Freddie Roach knows his fighters. That's precisely why he isn't trying to turn Georges St-Pierre into a boxer ahead of the former champ's Nov. 4 showdown vs. Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in New York City.

Roach caught up with ESPN's Brett Okamoto to discuss his work with St-Pierre leading up to the bout, dropping some knowledge — and even a little heat — in the process. 

"If a [stand-up fight] happens, then [it] happens. But the thing is, if we have other opportunities to do things Georges is more accustomed to doing, we will do that," Roach told ESPN. "Believe me, we're not going to be like Ronda Rousey, where someone told her she was a good boxer when she was winning every fight of her life on the ground. I'm not going to lie to my fighter. We've been working on everything and will take advantage of everything."

Known most for his exceptional wrestling and control on the mats, St-Pierre will almost certainly look to wrestle Bisping when the cage door closes inside Madison Square Garden. 

That said, Roach isn't afraid of a stand-up affair by any means. 

"Everyone is talking about Bisping's size, but I say, 'Hey, I love fighting big guys,'" Roach said. "Tall guys give you a bigger target obviously and are a lot slower. I think this guy is made for us. He says he doesn't think we can outbox him. We can and we will outbox him." 

St-Pierre, the former longtime welterweight king has won 12 straight fights, including nine via decision. Throughout his UFC career, he has averaged 4.20 takedowns landed per 15 minutes, boasting a 74 percent accuracy in doing so. 

He's one of the best grapplers the sport has ever seen, and, despite Roach's confidence in the stand-up department, he will likely need to lean on those skills to get past the middleweight champion Bisping at UFC 217. 

Should he accomplish that feat, many will call for a St-Pierre vs. Conor McGregor super fight. While St-Pierre continues to deny interest in the bout, Roach doesn't share the same sentiments. 

"McGregor is a cocky kid and he did OK in his fight against Floyd Mayweather. I would just say OK," Roach said. "I would enjoy that fight and I would like to see that fight happen. It's possible.

"Right now, we're just concentrated on this fight. The thing is, we have a three-fight contract with [UFC President Dana White] and we have to win every one for the contract to go on. If everything goes well and Georges wants to retire at the end, that's up to him. If he still has fight in him, and if I still have fight in me, we'll go on from there. I'm sure he'll receive many offers. Bigger and better offers."