion. With ‘Bobby Knuckes’ having previously fought at 170lbs, he wouldn’t have a significant size advantage over GSP like other middleweights might’ve had.
It would’ve been interesting to see if ‘Rush’ would’ve been able to replicate what he did as welterweight champion. There were some great matchups at middleweight and defending his title against Whittaker could have benefited his legacy.
#4. St-Pierre vs. Tyron Woodley
After Georges St-Pierre took a break from the sport, the welterweight division was wide-open. Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler had reigned as UFC welterweight champion, but Tyron Woodley separated himself in the division. He knocked out Lawler at UFC 201 to become welterweight champion and successfully retained his title on four occasions.
In 2017, there was talk of St-Pierre returning to challenge Woodley for the UFC welterweight championship rather than moving to 185lbs. At the time, ‘The Chosen On’ was unbeaten in 5 fights and had back-to-back title defenses against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. If he retained against Demian Maia at UFC 214, it looked like a bout with GSP would be imminent.
Despite it being a successful title defense for Woodley, UFC President Dana White wasn’t impressed with his performance. With that in mind, White confirmed that ‘Rush’ would be fighting then-UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping instead.
#3. St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks 2
One of the biggest Georges St-Pierre fights that never happened was a rematch with Johny Hendricks. The two fought at UFC 167, which ended up being GSP’s final UFC welterweight title defense.
‘Rush’ absorbed a significant amount of damage and it looked like ‘Big Rigg’ was about to become champion. However, when the fight went the distance, the judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47, and 47-48 in favor of St-Pierre. He earned his ninth title defense with the split-decision win. The judges' decision made White furious in his post-fight press conference.
Based on what transpired in the fight, a rematch could have generated a greater pay-per-view buyrate. Hendricks defeated Robbie Lawler for the vacant UFC welterweight championship at UFC 171. After ‘Big Rigg’ became champion, it would have been the perfect opportunity to capitalize on a rematch.
Instead of fighting Lawler again at UFC 181, perhaps the UFC could’ve persuaded St-Pierre to return in 2015. ‘Rush’ had recovered from a torn ACL, so the rematch would have been a possibility.
#2. St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of the biggest fights in UFC history, could’ve taken place. Both ‘Rush’ and ‘The Eagle’ had expressed interest in fighting one another in the past, but it wasn’t meant to be.
GSP felt a fight against the undefeated Khabib would have done more for his legacy and been worth the risk. At one point, he was even open to cutting down to 155lbs to challenge ‘The Eagle’ for his UFC lightweight championship. St-Pierre could have done something no other fighter has done in UFC history by winning a championship in three weight classes.
When the fight didn’t materialize, ‘Rush’ decided to officially announce his retirement from MMA. In 2021, White tried to convincing Khabib to continue fighting and rumors of 'The Eagle' vs. 'Rush' began to swirl again. Ultimately, the thought of St-Pierre and Khabib fighting at either 155lbs or catchweight was intriguing, but unfortunately not meant to be.
#1. St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva
Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, two of the greatest fighters of all time, had multiple opportunities to prove who was the best, but a fight never happened.
For years, GSP dominated the welterweight division, while ‘The Spider’ dominated the middleweight division. St-Pierre vs. Silva would've most likely taken place in a stadium and could have set records for the promotion.
In 2010, it looked like the UFC were looking to make the superfight a reality. In the lead-up to UFC 112, there was talk that ‘The Spider’ would move down to 170lbs and challenge ‘Rush’ for the welterweight title. However, UFC President Dana White was upset with Silva’s performance against Demian Maia and nixed those plans. It was unfortunate for fans who wanted to see two all time greats find out who the best was.
