Georges St-Pierre sees Islam Makhachev‘s charge toward becoming an all-time MMA fighter, and will be watching closely as the welterweight champion goes for history at UFC 330.
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) will attempt to take sole possession of the record for most consecutive octagon wins when he chases his 17th straight in a title defense vs. Ian Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) on the Aug. 15 card at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+).
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Former 170-pound king St-Pierre can only react with “wow” when speculating on what such an achievement would mean for Makhachev’s legacy, but this is a critical fight to entrench his name in the record books. Machado Garry has expressed absolute certainty that he will prevent that from happening, and although the UFC Hall of Famer knows anything is possible, he is very high on Makhachev.
“I think it’s going to be a good fight,” St-Pierre told MMA Junkie. “Ian Garry is definitely a tough opponent, a very good striker. But Islam, once again his goal is going to be to bring the fight to the ground. I think if he’s able to do that, he’s going to have an edge. If Ian Garry is able to keep it on the feet, Ian is going to have an edge. So it’s going to be interesting.
“Islam has the edge in terms of skills because he’s more well-rounded. He can do it all, especially with his grappling. He’s got an edge in that department and I think that’s what he’s going to try to go for.”
For most, St-Pierre currently holds the distinction as the greatest welterweight in UFC history. Most have him as a top-three fighter in MMA history, too, with a strong debate he deserves the No. 1 spot.
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The overall GOAT discussion in MMA is a hard one to crack, but if Makhachev can get through a strong list of potential upcoming title challengers, then St-Pierre would like to see him do what no one has successfully done before and try to win a belt in a third division.
“Maybe he will eventually go up to middleweight, try to do the three weight class club,” St-Pierre said.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Georges St-Pierre: Islam Makhachev has edge on Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330
