The following Top Five List was published originally on June 21. With GSP remaining in the news, here’s a reposting of Jamie Penick’s list of the top five fights he’d like to see George St. Pierre have if he returns to UFC. Do you think this list has changed in the last 10 weeks?
Top Five Fights to Make For Georges St-Pierre in UFC Return
Former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre has been out of the cage for almost three years on a self-imposed hiatus, but this week he finally said he’s officially ready to return. Today we look at five possible matchups to make for him in what would be a late summer/early fall return bout.
5. Johny Hendricks: There’s controversy surrounding the decision of their first fight, and if St-Pierre wants to prove rejuvenated and ready for another run in the sport, starting where he left off could be the right way to do it. It’s significantly less intriguing in 2016 than it might have been with Hendricks getting knocked out by Stephen Thompson, but there may be some unfinished business for both men to settle up with GSP coming back into the cage.
4. Donald Cerrone: If you don’t want to see this fight I don’t know that you’re actually a fight fan. Cerrone showed against Patrick Cote he can compete at 170 lbs. legitimately, and he’s got the size to be there. His skill set is such that he’s a must watch competitor every time he steps in the cage, and though he’s proven beatable on plenty of occasions, he’s already amassed 17 wins in the Octagon, putting him just two behind St-Pierre despite a much shorter window of those fights taking place. Stylistically it would be incredibly entertaining, so if that’s what St-Pierre is looking for, this may be the fight to make.
3. Michael Bisping: St-Pierre is only walking around in the mid-180s for his weight, so taking on a man who will be cutting down from 200 lbs. or more isn’t really the ideal proposition. With that said, the former Welterweight Champ said this week that he thinks he could beat Bisping, and he’s open to that fight. Adding “two-division Champion” to his list of accolades is far from the worst thing, but he’d be dwarfed by a number of the other competitors in the 185 lb. division. I can’t see him competing for a long time in that weight class.
2. Robbie Lawler: St-Pierre never officially lost his title. Though it can be argued he should have lost the title to Hendricks in that close decision in November of 2013, his hand was raised, and he exited on top. He should have a fight for the belt he never lost, against an opponent he’s never faced. Lawler-GSP has the makings of an epic Welterweight Title fight, and though St-Pierre himself seems less enthused about that one, it’s the top title fight I’d make for him.
1. Conor McGregor/Nate Diaz: You want a massive debut in New York City? How about the biggest pay-per-view draw of his era against the current top pay-per-view star at UFC 205? If Conor McGregor beats Nate Diaz at UFC 202 and decides he’s not going back to featherweight, the very biggest and best fight for him then becomes the returning legend. It would be an incredible spectacle for the UFC’s debut in New York City, and would be easily the biggest money fight they could possibly make. Conversely, if McGregor loses to Diaz in August, that Diaz-GSP fight becomes an extremely intriguing fight in its own right. There’s plenty of history there with St-Pierre’s win over Diaz’s older brother Nick, and Diaz will be at the absolute peak of his popularity should he beat McGregor a second time. From a business standpoint, that’s as big as it’s going to get.Attention iPhone/iPad and Android users, if you’ve enjoyed our app in the past and followed us there, or if you’ve never checked it out, make sure to update to the latest version in the Apple store and/or Google Play store. We’ve launched a new look for the app, in line with our recent desktop overhaul. Make sure to check it out!
For current App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
Leave a Reply