In 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov chose to step away from his professional mixed martial arts journey while Georges St-Pierre’s final departure from the sport came in 2017. Yet, the MMA community’s attention has once again turned toward the potential return of these two legends for a highly anticipated superfight scheduled for December.
During a recent interview, Craig Jones covered a range of subjects, including the intriguing prospect of a showdown between the two former Ultimate Fighting Championship champions. However, skepticism has grown among fans regarding the reliability of Craig as a source for unveiling such an electrifying matchup.
Khabib wanted $5 million to grapple GSP
Earlier this year, Georges St-Pierre shared that his physical condition is still ideal for reentering the realm of combat sports. During a recent installment of the El Segundo podcast, Jiu-Jitsu star Craig discussed the potential comeback of the Canadian fighter, speculating about the possibility of a match against Nurmagomedov.
“They were trying to ask me for opponents for GSP for ideas. I had no idea who would be great against him. So I said Khabib. I think they said Khabib wanted $5,000,000 to do a grappling match. That priced himself out.” Craig said.
The idea of Khabib demanding $5,000,000 for a bout against GSP seemed to be unreasonable to MMA enthusiasts. However, in contrast, AKA head coach Javier Mendez presented a different perspective in a Yahoo! Sports interview. According to Javier, Khabib’s current priorities are centered around his family.
UFC Twitter dismisses Craig Jones claim
A matchup between two iconic UFC figures in a superfight ought to generate immense excitement among MMA enthusiasts. However, due to the source being Craig, fans appear to be skeptical about the possibility of this encounter ever happening.
"I think they said Khabib wanted 5 million dollars to do the grappling match."
Craig Jones claimed he heard Khabib Nurmagomedov wanted a lot of money to grapple GSP pic.twitter.com/JMksM2jFnE
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) August 25, 2023
A user for instance exclaimed by saying, “Craig jones is the LEAST reliable source when it comes to statements like this lmao take this with not just a grain but a big bag of salt.”
Gordy made an assumption saying, “I can see why he’d avoid it tbh, he’s out of competition and the off chance he loses people would say GSP is better cuz he’d have out grappled him, which is what he’d try to do in MMA I assume.”
“Big numbers for a grappling match, but let’s be honest, Khabib vs. GSP is a dream showdown. Would you pay to watch it?” commented another fan.
“He’s clearly sticking to his decision not to compete again, so he asked for money he knew they wouldnt pay to get them to stop hounding him.” said a user.
“Where is your source? Khabib never cares about money trash mma clickbait. You trying to make khabib look bad?” another user said.
A user expressed what GSP said regarding the fight by sharing, “GSP in a local Montreal interview said that Khabib was never an option and not even considered.”
Do you think we’re ever going to see Khabib Nurmagomedov squaring off against GSP? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
