Georges St-Pierre Delves into Professional Poker, Signs Deal with 888 Poker

Georges St-Pierre will be on the shelf for awhile. By his own estimation, it'll likely be at least November before we see the welterweight champion step in the cage for a title unification bout with interim champion Carlos Condit.

But St-Pierre's keeping busy with rehab, and now he has a new hobby to keep him busy: poker. 

Poker megasite PokerNews.com passed along the info:

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Online gaming company 888 announced Thursday that mixed martial arts champion Georges St-Pierre is the company's newest global ambassador. The current UFC Welterweight title holder recently signed a 12-month deal with 888 that will see him participate in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, as well as several other poker tournaments around the globe.

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Poker News also reported that St-Pierre will play online poker tournaments to benefit his anti-bullying foundation. The welterweight champ said he's excited to delve into the popular poker world:

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"I am very excited to become a global brand ambassador for Team 888poker," St-Pierre said. "I have wanted to play poker for a while now as it is a great game of skill. It is not just your cards versus my cards; it is you versus your opponent. However, the most important aspect of my partnership with 888poker is that we are going to generate a great deal of money for my foundation that dedicates its efforts towards anti-bullying causes."

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St-Pierre won't be the first UFC personality to enter the poker world. Ring announcer Bruce Buffer is a constant presence at poker tournaments around the world, and welterweight Mike Swick has participated in the World Series of Poker. Former heavyweight Heath Herring has also become a regular fixture at poker events.

One interesting question: Will the UFC allow St-Pierre to sport the 888 Poker logo on his shorts in the cage? I can't imagine that they will. Gambling companies used to be heavily involved in sponsoring UFC events. Full Tilt Poker was once a signature sponsor for events.

But that was before their push into the mainstream and the television deal with Fox. It's likely that St-Pierre will remain involved with 888 Poker outside the cage, but don't expect to see him sporting the logo during his fights.