Georges St-Pierre has given his thoughts on what Kamaru Usman needs to do in order to bounce back from his UFC 278 defeat.

Last month at UFC 278, Leon Edwards landed the head kick heard around the world to defeat Kamaru Usman and become the new UFC welterweight champion.

Ever since then, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has shown the true heart of a champion by refusing to shy away from the defeat and insisting that he’s going to come back stronger than ever.

One man who also knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity at 170 pounds is Georges St-Pierre.

These two men have been the frontrunners in the ‘welterweight GOAT’ conversation for the longest time now and during a recent Q&A at UFC Paris, St-Pierre gave his opinion on what happened to Usman and where he goes from here.

“Kamaru was winning the fight, but he made a crucial mistake that is unforgettable at this level,” St-Pierre said. 

“He zigged when he should’ve zagged, and credit to Leon Edwards. He did a beautiful setup. It was amazing, and he won the world title. Now they’re going to have a rematch, hopefully, and we’ll see. Things change. You never fight the same fighter twice. You can fight the same name twice, but you never fight the same fighter twice. Every fight leaves a scar, for the best or for the worst.”

“We’ll see how mentally strong is Kamaru Usman. If he comes back and wins the title, I think it will add to his legacy even more. It’s going to be a hell of a fight, a hell of a challenge.”

GSP’s legacy

Speaking of legacy, we’d say Georges St-Pierre’s run in mixed martial arts is pretty unrivalled when you take a look at just how long he was at the top of the mountain.

His final pro record when he retired was 26-2 and in the case of both losses, which came at the hands of Matt Serra and Matt Hughes, he was able to avenge them in subsequent rematches.

If Usman can do the same against Leon Edwards and do so convincingly, even more parallels will be drawn between these two goliaths of the sport.