Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully manhandled the irish superstar at UFC 229. Still some are still wishing the mini lightweight tournament that UFC aimed for had happened – namely Georges St. Pierre.
GSP’s coach, famed jiu jitsu expert Firas Zahabi recently had a chance to analyse the match up:
“I think GSP would do much of the same, even more than what Khabib did,” Zahabi said on a recent live chat. “GSP has an explosive shot from the outside, and he understands — he has a better range. He has a longer range for his takedowns, a longer range for his striking.
“His submissions and ground and pound and jiujitsu, it’s very similar to Khabib. They’re very strong wrestlers, but GSP can do it all from a longer range, further range,” he explained.
“And GSP is very familiar with what McGregor does, that karate, taekwondo, kickboxing hybrid style. That’s stuff we grew up with, so we know that very very well,” he said. “We do a lot of that. We’re very familiar with those teeps, those counter lefts, very familiar with those kind of stuff.”
And as for what’s next for GSP:
“Khabib (vs GSP) would be a mega fight. It would, definitely,” he said. “If they did it for 155, or I’m hearing now a 165 lb title, that would make sense — or 170. Whatever it is, just those two names, would probably beat McGregor vs Khabib. Because of this win, Khabib now is going to be more famous than ever. Khabib is going to be the biggest name in the lightweight division for a while.”
