This, citing tournament organizers, was reported by Craig Jones, a well-known Australian grappler who is also Alexander Volkanovski’s jiu-jitsu coach.
“We were talking to the guys at Fight Pass and they were trying to ask me about who GSP’s opponent could be, asking me to pitch them an idea,” MMAmania quoted Jones as saying. “I had no idea, and at one point I named Khabib, and they said he wanted five million dollars for a grappling match. I was like, ‘Gee!’ Obviously they couldn’t afford him, but it would have been great to see these guys fight. I’d love to train with them and get a feel for what it’s like.”
Former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion George St. Pierre announced his intention to have a grappling match at the Fight Pass Invitational event in December last month, after which several possible opponents for the Canadian were named, none of which have been officially confirmed.
George St-Pierre, 42, has not competed since taking the UFC middleweight championship belt from Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in New York City, resuming his career after a four-year hiatus, while Khabib Nurmagomedov, 34, announced his retirement after a unification bout with Justin Gaethje in October 2020.