Less than a year after chasing, winning and vacating the UFC middleweight title, Georges St-Pierre has expressed an interest in fighting for the lightweight strap. E. Spencer Kyte explains why it makes sense while also making his Canadian heart hurt a little.

Georges St-Pierre has injected himself into the lightweight title picture.

In Australia for a series “An Evening with” events and MMA seminars, the former two-division UFC champion sat down with various members of the press to discuss the latest happenings from around the Octagon and when the subject of the impending lightweight title clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor came up, the French-Canadian superstar acknowledged that he would like to fight the winner.

“I would be interested in that fight [winner of Nurmagomedov/McGregor], that is a win-win situation,” St-Pierre said. “It’s a legacy upgrade and it’s good money. It’s going to be a big fight.”

Though he would go on to rightfully add that his history of vacating titles might give the UFC pause in running him into a second straight championship in a new division, the fact is that a bout between St-Pierre and either Nurmagomedov or McGregor would be a massive contest that would deliver huge numbers on pay-per-view and at the box office, making the potential of such a contest a very real possibility.

And that sucks, for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, the lightweight division doesn’t need any more people injecting themselves in the title picture at the present time.

The UFC on FOX event in Calgary a couple weeks back finally helped clear things up at the top of the division and created a perfect opportunity for a four-man tournament to crown the top fighter in the 155-pound weight class, with Nurmagomedov and McGregor facing off as scheduled and Dustin Poirier taking on former interim champ Tony Ferguson, who has won 10 straight fights and continues to heal like Wolverine following knee surgery:

https://twitter.com/TonyFergusonXT/status/1024797828869058560

Since then, the UFC has confirmed that Nurmagomedov and McGregor will throw down on October 6 at UFC 229 and booked Poirier into a co-main event assignment with Nathan Diaz at UFC 230 a month later in New York City that may or may not still be happening. Not only does that leave Ferguson without a dance partner, but also introduces Diaz back into the championship fold following a two-year layoff while sporting an (double-checks the math) 8-8 record prior to his twin battles with McGregor in 2016.

Now St-Pierre wants to add his name into the mix, creating a situation where competitors like Poirier and Ferguson could foreseeably be pushed aside in favor of a 37-year-old who has never made the 155-pound championship weight or a mercurial talent with a .500 record over the last nine years, both of whom could very well go on sabbatical again the minute they win the title.

Although this is the era of making the biggest fights possible and figuring out what comes next later, at a certain point, the mix-and-match approach to putting together these fights has to come to a stop because if it doesn’t, everything will collapse in on itself.

Eventually, the UFC will run out of marquee names to run out there in major attractions that draw massive audiences because true superstars don’t come around very often, which is why St-Pierre and Diaz can simply waltz into the lightweight title conversation despite having no real business being considered for such an opportunity.

Additionally, continually shuffling in only the biggest names will cause further unrest and disruption amongst the pugilistic proletariat, opening the door to holdouts, departures or a situation where the contenders cannibalize themselves because they’re constantly forced to keep fighting, leaving the UFC with no useful options once the superstar well runs dry.

Poirier has already bristled at the notion of St-Pierre joining the queue (and potentially cutting to the front of the line) and if you find a way to piss off a proven company man and fighter who has blossomed into a burgeoning star over the last two years by doing everything “the right way” both inside and outside of the cage, maybe it’s time to take a step back and re-evaluate.

But perhaps the part of this that is most disappointing is St-Pierre’s transformation from a paragon of the sporting ethos of mixed martial arts to a big-fight mercenary chasing titles and paydays under the guise of furthering his legacy.

But perhaps the part of this that is most disappointing is St-Pierre’s transformation from a paragon of the sporting ethos of mixed martial arts to a big-fight mercenary chasing titles and paydays under the guise of furthering his legacy.

Long before Demetrious Johnson simply wanted to face the next man up at flyweight every time out, St-Pierre was eschewing talk of a superfight with Anderson Silva at middleweight because of the size difference and the strain it would have put on his body.

Several years later and following a four-year hiatus, he happily moved up to middleweight to face and defeat Michael Bisping at UFC 217, adding another championship to his resume and large sums of cash to his bank account. Now, despite never having fought at lightweight in the past and having just dealt with legitimate medical issues caused by bulking up to face Bisping, St-Pierre is talking about venturing to the 155-pound weight class in search of a third UFC title and another massive payday.

While the bout with Bisping did add to his legacy and a potential showdown with the lightweight champion would do the same, they’re also both feats that could have been untaken when St-Pierre was in his athletic prime, where beating Silva at 185 pounds or BJ Penn at lightweight would have truly been transcendent accomplishments that elevated “GSP” to unrivalled heights.

Beating Bisping was certainly an impressive achievement, but it didn’t carry the same impact as facing and defeating Silva in his prime would have and while turning back either Nurmagomedov or McGregor to claim the lightweight title would be undeniably massive, it’s difficult to foresee the 37-year-old Montreal native finding success in the cage against either the unbeaten Russian juggernaut or the Irishman with dynamite in his hands who would be fresh off handing Nurmagomedov the first loss of his career.

They’re absolutely legacy matchups, but they’re also wise risk-reward propositions for St-Pierre, who either continues making history or loses to an elite talent in his prime, which no one would fault him for, all while banking seven figures. It’s why he seems to have no interest in a fight with Silva, which is the one fight that actually makes sense for both men at the moment and could still be a massive main event for the UFC.

Beating Anderson Silva in 2018 when he’s coming off a shaky decision win over Derek Brunson and another suspension following a five-fight stretch without a victory doesn’t do as much for St-Pierre’s standing in the pantheon of all-time greats. As a result of the Brazilian’s late-career swoon, St-Pierre has passed him on the list of pound-for-pound greats and beating him would only reinforce that, while falling to Silva would force people to reconsider where they fall within that list.

It’s high risk, low reward and fights like that no longer interest St-Pierre.

It’s completely understandable and you can’t fault him for only wanting to come back for the biggest opportunities possible, but after years of being the epitome of everything good and just and pure in this sport, seeing him trying to shoehorn himself into marquee matchups outside of the weight class he never wanted to leave during his prime is another reminder of how different the current UFC landscape is and that Harvey Dent was right all along.

You really do either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.