Georges St-Pierre, a highly successful former champion and one of the UFC`s biggest historical draws, shared his perspective on the importance of having major stars in the sport.
While the UFC is currently experiencing unprecedented financial success with frequent events, large gates, and lucrative media deals, some fans perceive a decline in compelling top-tier personalities. Appearing on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, “GSP” acknowledged this sentiment and agreed that building future headliners is crucial.
St-Pierre described Conor McGregor as a unique phenomenon. He stated, “Conor McGregor, I believe, is an anomaly… He did something that was unbelievable. It`s hard to try to recreate that… But right now, because nobody can do what Conor has done, I don`t think it`s because they don`t have any stars. They have stars.”
He cited recent losses suffered by other significant names like Sean O’Malley, Israel Adesanya, and Alex Pereira as detrimental to the UFC`s pool of top draws. McGregor himself, despite headlining massive events, has been largely inactive since 2021 and has faced legal troubles.
GSP explained that these losses are inherent to the unpredictable nature of mixed martial arts. He recalled his own upset loss to Matt Serra as an example of how quickly fortunes can change in MMA. While this unpredictability fuels the sport`s excitement, it also means top fighters can lose status rapidly.
Despite the potential business impact of stars losing, St-Pierre firmly believes the integrity of the sport should be maintained. He expressed hope that the UFC would prioritize making the most anticipated matchups, lamenting recent missed opportunities like Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall and Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria.
Comparing MMA to boxing, St-Pierre argued that a key reason for MMA`s popularity is the tradition of champions fighting the number one contender. He emphasized that this mandatory challenge system is crucial and should not change, regardless of financial considerations. According to GSP, champions should not have the power to choose their opponents.
“The reason why people love mixed martial arts is because when you’re champion, you’re fighting the No. 1 contender and it’s not up to you to choose and this should not change. That’s how it was in my time, that’s how it should be now. The champion has nothing to say. You fight who is in front,” St-Pierre asserted.
