How would Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov have played out?

This is one of those questions that simply can’t find a unanimous answer. Two grappling phenoms, GOAT candidates of their respective divisions, and pioneers of the sport. The Canadian MMA legend, by Khabib’s own admission, was his father Abdulmanap’s favorite fighter. His son vs. GSP was the late Russian’s dream fight. And did you know it was actually offered to Khabib?

In 2021, Nurmagomedov told ‘MMA Junkie’ that Dana White had offered the GSP fight to lure back ‘The Eagle’ into the Octagon. He had retired in 2020 after a successful title defense at UFC 254, a few months after his father’s death. Khabib being a man of his word did not entertain the idea.

is a name that people of the MMA world take with admiration. ‘The Eagle’ came into the game in 2012, fought 29 times, and won each of those 29 fights. He finished each of his opponents with TKOs and Submissions and retired while being a Hall of Famer. Now he uses his sharp skills to train the rest of team Dagestan and churn out protégées like Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov. “I said, ‘What can I do?’ I don’t know. I’m finished, you know? I think Georges is finished, too, you know. Let this guy be a legend. He’s 40 years old and I don’t understand why he has to fight. I think he has money, too. I’m finished. I’m really finished,” he said.

But if Khabib had said yes to one last dance, how would he have fared against GSP? That’s what we asked ChatGPT.

GSP vs. Khabib fight breakdown and analysis

In our conversations with the AI, we pitted Khabib against some notable names, and he always came out on top. The AI even had him beating his pupil Islam Makhachev, who many claim is ‘Khabib 2.0’ because he is more well-rounded. But what about the legendary Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre?

Before we get into what Chat GPT declared, let’s keep one thing in mind. Anyone remotely capable of beating Nurmagomedov has to have a stellar ground game to deal with the serpent grip of grappling power that the undefeated champ has. Controlling a fight when Khabib is your opponent is like entering the Infinity Castle or ‘Ikūkan Mugen-jō’ from Demon Slayer- you do not know where you will end up next.

But Chat GPT thinks that  Georges St-Pierre is a fighter who might be able to do this. GSP after all is considered to be one of the greatest MMA fighters and has a powerful ground game. The Canadian was also a marvelous striker and AI thinks that his “jab and kicks would keep Khabib at bay and prevent him from closing the distance easily.”  If you recall GSP’s bouts with the likes of Michael Bisping, Josh Koscheck, and Jonny Hendricks, his takedown defense was on a stellar height, even against elite top-notch wrestlers.

GSP has a excellent fight IQ and the 5’10” fighter with 76” reach has a karate-based striking style with elite wrestling and athleticism.  His strengths lie in takedowns and one weak point is that he struggled with submission specialists in scrambles. On the other side, we have Khabib Nurmagomedov standing at the same height of 5’10“, with 70” reach and a Sambo/wrestling background.

Khabib is known for his relentless grappling and stealthy control with an agonizing pressure on the opponents. The only weakness he perhaps has is his striking.  So how did Chat GPT see this playing out?

GSP or Khabib, who would win? AI prediction

Let’s start with Round 1 where the AI declared that the fight would begin with GSP utilizing his reach and jab ammo to keep Khabib at a far distance. With a mix of feints and low kicks, St-Pierre would try to break the momentum of ‘The Eagle’s’ forward pressure but the latter would find a way to close the distance and force GDP to the cage. Grappling would ensue with GSP defending the first takedown and escaping to the center of the mat.  As per Chat GPT, “The round ends with GSP landing clean counters as Khabib relentlessly pressures forward. (10-9 GSP).”

Enter round 2 which would start with Khabib making adjustments and would secure a takedown mid-round. This is when his pressure is going to start building up on GSP. He would impose his suffocating ground game on GSP  while the latter would try to prevent ground and pound. As the round closes, GSP would explode back to his feet, landing a spinning back kick to Khabib’s body. (10-9 Khabib)

The pace would intensify as round 3 would come. GSP would shoot for a takedown but Khabib would reverse it with his swift maneuvers, showcasing his elite grappling. However, GSP would land a head kick that briefly would shock Khabib. Picture the crowd erupting at this point as GSP presses forward with strikes but Khabib absorbs the damage and clinches up, forcing GSP back to the cage. 

The fight is building up and round 4 is where Khabib would thrive. Chat GPT said, “The round is all Khabib, as GSP struggles to find openings. (10-8 Khabib).”

Finally, we enter Round 5, where GSP comes out aggressively, mixing strikes and level changes. He tries to land a takedown at Khabib but struggles to maintain control. ‘The Eagle’ reverses the position and once again establishes his dominance on the ground. In the end, GSP has punches raining down on him.

So what did Chat GPT declare?—–“Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Georges St-Pierre via Unanimous Decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47).”

Sounds fair? It’s unlikely that these legends get into an all-out slugfest. It would be a chess match of styles in the Octagon and technical superiority would be on display from the starting bell to the finish. Wouldn’t you agree? Share your thoughts below.