MMA
A new 165-pound division is loudly into talks nowadays in the UFC. After an alleged claim from reputed fighters like Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz at UFC 230, Dana White himself shut it down last November.
So if a new weight class opens, Zahabi is already looking forward to matching St-Pierre with the UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In an interview on a podcast with MMA Betz, Zahabi said:
“As of what I understand right now, there is no 165 [pound division],” Zahabi told YouTube channel MMA Betz backstage at UFC 232 late last month (transcript via BJPenn.com). “It’s a ‘maybe’ from what I understand. It’s a rumor I should say, and if that happens I think it could be very interesting for Georges. I’m hoping that rumor is true.”
He further added:
“I think the best matchup would be, for sure, Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. If they were to create a 165-pound division, I think it would make a lot of sense to have Georges St-Pierre and Khabib be the first ones to fight for that title.”
Firas Zahabi made it clear that he would continue to look at it as an option.
As for now, Nurmagomedov awaits the Nevada State Of Athletic Commission's hearings for his involvement in a UFC 229 post-fight brawl last October, whereas GSP reportedly is planning to return to the Octagon, somewhere in the middle of 2019.
