π Kamaru Usman is confident he could have defeated a PRIME Georges St-Pierre! π³ The former UFC welterweight champion has huge respect for GSP and his legacy, but believes that at his best, he had everything needed to beat the Canadian legend. π£οΈ βI think in his time he was the greatest. And being the competitor that I am, I think in my time I was good enough to beat him.β Usman also believes the GOAT debate should be about who dominated their generation rather than choosing one fighter above everyone else. Via: (@pound4pound )
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he believes he was good enough to beat Georges St-Pierre at his peak, even as he acknowledged the Canadian's place in the sport's history.
Usman reportedly said St-Pierre was the greatest of his era, but that he would have had the tools to win in a matchup against him. "I think in his time he was the greatest," Usman said. "And being the competitor that I am, I think in my time I was good enough to beat him." He also argued that the GOAT debate should center on who dominated their own generation rather than on crowning a single fighter above all others.
The fighters
Usman, 39, is 21-5 and ranked ninth at welterweight. Born in Nigeria and fighting out of the United States, he has landed 4.13 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy and averages 2.6 takedowns per 15 minutes. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis on July 18, 2026. That followed a unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley in June 2025.
St-Pierre, 45, retired with a 26-2 record and fought out of Tristar Gym. His most recent recorded fight was a third-round submission win over Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in November 2017, a title fight. He lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute at 53 percent accuracy, and his takedown average of 4.16 per 15 minutes is well above Usman's 2.6, a gap of 1.56. His submission attempt rate is 1.1 per 15 minutes against Usman's 0.1.
Why it matters
- The two men are physically close on paper. Both are listed with a 76-inch, 193 cm reach, and Usman stands about an inch taller at six feet to St-Pierre's five-foot-eleven.
- Usman out-strikes St-Pierre by 0.35 significant strikes per minute, while St-Pierre's wrestling numbers and submission threat lead the comparison.
- Usman's framing of the GOAT debate around generational dominance reflects how often the welterweight greats are measured against one another across eras.
The two never fought, so the comparison rests entirely on opinion and career numbers.
