Georges St-Pierre on BJ Penn trilogy: ‘I have nothing to gain’

Through the course of their legendary careers, former world champions Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn have already faced each other twice. In both fights, it was “GSP” who was able to emerge victorious.

There have been loud talks about St-Pierre’s comeback for months now, and rightfully so. Many fighters in the roster have come forward to challenge the former long-time welterweight champion, and one of them being Penn, who is also coming off a short-lived retirement.

“The Prodigy” issued his challenge to St-Pierre last June via Twitter. However, UFC matchmakers decided to pit him against Ricardo Lamas at UFC Manila on October 15^th.

For his part though, St-Pierre says he sees no point in making a third fight happen, as he believes he it is a risk not worth taking.

"I have nothing to gain going back to fighting B.J. Penn. B.J. is a very dangerous opponent,” St-Pierre told MMA Fighting. “You never know. If he trains hard, I think B.J. Penn is very skilled. He's one of the most skilled guys I fought. The problem with B.J. is he didn't put the effort into his preparation."

"I fought him two times and for me I don't see any good for me to come back and fight him. I don't see anything good that I can gain from it,” he continued. “A lot of fighters that challenge me, that's what it is. I don't see the point in fighting them.”

“I want to have a fight that people want to see me fight in, something that if I win, it would elevate me. If I fight against B.J. right now — he's an amazing fighter — if I win, I don't elevate myself more. If B.J. wins on the other hand, now it elevates him."

As two of today’s notable veterans, a fight against St-Pierre and Penn would be an attractive match-up, especially for old school fans. But for St-Pierre, such a high risk, low reward scenario is something he is not willing to subject himself to.

"It's an unnecessary risk for my legacy, for my career to take to fight a guy like him right now. It has nothing that will be good for me right now. I think he's very dangerous. If it would be a walk in the park, I would do it."

As for the specific fighters that can ‘elevate’ him, St-Pierre recently named Woodley, Diaz and Maia as possible opponents he wants to face at UFC 206.