Former UFC Champ Analyzes Potential Islam Makhachev vs. Prime Georges St-Pierre Matchup
A former UFC champion has given his two cents on whether Islam Makhachev will beat prime Georges St-Pierre in a potential bout. UFC Hall of Famer ‘GSP’ had conquered the middleweight and welterweight divisions back in the day. Similarly, Makhachev has now joined the list of UFC two-division champions.
The Dagestani phenom defended his lightweight belt four times before vacating it earlier this year, after which he moved up to welterweight and dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. With his most recent win, Makhachev also unseated Topuria as the pound-for-pound kingpin and took the spot.
In a recent episode of the MMA Arcade Podcast, the question of whether a St-Pierre in his prime could defeat Makhachev at welterweight was posed to Robert Whittaker. In response, ‘The Reaper’ discussed how ‘GSP’ has the cardio in addition to a variety of other tools to challenge Makhachev. But if the bout “becomes a scramble-off and a wrestle-off,” Whittaker thinks Makhachev will succeed. He said:
“I think Islam would get it done. If the fight becomes a scramble-off and a wrestle-off, Islam’s gonna come out of it better just cuz he’s built for it. Just like Chimaev would do the same. Whereas ‘GSP’ utilized the full toolbox of MMA… If Islam takes you down, you ain’t getting back up.”
Check out Robert Whittaker’s comments below:
Georges St-Pierre defends Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev dominantly dethroned Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. The Australian was unable to find his range early in the fight and also failed in stuffing takedowns. Makhachev, on the other hand, had a ground control time of over 19 minutes.
Knowing the dangers of standing and trading with Della Maddalena, Makhachev opted for the safer route to victory. Some MMA fans, however, were dissatisfied with the performance since they preferred a bout that was more action-packed and had less grappling.
Georges St-Pierre, however, thinks Makhachev was “freaking brilliant” against ‘JDM.’ Defending the newly minted UFC welterweight champion, he said:
“I was there, I witnessed his performance. It was freaking brilliant. Unbelievable. I don’t think he even took a punch. People who say the fight was boring, I’m sorry, because they don’t know the art of fighting. They have no idea. Islam’s performance was freaking amazing. Going up in a weight class and beating ‘JDM’ like he did is freaking hard.”
Check out Georges St-Pierre’s comments about Islam Makhachev below:
