Georges St-Pierre’s head coach, Firas Zahabi, has set tongues wagging by hinting he could persuade the former UFC welterweight champion and all-time great to come out of retirement and face Nate Diaz.
Diaz pulled off a shock welterweight victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on Saturday with GSP sitting in the crowd.
The 30-year-old American has previously said he wanted to be St-Pierre’s opponent for his comeback fight, and now Zahabi has suggested he might be able to get something sorted:
St-Pierre has previously hinted that he could be tempted to step into the Octagon again for the first time since 2013, although he was non-committal ahead of Saturday’s action in Las Vegas, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto: “The discussion is between myself and the UFC. They know the issues I had in the past and, yeah, we’re talking. I can’t say anything right now. There’s nothing I can say about [UFC 200]. I don’t have a name. I don’t have anything.”
One of the key reasons for his initial retirement was his problems with the lack of drug testing in the sport, a situation he said is now “better than it was before,” per Okamoto.
Despite the 34-year-old Canadian’s refusal to give any clear answers, Zahabi’s hint to Diaz suggests there is at least a possibility that GSP may be seen again in the UFC.
He could even be part of a seriously tasty lineup at UFC 200 on 9 July, with MMA writer David Kano suggesting St-Pierre-Diaz could join a potential featherweight rematch between McGregor and former champion Jose Aldo on the bill.
It would be a huge fight for Diaz, who raised his profile significantly after his excellent victory over the Notorious, the finish of which can be seen below, via BT Sport:
Not only did he humble one of the biggest names in the sport—McGregor still holds the featherweight title—but he stepped up from his usual lightweight to do it at very late notice.
GSP is a legend for a reason. The Montreal native held the welterweight title from April 2008 up to his retirement and lost just twice in a 27-fight career.
His return would be massive, and Diaz has arguably earned the right to be his opponent.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani believes there must have been a reason for St-Pierre to go to UFC 196 beyond just enjoying the fights.
If it was to scout potential opponents, he seemingly may have found one in Diaz, and the Stockton fighter would no doubt be extra motivated to avenge his brother’s 2013 loss to GSP.
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