UFC Turned Down Khabib vs. GSP Non-Title Fight

[fortheo]

Everyone is talking about how this fight is bad for the UFC, as if they're UFC employees. What about the fans? This would be a true superfight (maybe the biggest ever) for true fans.

 

[dog y]

GSP is much stronger and better at everything. Khabib's only advantage is age/mileage, but thats nowhere near enough to compete against ole Georges.
GSP via stoppage R3.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

As a fan, I don’t care. If I was a promoter, there’s no way in hell that I’d book that. Why risk having your champ beaten with no long term payoff?

True, except as Dana has always said, the ufc is where the best fight the best. That isn't actually true and they protect guys all the time, but if it was true they should fight.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

Everyone is talking about how this fight is bad for the UFC, as if they're UFC employees. What about the fans? This would be a true superfight (maybe the biggest ever) for true fans.

Yup, and what happened to the best fighting the best in the ufc?

 

[thelittleman]

In before GSP fans try to convince me why UFC should most definitely make 169lbs weightclass for GSP and Khabib to compete in, and why it's ok to break contract not to defend your belt in case you win.

 

[skylolow]

Blame it all on this Champ Champ shit.

From day one the UFC should've just said you vs you one time at catchweight. I think if they did that they won't put as much weight in title fights headlining PPV's and understand that if champ A beats Champ B it doesn't make Champ B not a draw anymore. Champ A vs Champ B promotes itself and fans could easily understand its a one off thing. They'd just see two champs going at it and diehard fans could care less about titles being on the line since they'd understand its a bad ass fight to watch. I don't think fans would hold a lost against the fighter moving forward and not order a PPV because he lost or whatever. But for some reason the UFC is so hung up on it all. It's like they don't understand they can control the way a majority fans think. So present it properly and there is little to no negative that could ever come from two great fighters fighting each other at catch weight.

 

[TrueBias]

I dont care, but as in that i dont care about this matchup. 2 different weight classes too.

 

[Sirwastealot]

Yea unfortunately i can see the risk it would be for UFC.

Khabib should be the favorite in that fight, but not by much. GSP's last fight he beat the MW champ (even if it was bisping) and he left. He'd have a good chance against the LW champ too.

I would still love to see that fight though. It would do huge numbers too.

 

[pick999]

At what weight class is this fair?

 

[Number 8]

Too late, GSP is out of prime, almost 40, and RETIRED. I don't get it why people think it's normal to come back from retirement for 2,3 times. It's permanent, forget about gsp.

If it happened 5,6 years ago I'd watch it of course. It'd be a 5r of grappling and wrestling, probably a boring dec win...

 

[GrantB13]

I don't think every big fight has to be for a title. At a certain point in time it becomes meaningless to have so many. That also means it can only happen if the stars align to where it is for a belt.

 

[Ramon Antonio]

I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect a contract like that wouldn't hold up in court, because the defense would argue you can't force someone to risk their health (ie get into the cage) if they don't want to. Probably the best they could do is take a million off of any fight GSP did after that if he ever fought again.

I think there are ways to do it. They can't force him to fight, but they can force him to earn like only 50k for the first and 1.5million on the second fight or something like that. They won't do it, but I think it's legally possible to construct something.

 

[Ramon Antonio]

i dont think thats legal.

anyhow.. ufc would NEVER make this fight unless khabib lost. gsp is no longer a company man. he fights every now and then, and khabib is a great russian/middle eastern person and mma is huge there at the moment.

Maybe not in that exact same construction, but there are ways to make it very shitty not to fight again. Perhaps pay him only on completion of 2 fights or something like that.

 

[cws80us]

As a fan, I don’t care. If I was a promoter, there’s no way in hell that I’d book that. Why risk having your champ beaten with no long term payoff?

You mean like allowing your 2 division champion to go get embarrassed in a boxing match?

 

[BFoe]

You mean like allowing your 2 division champion to go get embarrassed in a boxing match?

Lol that didn’t turn out as bad as it could’ve, but yeah. I suppose it was a shitload of money for the UFC and a lot of exposure. It’s not horrible because it really wasn’t Conor’s sport, but I do think it makes MMA look bad.

 

[snackgod]

“I know Khabib wanted to have that fight,” Georges St-Pierre told ESPN. “I want it, but the thing is, if you look from the UFC’s side, I think it’s normal if I put myself in their shoes. They didn’t want to take the risk of me winning the title and then after vacating again.

"I didn’t even want it for the title, I would rather do it not for a title. For me, it was because I considered Khabib, right now, the best fighter in the world, and he wanted to fight me as well so I thought it was a good fan fight.

“They had other plans for Khabib and I understand that. They had a lot to lose and if they invest into that fight and their investment goes out after, it’s not a good move.

“In a way, I could take that as a compliment because maybe they saw me as a threat for them. That means maybe they thought I could win the fight. If they let me fight him, it’s because they think [Khabib] would have lost.”

dana always said long before gsp talked about khabib that non title fights with champions are the biggest waste of time.

dana knows gsp never wanted to fight khabib and gsp just using the media playing the victim card to hide him ducking khabib.

 

[snackgod]

Just make the fight at 165. If khabib loses... Well he lost to the bigger man. The same shit someone else does whenever they lost at 170.

again none title fights with a champion are a waste of time. dana made this clear for 10 years plus

 

[TheIconTheSmooth]

Could've been a good fight but of course dana and the ufc with the weird decisions

Buh buh the fans

 

[snackgod]

He's right though. If the UFC thought Khabib would win, they'd let the fight happen so Khabib could steal some of GSP's clout.

gsp didnt think he beat khabib that why he clearly ducked him and used the media to play the victim card

 

[IIIIIIII]

Dana always shits on boxing and promoters who they say fighters are being protected and whatnot or fights don’t happen when they’re suppose to. So, this is the same thing, is it not? Protecting Khabib.

no, it's really not in my opinion, because the ufc seems to want to setup fights that lead to future fights and future match-ups. if you setup gsp vs. khabib, and gsp wins, the ufc is left with nothing, and gsp leaves again. the ufc only sets up win-win-situation fights, where it doesn't matter as much who the winner is. either way, they can continue story-lines and fights.