MONTREAL – For famed MMA coach Firas Zahabi, Georges St-Pierre not only is the greatest of all time, but a symbol of civility in a hostile sport.
Zahabi said the UFC hasn’t been the same since St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) stepped away from the sport after ruling the welterweight division for years.
“The way the market changed, the way that the personalities changed, we went back to our Tito Ortiz days, and even worse to greater degress,” Zahabi told reporters after St-Pierre officially announced his retirement at Bell Centre in his home city of Montreal. “Georges was such a breath of fresh air because he brought class to our sport. We were not embarrassed of our sport when he was there … I was happy to say I’m part of the sport.
“But nowadays, you have so many superstars who are getting in trouble with the law. The way they behave, it makes the sport look uncivilized. And it’s not the case – 99 percent of our athletes are good people. But it’s unfortunate when the megastars embarrass us all.”
Zahabi stopped short of naming names other than UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov (27-0 MMA, 11-0 UFC), who tried to coax St-Pierre into a retirement fight after the promotion reportedly passed on the matchup.
An infamous outburst at UFC 229 notwithstanding, the coach cast Nurmagomedov as a role model for the sport. Others who should be considered among the greatest are also drug free, he said.
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva and current light heavyweight champ Jon Jones regularly share space with St-Pierre on the pound-for-pound list. But both have failed multiple drug tests.
“For me, if you fail a USADA test, you’re eliminated from the pound-for-pound argument,” Zahabi said. “Georges has been on the cleanest, most successful win streak of anybody in MMA history.”
And because St-Pierre’s health is the No. 1 priority, he added, it’s time for the French Canadian UFC star to call it quits for good. He cited boxer Adonis Stevenson’s brain injury as a reminder of the long-term danger involved in combat sports.
“He is in great shape,” Zahabi said of St-Pierre. “He’s in incredible health. His skills are better than before. But it’s time. When you’re fighting, you’re playing with fire. Now’s the time to make sure he stays healthy
“You look at what recently happened with Adonis, it’s a reality with the sport we play in. And at that age, I feel that it’s more risky health-wise. When you’re young, you can take more. When you get older, it’s time.”
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