Outside Source
St. Pierre recently revealed that he advised Kamaru Usman to retire before his career goes downhill. After Usman’s return to action earlier this year, St. Pierre asked “The Nigerian Nightmare” if he plans to compete again. Usman said that he is still eyeing one last run. Since he likes Usman, St. Pierre advised him to retire while he is on top. St. Pierre explains that retiring on top has its advantages even apart from the evident health benefits. “Rush” says that when a fighter retires as a champion, multiple avenues open up for income, as they are still stars.:
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A Smart Business Decision
“Kamaru is in his late 30s, and I said, ‘Man, I’ve been there, and I said, are you gonna compete again?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I think I’m gonna go for one more stretch,’” St. Pierre told Adin Ross. “I said, if you want one of my advices, Kamaru, because I like the guy, I said, ‘Do what you got to do, get it out of your system, but get out on top.’ That would be the cherry on top. Not only better for your health but also for business perspective. When you’re an athlete and you get out on top, you get out champion, of course you have the version that you left money on the table… But you have a lot of opportunities presented to you because your stock is worth a lot of money.”
St. Pierre (26-2) has been a strong advocate of retiring early and healthily. St. Pierre initially hung up his gloves in 2013 after defending the UFC welterweight title nine consecutive times. “GSP” returned to action after four years and submitted Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title in 2017. St. Pierre never competed again and formally announced his retirement in 2019.
Meanwhile, Usman (21-4) defended his welterweight title five times before losing to Leon Edwards in 2022. Usman failed to regain his title in the immediate rematch and followed it up with a middleweight loss against Khamzat Chimaev. The former champ returned to action after 20 months this past June, rebounding with a decision victory over Joaquin Buckley. Usman is eyeing the next welterweight title shot against the newly crowned champion, Islam Makhachev, who is also interested in the matchup.
👏GSP advises Kamaru Usman to retire on top as he’s in his late 30s
“Kamaru is in his late 30s and I said, man, I’ve been there, and I said, are you gonna compete again? He’s like, ‘Yeah, I think I’m gonna go for one more stretch.’ I said, if you want one of my advices, Kamaru,… pic.twitter.com/zje68eaA14
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) November 23, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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