After Grand Plans of a Khabib Nurmagomedov Return Bout Failed to Materialize, Georges St-Pierre Reportedly Set to Take On 45-Year-Old Veteran Demian Maia in Grappling Event

A bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre is a dream fight for many. The two are widely considered the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Hence, the idea of the two legends coming face-to-face is beyond thrilling for fight fans. There were rumors that the retired MMA icons would come back to lock horns in a grappling event. Georges St-Pierre also entertained the idea on several occasions, stating that he would love to fight against Nurmagomedov. In an interview, after looking at ‘The Eagle’s picture, ‘Rush’ mentioned their fight can take place when he finally makes his comeback.

Now, it is confirmed that GSP will be back in the promotion in December, on Fight Pass Invitational 16. But is Khabib Nurmagomedov his next opponent? The answer is a big no, as someone else has taken the place. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the next opponent for Georges St-Pierre

It seems that MMA veteran Demian Maia is the one who is going to fight against GSP now. Maia took to his Twitter handle to announce the next great opportunity he has received, which is a fight against UFC legend Georges St-Pierre.

He wrote, “Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you. Grappling @GeorgesStPierre will be a huge challenge & great motivation. You GSP are one of the greatest competitors ever, whom I respect a lot. I’m game! Looking forward to competing at @ufc invitational.“

The 45-year-old showed his excitement about fighting the GOAT at the UFC Invitational. Fans who eagerly waited for the comeback of Nurmagomedov and GSP inside the same octagon may be disappointed. However, Maia is one of the best grapplers that ever graced the Octagon and is sure to give GSP a run for his money.

‘Rush’ is not confident enough to fight Gordon Ryan

Even though Georges St-Pierre is considered the greatest MMA fighter, there is one combat sports athlete whom he does not want to fight. After confirming his comeback in December 2023, St-Pierre talked about fighting some of the UFC’s greats. The list included ‘The Eagle’, UFC superstar Conor McGregor, and Khamzat Chimaev. ‘Rush’ was confident about fighting them all. However, he was not ready to go for a grappling event against the BJJ GOAT, Gordon Ryan.

READ MORE: “Wrestling Match Against GSP” – UFC World Goes Berserk as Khabib Nurmagomedov Announces Return but Not in MMA

St-Pierre said that ‘King’ Ryan is the only athlete he would not consider competing in submission wrestling. According to him, ‘The Iron Dragon’ is a serious threat, unlike the rest of the UFC fighters. Even though Georges St-Pierre does not want to fight Ryan, the BJJ GOAT wishes to fight against GSP. He considers GSP one of the toughest grapplers in combat sports.

What are your thoughts on this announcement? Do you think GSP vs. Maia is a fitting match for the December event? Let us know in the comments.

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