Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker isn’t hesitating on this one, he believes Islam Makhachev would beat a prime Georges St-Pierre in a hypothetical welterweight clash.
Makhachev made history earlier this month at UFC 322 when he dominated Jack Della Maddalena, claimed the UFC welterweight title, and climbed back to No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Now that he’s officially a two-division champion, the comparisons have only intensified. Fans are already lining him up with legends like GSP and Kamaru Usman, the two names often credited as the greatest welterweights of all time.
However, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker sees the matchup clearly, and he’s siding with the new king.
During an episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker broke down how he believes the fight would play out, and why he leans Makhachev over the iconic Canadian.
“That’s tricky because GSP has got a good game to fight Makhachev,” Whittaker said as he compared the two styles. “He’s got a really good game. He’s like a springy, karate-esque fighter. He likes punching from outside the distance, loves to scramble, has the cardio to scramble, has really top-tier jiu-jitsu. Honestly, I think Islam would get it done. If the fight becomes a scramble-off and a wrestle-off, Islam’s going come out of it better just because he’s built for it.”
Whittaker didn’t stop there. He also compared Makhachev’s pressure-heavy style to other elite wrestlers of this era.
“(Khamzat) Chimaev would do the same, whereas GSP utilized the full toolbox of MMA,” Whittaker continued. “So he utilized his wrestling and his grappling to eventually stand back up, box your head off because you’re worried about the takedown. Then he’ll take you back down and do the same. Islam, he’ll get you down, and you ain’t getting back up.”
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) showed exactly that in his win over Della Maddalena, controlling him on the ground for more than 19 minutes. The suffocating top game, the relentless pressure, and the smooth chains between positions are what Whittaker believes would give Makhachev the edge over even the best version of St-Pierre.
Of course, GSP’s résumé speaks for itself. The Canadian superstar (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC) holds the record for the most UFC welterweight title defenses with nine, finished his career on a 13-fight winning streak, and captured the middleweight belt before retiring.
However, stylistically, Robert Whittaker still gives the nod to the Dagestani champion, especially in the grappling exchanges where both fighters built their dominance.
In Whittaker’s eyes, if Makhachev gets a prime GSP to the ground, the story ends there.
