Georges St-Pierre Plans to Stay Retired, Following Call Out From Kamaru Usman
By FCF Staff
Georges St-Pierre may be flattered by Kamaru Usman’s wish to fight him, but the legend says he won’t be ending his retirement to face the UFC’s welterweight champ.
After Usman worked his way to a decision win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251 earlier this month, the champion relayed he’d be interested in fighting St-Pierre. But, while speaking to TMZ since then, St-Pierre confirmed he’s not thinking about ending his retirement (quotes via MMA Fighting).
“For me, it’s very complimentary because for a fighter the goal is to work—And not only for a fighter, but the goal is to do as less work possible to gain the most money,” St-Pierre said. “They know that a fight with me will give them a lot of money and plus if they win they can have the legacy that comes with it. But for my part it’s a mixed feeling. For sure, sometimes I’m watching the fight and I’m like, ‘Man, I think I can beat these guys.’ Or after when I’m done training I feel like I’m very confident. But then after I go home at night and I’m thinking about all that crazy thoughts I’m like, I’m gonna be 40 years old soon.
“Do I really want to go back into a hardcore training camp, two months, put myself in jail so to speak and getting ready for hell? And I’m like, no I don’t. I’ve done it for a very long time and unfortunately in my sport there’s too many guys that retired too late and I do not want to be one of these guys. I’m very fortunate. I’m healthy, most importantly, and I’m also wealthy. I came at the right time, the right timing, I made a lot of money, and I think when I measured and calculated the pros and cons it’s better that I stay retired.”
The 39-year-old St-Pierre eventually decided to retire after winning the UFC’s middleweight title in 2017, by choking out Michael Bisping. The former welterweight and middleweight champ went 26-2 during his hall of fame career.