Georges St-Pierre Confirms UFC Talks over Potential Return

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has revealed he is in talks with the UFC about a potential comeback. 

The former welterweight champion hasn’t been in action inside the Octagon since his split-decision win over Johny Hendricks in November 2013. But speaking with TSN (h/t Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie), the Canadian confirmed that a return may not be too far off.

“I’m on good terms with the UFC—we’re talking,” St-Pierre said. “Everything is possible, but I don’t know right now. I can’t tell you everything. I have to keep some secrets.”

Here’s what he had to say at the Toronto Raptors game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday:

A comeback to the UFC would excite MMA fans. The man known as GSP is one of the company’s greatest competitors, having triumphed 19 times in the Octagon in total. As the welterweight champion, the 34-year-old rattled off a sequence of nine defences before relinquishing the belt.

At UFC 196 on March 5, when GSP was ringside for the welterweight tussle between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, UFC President Dana White also hinted at a possible comeback, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com:

McGregor has been rumoured to be the man the UFC wants to pit the Canadian against. Speaking on Chael Sonnen’s You’re Welcome podcast (h/t Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com), Diaz said GSP was at ringside to potentially stir up interest in a tussle between him and McGregor for UFC 200 on July 9.

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“I put a big old hole in that s--t,” Diaz said, though, after he choked out McGregor in the second round. "What do you guys think that I'm some game to be played with? I've been in this game for too long to f--k with.”

MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani also sensed that something may be in the pipeline further down the line, especially with McGregor and Diaz set for a rematch at welterweight at UFC 200:

While a lot would need to align for a GSP-McGregor bout, longtime fans of the UFC would love to see the welterweight icon return in any capacity. His fights may have never been slugfests, with GSP being a careful and methodical competitor, but to see him inside the Octagon plying his craft again would be a treat for those who watched the Canadian grow with the UFC earlier in his career.

GSP was fortunate in the eyes of many to get the win over Hendricks in his last bout, and having spent so much time away from competitive MMA, there’s bound to have been some adverse overall effects. So, it would be fascinating to see whether the spark is still there when it comes to this formerly extraordinary fighter.