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The MMA GOAT argument cannot be completed without mentioning Georges St-Pierre's name. The retired UFC champion defeated the toughest competition the sport had to offer at the time with relative ease.
However, if prime GSP was to return to the UFC's welterweight division in 2021, would he still be as successful as he was a decade ago? All things considered, Georges St-Pierre would still be a top-five contender and maybe fight for the title at some point.
After making his UFC debut at the beginning of the Zuffa Era in 2004, Georges St-Pierre went on to become one of the longest-reigning champions in UFC history. During two separate title reigns as the UFC welterweight champion, St-Pierre defeated at least nine fighters who would probably have won the gold in GSP's absence.
Jon Fitch, for example, remained virtually undefeated in the UFC during his prime and amassed a 13-1 record fighting for the organization from 2005 to 2011. The only loss of Fitch's UFC career during that time was handed to him by Georges St-Pierre. Similar arguments can be made for fighters like Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, and Jake Shields, to name a few.
No fighter, including Georges St-Pierre, has been able to beat the inevitable - the evolution of MMA
Georges St-Pierre's greatest strengths were his resilience and ability to acquire new skills. These attributes kept GSP ahead of the curve for a long time and helped him transform from a striker to a defensively responsible grappler.
These attributes enabled him to win the middleweight belt from Michael Bisping after almost half a decade of inactivity. However, MMA is a rapidly evolving sport and even a lifelong student like Georges St-Pierre could not keep up with its evolution.
Towards the end of GSP's reign at welterweight, the division was slowly but surely catching up with its champion. The margins of St-Pierre's victories were becoming more narrow towards the end of his run.
The last three defenses of his title were arguably the toughest ones for the same reason. It's not surprising that GSP chose to hang up the gloves after escaping with a controversial split-decision win over Johnny Hendricks in 2013.
St-Pierre's subsequent hiatus from the sport was a true manifestation of the saying, 'I must leave before the worth of my presence fades any further.'
Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington, the top three welterweights in 2021, all made their MMA debut in 2012. That was the year before St-Pierre relinquished his title and retired. The welterweight division in 2021 is levels above the one that was already catching up with Georges St-Pierre eight years ago. This is not by the virtue of raw talent, but because of the evolution of the sport.
Not only do these fighters have access to better technology, but they have the latest knowledge that Georges St-Pierre and his generation did not have. It is the reason why each new generation of MMA fighters essentially renders the previous one ineffective.
A prime version of Georges St-Pierre could very well climb the rankings ladder in 2021 and insert himself in the top five of the division. However, it would be impractical to expect any version of GSP to absolutely dominate the welterweight division in 2021.The margin of error is narrowest against the top contenders.
Dominick Cruz's loss to Cody Garbrandt, Jon Jones's lackluster performance against Dominick Reyes, and even Anderson Silva's loss to Chris Weidman back in the day were due to the skill gap between generations of fighters. That would be the biggest hurdle preventing Georges St-Pierre from dominating the division in 2021.
