GEORGE ST. PIERRE WANTS TO SOLIDIFY HIS LEGACY
George St. Pierre was asked recently about a UFC match up, with current superstar Connor Mcgregor. GSP goes on to say that a fight with "Connor will not solidify my legacy". Connor is the most recognizable name in MMA. Raised the sport to a new level, but in the eyes of one of the most decorated MMA athletes and former 2 division champion, Connor will not solidify or add to his legacy. WOW!!!!
GSP goes on to say that a match with Connor is a money fight and does nothing for his legacy. A long time fan such as myself agrees. Connor is a money fight and what he is currently known for is not defending any belt that he won.
I still give Connor respect for fighting and accomplishing all he has in his short MMA career, but you need to defend your belt. I really think that he does want to fight in the cage again, but he does know what he is worth. He just made 100 million dollars fighting Mayweather in a boxing match. Does anyone think he's going to enter the cage where he can get seriously hurt for 2 million dollars? Even with Pay Per View points, he might make 4 to 6 million per event. That's a far cry less then the 100 million he made with boxing.
I don't blame him for not wanting to get in the cage again, as the UFC has created a monster that has grown out of their control. Connor has the money and market value to call the shots, and the UFC needs the star power that they have groomed and promoted over the years. Will the UFC give Connor 100 million or a percentage ownership in the company? No way. If that was on the table, Tony Ferguson would be fighting him right now.
As GSP heals from illnesses, he has stated that he lost a lot of weight. I would assume he walks around at 170 or maybe less. He has said in the past that he wakes up every morning in the ball park figure of 188 pounds. I'm going to assume he lost almost 20 pounds in his recovery and inactivity.
Time will tell when GSP is ready to fight again. The UFC needs the star power and the Pay Per View buys from Canada. GSP is the Canadian Pay Per View King. I'm sure he is watching the current landscape of the UFC and the only fight I see him wanting is a fight with Daniel Cormier. As weird and off beat as it may sound, there is no one else who isn't a steroid abuser and closer to his natural weight. If Jon Jones and Anderson Silva were not in hot waters with juicing, then they would be in the discussion, but both are in the hot seat for repeated performance enhancing offenses. Fighting one of those guys won't solidify anyone's legacy as their entire career wins are in question.
So what do you think guys? Daniel Cormier in a year?