A new candidate could join the contentious MMA’s ‘greatest of all time’ discussion, according to GSP. Georges St-Pierre, who held belts in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, is often mentioned alongside Jon Jones and Anderson Silva when it comes to the sport’s elite.
A new candidate could join the contentious MMA’s ‘greatest of all time’ discussion, according to GSP.
Georges St-Pierre, who held belts in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, is often mentioned alongside Jon Jones and Anderson Silva when it comes to the sport’s elite.
A recent poll from Bloody Elbow, for instance, even placed him just behind Jones.
But St-Pierre thinks there might be a new contender on the horizon, someone with enough potential to really shake up the conversation – as long as he keeps winning.
Georges St-Pierre backs Ilia Topuria to join the GOAT conversation if dominance continues
Few fighters have taken over the sport the way Ilia Topuria has.
Undefeated through 17 professional bouts, he has also won all nine of his UFC appearances, capturing titles at both lightweight and featherweight along the way.
His list of opponents already reads like a who’s who of MMA, with knockout wins over Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.
Then came Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, where Topuria claimed the 155-pound belt by adding ‘Do Bronx’ to his growing highlight reel.
Next up for Topuria could be a title defence against interim champion Justin Gaethje, probably at the White House this June.
And if the Spaniard keeps stacking up big names in similar fashion to what he has done so far, GSP thinks it will be hard not to put him in that GOAT conversation.
“Absolutely, I think if Ilia Topuria continues as he is doing, stays at this level, he will be the best of all time,” St-Pierre said, according to the journalist Alvaro Colmenero.
He added: “He just needs to stay focused, without distractions.”
Ilia Topuria targeting an achievement Georges St-Pierre did not attempt
‘El Matador’ is not finished chasing history just yet.
After moving up from featherweight to become the UFC’s 10th two-division champion, he already has his eyes set on a third weight class.
No fighter in UFC history has ever held belts in three divisions, but Topuria is determined to be the first.
Pursuing a third title would certainly give him more momentum in the GOAT conversation, and he is not ruling out moving beyond lightweight.
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Category: General Sports
