Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion George St-Pierre recognizes greatness when he sees it.
Widely considered the greatest welterweight champion in mixed martial arts history, St-Pierre believes current welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now.
“I think Usman, right now, is the best pound-for-pound,” St-Pierre said in an interview with Bleacher Report. “In terms of performance, I think he’s one of the best right now and he’s an active competitor.”
Usman (19-1) is currently riding an 18-fight winning streak. His lone defeat came eight years ago in his second professional bout in May 2013. “The Nigerian Nightmare” captured the 170-pound world title in March 2019 by defeating former titleholder Tyron Woodley. He’s successfully defended the title four times.
Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones sits atop the UFC pound-for-pound rankings but hasn’t fought since February 2020. Inactivity is threatening his status in the pound-for-pound rankings but not his status as the G.O.A.T.
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While St-Pierre gave high praise to Usman, he also likes to watch several current UFC champions compete.
“I like to watch (Israel) Adesanya as well – Francis Ngannou, Ciryl Gane,” St-Pierre said. “I like (Alexander) Volkanovski – all of the champions.
“If we’re talking about who’s the greatest, I think (Brandon) Moreno is pretty amazing. The way he beat (Deiveson) Figueiredo, that was amazing. It was an amazing performance – as good as it gets.”