Kevin Lee recounts phone call with Georges St-Pierre: ‘I tried to pick a fight with him’

“The Motown Phenom” Kevin Lee joined Joe Rogan on his podcast this week to discuss all things MMA. A notable topic of discussion was a potential fight between Lee and UFC legend, George St-Pierre.

Kevin Lee told Rogan: “I wanted to fight him (St-Pierre), because going into it, win lose or draw, I’m going to learn something from this motherf**ker. One, he’s going to know he was in a fight. I’m going to show up, I’m going to give him all I’ve got. [And] I knew, just for the future, a fight like that would propel you.”

Kevin Lee revealed the two had a conversation on the phone regarding a potential bout. St-Pierre explained there was too much risk in taking the fight and that he was not going to do it.

“I tried to pick a fight with him, and he called me and we talked for over an hour and he was explaining it to me… there’s risk and reward and I’m the type, I like taking a big risk.”

Kevin Lee understood and respected St Pierre’s reasoning but still holds on to the possibility of a future fight.

“I want that date with him, but we’ll see how it all pans out,” he said.

George St-Pierre retired earlier this year. Many members of the MMA community, including former opponent Michael Bisping, wished him the best and commended the Canadian for leaving his career at the right time. Before his retirement, St-Pierre was pursuing a potential fight against the current lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Joe Rogan believes if Nurmagomedov beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, he will be lobbying for a fight against GSP.

‘If Khabib beats George, I think he’s going to retire. I think Khabib only has a few fights left in him. I don’t think he wants to fight for a long time. He’s undefeated, he smashes everybody and I think he’ll go down as one of the greatest that ever did it,” Joe Rogan said.

If Georges St-Pierre comes out of retirement, a fight against Nurmagomedov will surely take top priority (unfortunately for Kevin Lee.) When Khabib will retire is open to speculation. Nonetheless, the result of a bout against St-Pierre would significantly impact the legacy of both fighters.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/7/2019.