Michael Bisping Says Fight with Georges St-Pierre 'Official' for UFC 217

Michael Bisping confirmed on FS1 (via Fox Sports UFC) Wednesday that he intends to fight Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City:

St-Pierre hasn't fought in UFC since beating Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013. 

The 36-year-old returned to the company after agreeing to a contract in February. The company first revealed in March he'd face Bisping in his first fight back in the Octagon. Two months later, however, UFC delayed the bout, with UFC President Dana White saying that fans could likely expect to see St-Pierre in 2018.

White had also cast doubt on whether St-Pierre would cross paths with Bisping but changed his mind following UFC 214 last Saturday in Anaheim, California.

"That ship f--king turned around and sailed back," White said of Bisping vs. GSP, per MMA Fighting's Dave Doyle.

White had entertained the idea of St-Pierre taking on the winner of Tyron Woodley's welterweight title fight with Demian Maia. Woodley retained the belt in a unanimous decision. Fans inside Honda Center chanted "boring" during the fight, and White had less than flattering things to say about Woodley's performance.

"Listen, when you break a record for the least number of punches thrown in a five-round fight, when you beat it and it was like 130 and these guys threw 60 or something like that, that sums it up," White said, per Doyle. "If you get booed out of the arena, that's not good. That's not how you make your money. If people don't want to watch you, that's a bad sign."

With Woodley no longer an option, it sealed the deal for Bisping to get his long-awaited opportunity at one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.