Should GSP Jump The Queue:

Should GSP Jump The Queue:

Georges St-Pierre returned late last year at UFC 217 and defeated Michael Bisping to claim his 2nd UFC title and it looks like he wants to try and win a 3rd belt this time at lightweight .

GSP wants to return and face the winner of the Khabib Nurmagomedov Conor McGregor grudge match in October, but should he.

When GSP returned to challenge Bisping he avoided the now seemingly old-fashioned way of beating other contenders to earn your title shot, and now he wants to jump the queue again.

Certain fighters be it by their legacy or their worth at the box office do have a certain right to call the shots and GSP obviously is one such fighter.

You could argue with much justification that McGregor has himself jumped the queue in fighting Khabib and even when he challenged Eddie Alvarez, and it is certainly nothing new in the world of combat sports. But where do we draw the line and start being fair to the ‘regular’ contenders.

I do think we have to take the position of the UFC into consideration, the return of McGregor and GSP if it happens re-ignites interest in a sport which has suffered without McGregor and Ronda Rousey.

The UFC are a business of course and despite issues around the rankings being meaningless, ratings and PPV buys are more important, at least that’s what it seems.

There is little doubt that Khabib vs McGregor will be the biggest fight in UFC history, and GSP against the winner especially if it’s McGregor wouldn’t be far behind.

But the UFC does have obligations to the likes of Dustin Poirier, who if he beats Nate Diaz would have a legitimate claim to be the rightful next in line although Tony Ferguson would strongly argue that point.

GSP against either Khabib or McGregor would be a fight with a lot of intrigue, and for GSP it’s the type of legacy fight that will tempt him back. But personally I would rather GSP not return again, he wears the damage so badly now and you do start to worry what lies ahead the more punishment he takes.

But I’m not convinced GSP will get his way, Khabib and McGregor may do an immediate rematch depending how the fight in October goes. If that is the case then you would be looking at the end of 2019 before a GSP fight with either Khabib or McGregor could realistically take place.

GSP unless he takes another fight in the meantime would then be 2 years from his last fight with Bisping and the chances of another comeback recedes due to the passing of time.

Too many fighters don’t leave the sport on their own terms and I would like GSP to be one of the few who does.