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#4 - Georges St-Pierre
Former UFC two-division champion and one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, Georges St-Pierre, is right up Khabib Nurmagomedov's alley. In fact, 'Rush' is the Dagestani fighter's idol of sorts. 'The Eagle' has gone on record multiple times to say that he looks up to St-Pierre and wants to fight the MMA legend. Ahead of his fight against Justin Gaethje, Khabib said:
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"Regarding Georges St-Pierre, that fight really inspires me. It was my father's dream fight. I really want to fight him. But time passes. Georges St-Pierre will be 40 next year. I think he has to decide whether we'll fight or not. I want that fight. Dana (White) told me that after this fight (UFC 254), they (UFC) will take to St-Pierre. If he agrees, we'll fight. Both I and the UFC want that to happen."
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Georges St-Pierre's last fight was in 2017 against Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title. St-Pierre vacated his title around a month after defeating 'The Count', citing a medical condition. He officially retired from the sport in 2019. However, 'Rush' has also expressed his wish to return to the UFC. The three-time former UFC champion said he didn't want to fight for the belt but his legacy.
When faced with the prospect of facing Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre said:
"It was an opportunity of a lifetime to fight a guy (like Khabib) who’s undefeated, who’s never been beat and I could have been the first. I don’t know.. when I train, I still get it. I’m very confident. If you would ask right during training or before training, ‘hey would you like to fight again?’ I would be like ‘yeah, let’s do it. I’m down.’ Then after I go home and everything.. and the adrenaline calms down and you ask me 'would you like to fight' and I’m like 'I don’t know, I’m not sure about it.'"
Khabib Nurmagomedov's comeback would fulfill all of Georges St-Pierre's requirements for a return, too. But, above all, it would be a clash of titans for the ages.
Also read: 3 reasons Georges St-Pierre returning to the UFC makes more sense now than ever
#3 - Tony Ferguson
If there was one fighter in the UFC lightweight division who was backed to give Khabib Nurmagomedov a run for his money, it was Tony Ferguson. The two fighters were scheduled to face each other at least five times by the UFC. However, the bouts were always canceled, with either of the two pulling out due to injuries and other reasons.
At UFC 249, Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face 'El Cucuy' for his title defense. However, 'The Eagle' pulled out of the bout, citing the inability to travel amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tony Ferguson is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, a Muay Thai practitioner, and has a crazy endurance that could be compared to that of Khabib Nurmagomedov. The two fighters are stylistically very similar, which is why the face-off between the two is a guaranteed blockbuster. If Khabib does return to the UFC following permission from his mother, Dana White should not waste any time before getting these two booked.
