Firas Zahabi says Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov “deserve their retirement”

MMA trainer Firas Zahabi says his pupil at Tristar Gym Georges St-Pierre and UFC great Khabib Nurmagomedov “deserve their retirement.”

Zahabi has been St-Pierre’s trainer for years at Tristar in Montreal and the coach has spoken openly in the past about a potential superfight between GSP and Nurmagomedov. However, in the wake of Nurmagomedov retiring following his submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, it appears that any possibility of a fight between these two legends has disappeared, at least for the time being. Zahabi agrees with that sentiment.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Zahabi said that although he is personally interested in the superfight, he believes that it ultimately has to be a decision made by GSP and Nurmagomedov. Until then, both men “deserve their retirement,” says the coach.

“Listen, Khabib is retired, Georges is retired. I’m happy to keep them retired,” Firas Zahabi said (via BloodyElbow.com).

“Khabib has said how he wants to just be ‘free as an eagle.’ Who would I be to petition him online and pull him back in? I wouldn’t do that. Never. These guys — both Khabib and Georges — deserve their retirement.”

Zahabi isn’t completely writing off the possibility of a superfight between GSP and Nurmagomedov, but it has to be something both men want, not what he or the UFC wants.

“I don’t want to get too involved. I don’t want to call Georges and say ‘Hey man, why don’t you get off the movie set? Why don’t you get off all these projects, leave your family, put your personal life on hold — and let’s do a training camp.’ I don’t have the heart to ask him to do that,” Zahabi said.

“He has to do that on his own. If he wants to do it, it’s got to come from deep down inside. That guy has written his story. He’s done it, Khabib has done it. I don’t think we should ask them to come back. They should want to come back.”

Do you think Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov will stay retired?