“… Maybe Someone Could Die”- Snubbing Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Himself, Georges St-Pierre Names UFC ‘GOAT’ While Backing His Claim

Georges St-Pierre is considered the GOAT by a section of UFC fans due to his stellar career. He has an MMA record of 23-2, having avenged all his losses and defeated top fighters like BJ Penn, Carlos Condit, Matt Hughes, and Matt Serra before retiring. So, it was interesting to see who he thinks the UFC GOAT is. GSP made an unexpected pick for his UFC GOAT during a conversation with UFC legend Michael Bisping (who won the middleweight title from Luke Rockhold with one eye, before he subsequently lost it to GSP) on his YouTube channel. And it wasn’t Jon Jones or Khabib Nurmagomedov.

During their interview, Michael Bisping asked Georges St-Pierre, “But if you had to pick your name (for the GOAT), who would you go with?” GSP named Royce Gracie, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu maestro and the victor of UFC 1, who was dominant during UFC’s early years in the 90s.

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The 42-year-old said, “For me, I think it’s Royce Gracie because he did stuff that I don’t think I’ll ever see again. Like it was fighting in an era that didn’t have any weight classes, the rules were much different. It was very different.” But that was not all the UFC Hall of Famer said,

Why did Georges St-Pierre names Royce Gracie as his MMA GOAT?

Royce Gracie (15-2-3) fought in the UFC during 1993–98 before weight classes and the Unified Rules. He fought in an era before the UFC adopted the Unified Rules of MMA in 2001, and the promotion did not introduce weight classes till 1997. He returned briefly in a losing bout against Matt Hughes.

The Canadian also picked Gracie because he feels the sport was much more dangerous in Gracie’s era. “Back then it was a totally different thing like you were going into the cage you thought maybe someone could die, you know,” he said. “It took an incredible courage, so for me, Royce Gracie is the number one”.

GSP is a black belt in BJJ and holds a third-dan black belt in Kyokushin karate. He himself used BJJ effectively to dominate his opponents on the ground during his career. GSP feels that older fighters like Gracie paved the way for all subsequent fighters.

Clearly, St-pierre thinks that Royce Gracie is the MMA GOAT because he competed in a much more dangerous era before weight classes. He was still able to beat opponents who outsized him because of his incredible BJJ skills and courage. Who do you think the MMA GOAT is? Let us know in the comments section below.

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