nt"

Georges St-Pierre and UFC President Dana White don’t seem to be on the same page.

This, in itself, is not surprising. But since there’s an awful lot of money to be made on both sides in the event that they can come to some agreement, you’ve got to wonder if they’ll find a way to come to some understanding.

Consider St-Pierre’s situation. He’s rich and famous, with an impeccable fighting legacy that would live on forever even if (maybe especially if) he never fights again. To hear him tell it, if the UFC wants him back then it had better be ready to meet him on his terms.

And when it comes to potential opponents, St-Pierre recently laid out a few requirements.

1. It needs to be a ‘legacy upgrade’

“What excites me is, what can I do to improve my legacy?” St-Pierre said as part of a speaking tour in Australia recently. This is one of the reasons GSP had targeted the winner of the scheduled UFC 229 lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

Whoever emerges from that fight will be the champ, as well as a consensus pick for world’s best lightweight. Beating that person would mean something, GSP pointed out, plus then he’d get to say he was a three-division champ in the UFC. In fact, he’d be the only one who could say it, and that’s something special.

2. It needs to make him some serious money

Let’s be real. You’re not getting GSP out of bed for less than seven figures these days. He’s not going to fight just to be fighting. He’s not going to settle for a good-but-not-great payday. He needs a big, huge fight that will allow him to roll around in the cash as the pay-per-view buys come tumbling in. He’s earned that, and he knows it.

So he’s not just asking what would be a big fight or what would be a good fight – he’s asking what would be a fight that just about everyone would pay for. Again, GSP vs. McGregor/Nurmagomedov comes to mind.

3. It would be great if they weren’t much bigger than him

This is the part that St-Pierre is somewhat reluctant to come right out and say, but it’s clearly a constant consideration. He was reluctant to go up to middleweight and face Anderson Silva back when they were both in their primes. He waited until Michael Bisping was middleweight champ before he challenged for that belt, then immediately ditched it after winning the strap.

Even when discussing the lightweight title picture, St-Pierre couldn’t stop himself from pointing out that Nurmagomedov is “actually bigger than me when he’s off-season.” So basically whatever fight you conjure up for GSP, it probably has to take place somewhere between 155 and 170 pounds.

So who fits all three criteria?

According to St-Pierre, the UFC offered him Nate Diaz, who likely checks boxes 2 and 3. But, GSP added, Diaz wouldn’t do much for his legacy “because people see me as a winner already.”

St-Pierre also is not interested in Silva, who fails to meet criteria No. 3 and who might not even meet No. 1 now that his reputation has tumbled with age and losses and failed drug tests.

That really only leaves the Nurmagomedov-McGregor winner as the obvious choice, but White said Tuesday that was “probably not going to happen.” It’s not hard to see why, considering how many UFC titles GSP has abandoned in recent years, leaving each division a wreck in the process.

Still, how many other big-money fighters are there in the UFC? How many of them are within a few pounds of GSP in either direction? How many would offer enough of a challenge that he could feel like he’s adding to his legacy, but not so much of a challenge that the exceedingly pragmatic St-Pierre wouldn’t look at it as more trouble than it’s worth?

The more you weigh the factors, the more it seems like there’s only one clear choice. If you tell me that White can’t be convinced to reconsider his stance, even with all the money that St-Pierre can bring in, I’m not sure I believe you.

And if you need proof that sometimes short-term paydays look better to the UFC than long-term practical planning, just take a look at the big pro wrestler who’s next in line for the heavyweight title.

For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.