Report: GSP to announce retirement after failing to land Khabib fight

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre will announce his retirement from MMA on Thursday after an unsuccessful bid to land a fight against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, sources told Ariel Helwani of ESPN.

The former welterweight king - who turns 38 in May - has competed just once over the last five years, beating Michael Bisping via submission at UFC 217 in November 2017 for the middleweight title. That bout ended a four-year hiatus, and St-Pierre later relinquished the belt due to medical reasons.

Widely considered one of the best MMA fighters of all time, St-Pierre will retire as one of only six UFC fighters to hold titles in two weight classes.

He boasts a professional record of 26-2 and produced the third-longest title reign in UFC history, which spanned 2,064 days and included nine successful defenses. The Canadian even managed to avenge his two losses to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra (twice in Hughes' case).

If St-Pierre had managed to secure the Nurmagomedov bout, it would've still been some time before the two could face off.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Nurmagomedov for sparking a melee after his UFC 229 win over Conor McGregor. He'll be eligible to compete again in July, though the 30-year-old has hinted he'll wait until his teammates' suspensions are over before stepping back inside the Octagon.