Former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre returns after a four year absence to challenge UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping for the gold at UFC 217.
Firas Zahabi is the longtime coach for GSP and he doesn’t expect the former champion will have to deal with ring rust after such a long absence.
“If he had a limited amount of experience I believe it could be a major issue,” Zahabi told MMA Junkie. “But again, he’s been competing since he was 6, 7 years old. For him, it’s like riding a bike. I don’t believe ring rust is an issue in this fight, in this particular fight.”
GSP’s last bout in the Octagon was a successful title defense over former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
Zahabi believes that if GSP defeats Bisping at UFC 217, then he can lay claim to being the greatest fighter of all time.
“I think it cements him as the greatest fighter or all time,” he said. “The greatest fighter of all time. All the other candidates had USADA issues.”
UFC 217 takes place on Saturday, November 4 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
