UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has not competed in the Octagon since November 2013, and while a return remains possible, GSP and his manager made it clear Thursday that reports of a comeback are premature.
According to Mookie Alexander of BloodyElbow.com, Dan Pou of FM93 in Quebec, Canada, reported Thursday that St-Pierre is set to announce his return in the “coming days.”
However, per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, St-Pierre denied the report and took a shot at its credibility: “I can tell you with certainty that their their sources are not reliable.”
St-Pierre’s manager, Rodolphe Beaulieu, also reiterated that nothing is set in stone regarding the Canadian superstar’s potential return, according to Helwani: “[There are] still a lot of things that need to happen before he decides if he comes back or not.”
The 34-year-old veteran’s last fight came at UFC 167 when he defeated Johny Hendricks by split decision to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship.
He vacated his title and walked away from the sport with a record of 25-2, but St-Pierre admitted in October 2015 he was getting the itch to come back, per RDS (via Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com):
I’m starting to get the feeling, more and more, to come back. I watch the fights to see what’s going on in my division, and I’m staying in shape. It’s like a knife that I have to keep sharp just in case I ever decide to jump back in the mix. It’s not for sure that it won’t happen in 2015, but I’m not sure yet.
Should GSP ultimately decide to resume his career, there is no question it will be a major coup for the UFC and a huge source of interest for its fans.
With Ronda Rousey currently on leave while filming a movie, the UFC would benefit greatly from some additional star power.
St-Pierre would provide that in spades, but it appears as though the promotion cannot yet count on having one of MMA‘s biggest stars back in the fold.
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