Georges St-Pierre Understood Khamzat Chimaev ‘Champ’ Material And Grit Years Before UFC 319

Georges St-Pierre was among those predicting championship success for Khamzat Chimaev even much before the UFC 319 PPV headliner. Chimaev’s rise to the top of the pecking order culminated in Saturday’s pay-per-view main event at the United Center in Chicago, winning the 185-pound gold.

‘Borz’ has had his promise of gold thrice before, and this time he proved his championship ceiling, outworking defending champ Dricus Du Plessis. Khamzat Chimaev punctuated an enormous 21:40 control time and 529 strikes en route to a title win.

Given his forward pressure and skills, many had tagged Chimaev to be champ material all these years. But for Georges St-Pierre, it was one particular matchup that made his mind:

Khamzat is very good…He’s got all the skills. He’s very good, and he showcased incredible durability and great mental strength in his last fight when he fought Gilbert Burns…He got pushed to the limit, that’s when you recognize a true warrior, a champion.

Georges St-Pierre during a UFC fan Q&A session in Paris, three years back

Before Kamaru Usman was narrowly defeated by a majority nod on the judges’ card in 2023, Gilbert Burns gave Chimaev his toughest skills test at UFC 273 in April 2022. Both combatants experienced resounding standup success in the barnburner, which Borz ultimately won by way of a unanimous decision that was the subject of considerable debate.

It was a true go-to skills test for many, with PPV broadcaster Jon Anik saying the matchup deserved an HOF spot someday. Months later, GSP said that Chimaev’s ability to overcome challenges was a clear sign of his potential and skill ceiling to become a champion. Up until then, the undefeated Chechen phenom had had no trouble getting past UFC competition.

Georges St-Pierre’s last-ever rival projected Dricus Du Plessis to beat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319

Georges St-Pierre is a considerable all-time, 9-time defending welterweight GOAT fighter. After a long layoff, he returned to capture the UFC 185-pound crown, then hung it up.

St-Pierre’s triumph over Michael Bisping, securing the middleweight title currently held by Chimaev, signified the culmination of the legend’s final bout. It’s likely that both retired stars were keeping a close eye on their former weight class during the UFC 319 PPV lineup.

Bisping, in particular, would have been taken aback by the weekend’s outcome. During fight week, the analyst had predicted that Du Plessis would mount a prodigious comeback after dropping the opening frames to the explosive Khamzat Chimaev.

I think that Dricus weathers the storm in the first round…and he’ll probably end up losing the second round as well…I think Dricus du Plessis starts to take over, has some success in the third round, starts to land, starts to grow in confidence. We haven’t really seen Khamzat pushed to the limit [for[ over five rounds. We’ve seen Dricus in the fourth round, in the fifth round…the man’s always trying to finish the fight, even in the late rounds.

Michael Bisping on his Official YT Channel

It did track with DDP’s unique fight style of risking his chin and surviving the onslaught only to mount his offense later. However, this time, against Chimaev, he got very little to do given the extensive mount control and pressure.

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