UFC Legend Georges St-Pierre Recalls Floyd Mayweather Fight Offer

Two of combat sport's greatest nearly fought.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre has revealed that he briefly considered an offer to square off with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

Considered by many to be the greatest fighter in the history of MMA, “Rush” defended the UFC welterweight title nine times before he took some time off from the sport and later returned to claim the middleweight belt at UFC 217.

St-Pierre is one of the few former UFC fighters that has remained committed to retirement, but during a recent interview with Covers Sports the 42-year-old was asked if he’d ever entertained the idea of participating in one of the high-profile boxing matches that have become so popular among his peers.

“Yeah, stuff like that [has] been offered multiple times to me,” St-Pierre said. “Even Floyd Mayweather. There’s a promoter that [wanted] to organize - the way he described it, it’s a ‘fair compromise’ between boxing and MMA against Floyd Mayweather.” 

Former UFC fighters have had mixed results in the boxing ring in recent years, and Jake Paul’s list of boxing victories famously includes the likes of Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (twice), Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. 

St-Pierre admitted that even he was tempted by the idea of a matchup with Mayweather, but he wasn’t about to square off with the boxing legend without at least being able to use his kicks or throws.

“[The promoter] said ‘It’s a boxing fight, but in an octagonal ring.’ I’m like ‘Okay, but what’s the rules? What’s the compromise?’... ‘If you don’t allow me to use my legs or use my takedowns - I’m not talking about [going] to the ground, but just my throws - forget it.’ Because it’s a trap, I’m not that stupid.”

“Rush” was scheduled to make his return to competition at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational for a grappling match last December, but unfortunately injuries forced both him and former rival Nick Diaz to withdraw from that matchup.

The UFC Hall of Famer has also repeatedly shot down any discussion of a potential return to the Octagon, although St-Pierre did recently suggest he’d have backed himself to defeat former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov before the latter fighter also retired after UFC 254. 

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