'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Often regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Georges St-Pierre has not fought since 2017. His final bout came at UFC 217 where he defeated Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title. In doing so, he became just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win gold in two divisions.
During his illustrious career, Georges St-Pierre dominated the UFC welterweight division. Racking up nine defenses across two reigns, ‘Rush’ lost just twice in his career. His defeats came at the hands of Matt Hughes and Matt Serra respectively. In both cases, GSP avenged his defeat in a rematch.
Georges St-Pierre has not competed at welterweight since 2013. In that time, a whole generation of fighters have moved into the division. While Georges St-Pierre’s insane blend of acrobatic strength, wrestling and explosive strikes make him a nightmare for most, there are a select few who could challenge him.
Here are five current welterweights who the legendary Georges St-Pierre might struggle against:
#5. Georges St-Pierre vs. Vicente Luque
Following his exhausting decision loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244, Vicente Luque has found himself on a bit of a hot streak. ‘The Silent Assassin’ has ruthlessly finished his last four opponents. Most recently, at UFC 265, Luque scored a first-round submission over Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke.
Thanks to his Muay Thai expertise, Luque is a sharp and versatile striker. He’s also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ensuring excellent defense and submission application on the ground.
For Georges St-Pierre, Luque offers an additional challenge thanks to his mastery of Luta Livre. The Brazilian martial art is essentially a hybrid of judo and catch wrestling. The no-gi combat style has also been utilized by fighters such as Glover Teixeira and José Aldo.
For Georges St-Pierre, it’s one of the few martial arts still left on planet Earth that he doesn’t appear to be an expert in. Between the curious blend of styles and the immense aggression he’s shown of late, Vicente Luque has never been more dangerous.
For Georges St-Pierre, this is a dynamic, rapidly improving fighter who could challenge him both on the feet and on the ground.
#4. Georges St-Pierre vs. Leon Edwards
Much like Georges St-Pierre, Leon Edwards burst onto the scene thanks to his exceptional striking. Instead of karate, however, Edwards was made dangerous by his kickboxing. With a long reach for a 170-pounder, ’Rocky’ wears his opponents down with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it punches.
Also like GSP, Edwards later transitioned into a more grappling focused-style. 'Rocky' has immersed himself in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in more recent years to boast a more diverse fighting arsenal.
For ‘Rush’, the biggest threat when it comes to Edwards is his immense durability in the cage. Of his 19 victories at the professional level, 10 have come by way of decision.
The man simply does not get tired the way mortal folks do. Throw in a gnarly set of chokeholds and a mean streak a mile wide and suddenly Edwards is not looking like an underdog here.
To defeat ‘Rocky’, GSP would have to rely on his superior grappling credentials to keep the fight grounded. Otherwise, he risks getting badly bloodied by the Birmingham rising star.
#3. Georges St-Pierre vs. Colby Covington
The UFC’s number one “super villain” according to the man himself is as exceptional a fighter as he is a loudmouth. The former ATT standout is one of the finest wrestlers in the UFC today.
In addition to his astonishing technical skills on the ground, Covington has cardio on the Diaz brothers’ level. A lean, mean grappling machine, Covington’s stand-up game is nothing to sneeze at either.
For Georges St-Pierre, a fighter who often aims to drag fights into deep waters, someone with Covington’s gas tank could prove to be a problem. Furthermore, GSP’s emphasis on takedowns to secure enough points come decision time would be difficult here. After all, takedown defense is arguably one of Covington’s many strengths in the octagon.
Known for his cool temperament, Georges St-Pierre might also run into some bother in the lead-up to the fight. Covington has shown time and again that nothing is off-limits when it comes to his brand of trash talk. Getting under the skin of an opponent can have mixed results, to say the least.
However, fighters such as Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen have shown that while unpredictable, it can be a positive. Look no further than the mental beatdown McGregor gave José Aldo heading into UFC 194.
If, somehow, Covington’s mic work were to get under Georges St-Pierre’s skin, it’s hard to say just how badly affected his focus would be come bell time.
#2. Georges St-Pierre vs. Gilbert Burns
Right off the bat, there's an obvious reason Georges St-Pierre could be in trouble here: ‘Durinho’ is one of the most accomplished grapplers in the UFC today. A third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Burns has won numerous gold medals in competitions hosted by the IBJJF. An elite level submission artist, Burns has tapped out eight of his opponents.
While Burns’ submissions arsenal is diverse, his signature has often proven to be a shoulder-wrenching armbar. With the armbar, Burns has secured five of his submission finishes.
As deadly as the Brazilian is on the ground, he also packs a lethal punch on the feet. Adding to his eight submission wins, Burns has scored six TKO/KO wins in his career. All six of them have come by way of his fists. In the case of Jason Saggo, it took just one shot towards the end of round two to put him to sleep in September 2017.
Burns doesn’t have the precision or top quality kicks GSP boasts, however, his strength and aggression make up for it. While Burns would be the underdog in a clash with the legendary ‘Rush’, his explosive, volatile style could net a surprise KO. Worse still, if Georges St-Pierre isn’t careful on the ground, he could find himself in a fatal rear-naked choke or joint-wrecking armbar.
#1. Georges St-Pierre vs. Kamaru Usman
GSP’s biggest struggle these days would come against arguably the greatest welterweight champion since himself. Kamaru Usman is almost the reverse of GSP’s fighting trajectory: an ace wrestler who has become a master striker.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won the title off of Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. Since then, Usman has used his dangerous cocktail of freestyle wrestling and boxing to dominate the division.
Between his fluidic, rapid-paced grappling and jaw-dropping punches, Usman is pound-for-pound, one of the greatest, most complete fighters in the world today. For Georges St-Pierre, he would have the rare challenge of taking on a fighter almost as versatile as himself.
GSP’s war with Johny Hendricks proved how strong his punishment threshold is. However, he’d still be in mortal danger of a surprise KO from the fast hands of Usman.
Furthermore, on the ground, ‘Rush’ would more than meet his match in the scarily strong NCAA standout. Georges St-Pierre’s best course of action would be to wear Usman down gradually and drag the fight out to a decision. A master of takedowns and defense, GSP had an exceptional knack for racking up the points necessary for a perfect, unanimous decision finish.
While the fight could go either way given the level of talent between the two, Usman would give Georges St-Pierre as big a challenge as Matt Hughes and Matt Serra did.
