Coach: I think GSP will fight again

Firas Zahabi, long-time coach to former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, appeared recently on Ariel Helwani‘s The MMA Hour, and discussed reports that GSP is ready to return to the cage.

“He has no plans right now,” said Zahabi as transcribed by Shaun Al-Shatti for MMAFighting. “We’re supposed to start some martial arts training by the end of this month, and we’re going to take it from there, step-by-step. Everybody wants to know what his decision is going to be. The guy hasn’t rolled on the mat yet. I mean, how can he know?

“I don’t think he could really know, and there’s no reason for him to rush back with a decision. He has no definite plans whatsoever, that’s the bottom line. That’s not the answer everybody wants to hear, but it’s the truth. No matter what anybody tells you, he still has not made up his mind.”

If the coach was to bet though, he would bet that GSP will fight again.

“”I think so,” said Zahabi. “I think Georges cannot separate himself from MMA, from martial arts. I don’t think he could. I think it’s carved out a part of his psyche, I think he’s done it since he was so young, I think it’s who he is. It protected him in the school yard, it created him living. I don’t think he could successfully separate himself from MMA.

“But I also don’t think he’s going to go into fighting until he’s 50, either. I think he’s always going to be involved in martial arts, and when his body can’t fight anymore, I think he’s a smart enough guy to tell himself no. But I was working out with him two weeks ago and his body is in ridiculous shape. I mean, his fitness is incredible. So I can’t see why not. But again, I don’t want to speak for him, that’s his decision. I’m just thinking that he’s in such great shape right now that, I assume if he gets the motivation to do a fight, he’ll do it.”

The issue of teammates fighting each other is a contentious one in the sport. When St-Pierre was champion, there was pressure on Rory MacDonald to say he would fight for the title, but he declined. Were “Ares” to take the title, would GSP decline as well?

“I don’t want to create a problem that doesn’t exist,” said the coach. “I don’t know what would happen. We would sit down and talk about it like brothers, like gentlemen. That’s who were are, everybody is very courteous, everybody is very friendly.

“What Rory did by saying, ‘hey, I won’t fight GSP,’ that was huge, because that was a life-changing fight for him. That was a fight that would’ve catapulted him right away to number-one contender. The UFC would’ve marketed the hell out of that fight — they would’ve said, look, let this kid skip to the front of the line. And he didn’t take it. That’s huge for me. That’s loyalty. So for me, I want to return the favor. Georges is a very loyal guy and so is Rory, so we work well together. There are things more important than money.”