Georges St-Pierre is a French mixed martial artist that is widely considered one of the greatest to enter the sport of all time. This being said, getting an acknowledgment from him is all that is needed to know that someone is great in this sport. However, when he brands you the scariest fighter in the UFC and the best in the promotion – things are on a totally different level.
The GOAT Georges St-Pierre once had a sit-down with Joe Rogan at an episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. The duo discussed numerous things, but the conversation, as expected, revolved mostly around MMA. During the couple of hours-long conversation, Georges St-Pierre explained why he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best fighter in the sport today.
Throwback To When Georges St-Pierre Explained To Joe Rogan Why Khabib Nurmagomedov Is The Best UFC Fighter
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a UFC Hall of Famer and a former UFC Lightweight champion. People consider him to be one of the most dominant fighters in the sport. During his career, he never lost a professional fight and successfully defended his title several times.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a fighter that had a goal set in front of him and didn’t know how to stop until that goal was accomplished. The mental strength and focus that Khabib Nurmagomedov has are some of the main reasons why he is the person he is today. It is the main reason why he was one of the most determined UFC fighters. The will, determination, dedication, and commitment Khabib Nurmagomedov devoted to being the best at what he does, are still unmatched to this day.
Both Georges St-Pierre and Joe Rogan agree that Khabib’s grappling ability and his ground game are among the best in the sport. They acknowledge that at the time, there was no other fighter in the promotion that could come even close to Khabib’s ability to ‘take you down with ease and finish you there and then’.
“Khabib’s wrestling is on another level.” – Georges St-Pierre told Joe Rogan. “He can take down even the best wrestlers in the sport. And once he gets you there – oh boy it’s over. Khabib is just so good at controlling his opponents.”
“I think psychologically for a fighter it’s hard to come back from a knockout but it’s probably harder to come back from a fight where you’ve been dominated and broken for five rounds.” – Georges St-Pierre continued. “You clearly know did not belong there. Like Khabib that’s his style, that’s why I am saying he’s the scariest guy. He can knock you out, submit you.”
Georges St-Pierre, the former welterweight champion, and Joe Rogan didn’t fail to notice Khabib’s ability to finish fights effectively. According to Joe Rogan, this and Khabib’s discipline are factors that set him apart from other fighters.
“He’s on another level and that’s one of the things that happens when you are a beast. I mean, you got to realize that guy has supreme discipline. Supremely dedicated like doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t fuck around, doesn’t abuse his body always fit.” – Joe Rogan explains.
Furthermore, Georges St-Pierre brought out the fact that Khabib’s not just a wrestler. He is also a good striker. This makes him a well-rounded fighter. While he likes to keep his opponents on the ground and dominate them there, his striking is also not bad. Joe Rogan praised the Russian fighter numerous times about this. Even though people value him more as a grappler, coupling these grappling skills with powerful striking is what makes Khabib invincible.
Finally, Georges St-Pierre Told Joe Rogan that Khabib’s blend of grappling skills, finishing power, striking skills and mental toughness make him the best fighter in the sport today. And indeed, when you put all of these factors together, you end up having a very dominant fighter.
To conclude, Georges St-Pierre, one of the greats of this sport, knows his facts. It’s very hard to argue against the points he made. People consider Khabib Nurmagomedov one of the most dominant UFC fighters in the history of the promotion. In his prime, he was the full package. Grappling skills, great striking, everlasting stamina, and cardio – these are the things you associate with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After finishing his UFC fighting career, Khabib Nurmagomedov went on to become a coach for his teammate and pal Islam Makhachev. He managed to guide him all the way to his UFC lightweight title in 2 years.
Recently, Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov decided to retire from MMA for good. He announced that he will not be coaching anymore. He fulfilled his father’s plan and he needs to concentrate more on his family. Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired but his legacy will remain as one of the best fighters of all time.
When mentioning both Gerges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov in one sentence, one thing will most probably remain Khabib’s unfulfilled wish. He often told how St-Pierre was his father’s favorite fighter. He even tried to engineer a fight between him and the legend. However, this did not reach fruition.
Now both fighters are in retirement and both are true legends of the sport. People value Georges St-Pierre as the best fighter of his time, and Khabib’s accomplishments also speak for themselves. The mutual respect between the two is evident as well.
“All the time my father watches his fights. I think he was my father’s favorite fighter. He all the time tell me, ‘Look at how he use his hips when he take down people. Look how he use his his elbows, how he use hips. How he stand up, ground and pound with elbow.’” – Khabib explained what his father told about Georges St-Pierre. “My opinion, he show me this ground and pound things.”
