St-Pierre not sure UFC will want to book Khabib fight

Georges St-Pierre isn't confident a superfight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will come to fruition.

The former two-division champion, who retired in 2019, said Wednesday he doesn't think the promotion will want to book the fight as long as it's for Nurmagomedov's belt.

"I run away with the welterweight (title), I run away with the middleweight (title)," St-Pierre told BT Sport. "They surely don't want me to run with the lightweight (belt)."

St-Pierre took a four-year hiatus from MMA after a 170-pound title defense against Johny Hendricks in 2013. And after finishing Michael Bisping to capture the 185-pound belt in his 2017 return, St-Pierre vacated it a month later, apparently breaking a promise with the UFC that he would come back for at least one title defense.

Nurmagomedov, who is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout at UFC 254 on Oct. 24, recently hinted he wants to fight St-Pierre next year in what could be his final walk to the Octagon.

UFC president Dana White has said he would be willing to grant Nurmagomedov's wish and book the St-Pierre fight for the Russian's retirement bout.

But St-Pierre also doesn't see the Nurmagomedov clash happening due to the weight cut he'd have to undergo.

"I'm 39 years old, I don't think I could go (to) 155 (pounds) without my performance being compromised," St-Pierre said.

He added: "I've never been a fan of cutting weight, so I never did it. ... I mean, I'd lose weight, but I (didn't) lose too much weight compared to most of the guys. I always thought about long terms, and I'm afraid of the long-term consequences. And physically, I'm always very fit. I don't have a lot of water retention and fat when I'm at my natural, walking-around weight."