Georges St. Pierre Ready To Return To UFC
Can't leave MMA alone, the game needs him.
Never say never.
Former UFC welterweight champion and #1 pound-for-pound kingpin Georges St. Pierre announced on the June 20th edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour that he's ready to make his long-awaited return to the octagon.
GSP walked away from the sport of mixed martial arts a champion, after defeating Johny Hendricks by decision at UFC 167, announcing his retirement in December, 2013. Many fans expected him to eventually return, but as time passed it began to look less likely.
During his appearance with Helwani, St. Pierre said he's focused and ready to compete again, stating that negotiations are ongoing between his camp and Zuffa. One such sticking point is his sponsorship deal with Under Armour, which is a conflict of interest when it comes to UFC's strictly-enforced Reebok deal, but he's confident the two sides can figure out the details.
St. Pierre had this to say regarding his comeback:
"I love my sport and I still feel I'm at my best right now. The clock is running. I'm not getting any younger. I'm in the peak of my career and if there is a shot, there is another goal, another run, I better do it and do it quick, because it is time to do it now."
Rumors began to fly that GSP was the UFC's secret weapon for 200, with speculation that Conor McGregor would call out the former champ - who was live in the arena for the first time in years - had he beaten Nate Diaz at UFC 196. Fate had other plans and we'll never know if there was any truth to that whatsoever, but with GSP hungry again and looking for big money fights against the best the sport has to offer, a bout with McGregor would make all the sense in the world from a financial standpoint.
GSP also indicated that a fight against Michael Bisping for the 185-pound championship would be something that interests him.
"I have a lot to lose in this, because I finished on top. I finished as champion, and that's the way everybody would like to leave the sport -- on top, healthy, and wealthy -- and I did it. If I go back and, it needs to be for something big. I think for my first fight, it needs to be for something big, and that'll give me the swing and the momentum to do it again and again and again for another run.
"So it depends on what it going to happen, but I have a lot to lose, but the thing is also, the reason why I've been thinking of coming back, is I don't want to end up at 80 years old and telling myself, I should've done this, I should've done that.' Because all of the things I regret in my life the most, it's not the things that I have done. It's the things that I have not done, the things that I regret the most. So I don't want to end up where I'm too old and say, aw, I should've done it. I was in great shape. My timing was impeccable, and I didn't do it,' so I would die with regret."