Georges St-Pierre has warned Khamzat Chimaev that being the “best” is no guarantee of victory.
The title that the Canadian legend formerly held will be on the line at Saturday’s UFC 328 numbered event in Newark.
After Joshua Van makes his first defense at 125 pounds against Tatsuro Taira, the main event will see middleweight king Chimaev challenged by Sean Strickland.
The undefeated ‘Borz’ will enter the cage as a sizable favorite, but ‘GSP’ won’t dismiss Strickland’s chances of pulling off a huge upset at the Prudential Center.
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GSP says the ‘best’ fighter doesn’t always win while breaking down Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland
Like St-Pierre, Strickland is a former champion at 185 pounds, having completed one of the biggest shocks of all time back in 2023.
Strickland beat Israel Adesanya against the odds, and he will need to achieve a similar feat in New Jersey if he is to become a two-time middleweight titleholder.
Speaking to Helen Yee, ‘GSP’ acknowledged that Chimaev is correctly being seen as the likely winner. But he said sport does not always play out as expected.
“Nobody is invincible,” St-Pierre said. “Right now, Khamzat is the best at 185 (pounds).
“But that doesn’t mean if you’re the best that you always win. It is not the best fighter that wins the fight, it is the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.
“We see it all the time in other sports,” he continued. “It’s not always the best baseball team or basketball team that wins the game. Sometimes they lose even when the odds favor them.
“It’s the same thing in fighting. People for some reason think that the strongest fighter always wins the fight. It’s not the case.”
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CHIMAEV VS STRICKLAND! #UFC328 is LIVE SATURDAY on @ParamountPlus! pic.twitter.com/nNdGrHBbTq— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 2026
The Canadian has first-hand experience when it comes to upsets. He was on the wrong side of a massive one back in 2007, when St-Pierre was knocked out by Matt Serra at UFC 69.
Chimaev will be looking to avoid a similar scenario at UFC 328 and instead add a successful title defense to his resume on MMA’s biggest stage.
Some believe the chances of the champ emerging victorious have decreased after a concerning weigh-in scene on…
2026-05-09 10:00:00
