Colby Covington: I Don't Think I Could Beat Georges St-Pierre -- I Know I'd Beat Him

Mandatory Credit: Josh Hedges - Zuffa LLC & Jeff Bottari - Zuffa LLC

Former interim UFC welterweight champion, Colby Covington would certainly fancy his chances opposite one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever grace the sport in the form of Georges St-Pierre -- claiming he knows he'd get the better of the former middleweight and welterweight champion.

Covington, who is ranked as the #1 ranked contender at 170lbs has yet to feature since September of last year at UFC Vegas 11 where he scored a fifth round TKO win over former champion, Tyron Woodley. And off the back of victory, Covington has campaigned tirelessly for a rematch against current division pacesetter, Kamaru Usman. 

UFC president, Dana White also seems keen on a rematch of Usman and Covington, after heaping praise of their UFC 245 clash back in December of 2019, labeling the headlining bout as one of the best fights he's ever seen. On that occasion, Covington suffered a fifth round knockout loss to the Auchi native after an entertaining back-and-forth.

Covington was also in attendance at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida in April to watch on as Usman scored an incredible second round knockout win over his former American Top Team teammate, Jorge Masvidal, and appears to be primed for a title shot next.

Appearing on the MMA Roasted Podcast recently, Covington touched on the subject of how a pairing between himself and fellow wrestling standout, St-Pierre, and claimed that the Tristar veteran wouldn't even be able to secure a takedown against him.

"I don't think I could beat Georges St-Pierre -- I know I'd beat St-Pierre," Covington said. "He was able to take a lot of guys down and hold them down and ground and pound (them). He's not taking me down. My cardio is completely different. I've never been taken down in the UFC Octagon, so he's not going to be the first (to take me down)."

"Georges St-Pierre -- his striking was very basic, very kindergarten," Covington continued. "He didn't have a lot of tricks. He just had that really good jab, but that's pretty easy to counter if you're moving your head and using footwork. I think Georges St-Pierre would have been an extremely easy fight for me. He was ahead of his time. There were a lot of guys that time that was one-dimensional. They were either strikers or they were wrestlers, but they weren't good at blending both."

St-Pierre, who has continuously been linked with a return to the Octagon against the now-retired, Khabib Nurmagomedov over the last twenty-four months, has more or less shut the door on a return to the UFC, and was most recently linked with a Triller Fight Club boxing match against former world champion, Oscar De La Hoya -- which he confirmed UFC president, Dana White prevented from happening. 

"I understand that Dana (White) didn't want me to fight," St-Pierre explained during an interview with Cinema Blend. "However, it would have been fun (a fight with De La Hoya). Because my career as a professional fighter -- to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. I'm turning 40-years-old tomorrow; I'm going to be 40-years-old. It's a young man's game. However, to rather fight a boxing match under the rules that Triller (Fight Club) put on against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya? For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favourite boxer of all time, behind 'Sugar' Ray Leonard."