Former UFC welterweight champ, Georges St-Pierre, was in attendance for Bellator 165.
Did Georges St-Pierre tease at a potential move to Bellator MMA?
The pound-for-pound great and former UFC welterweight champion was in attendance for Saturday night’s Bellator 165 event, which saw Michael Chandler defend his lightweight title against Benson Henderson in the main event.
St-Pierre, 35, was pictured alongside Bellator CEO Scott Coker, Rory MacDonald and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko, who will return to action against Matt Mitrione at Bellator 172 in February.
Hanging out with @rory_macdonald tonight, I had the pleasure to meet one of my idols, the baddest man that ever lived: @Fedoroskol pic.twitter.com/wDTq68vx9D
— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) November 20, 2016
Thanks @chaelsonnen for inviting me to train in the @bellatormma cage! Learned so much new stuff under the supervision of @neilmelanson pic.twitter.com/ndsnS60AaK
— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) November 20, 2016
GSP announced that he would be taking a break from MMA in 2013, but said that he was ready to return again earlier this year. It was expected that St-Pierre would headline the UFC 206 pay-per-view in front of his home crowd in Toronto, Canada, but the French Canadian was unable to come to terms with the UFC.
GSP’s attorney, Eric Hochstadt, hopes renegotiations go smoothly next year but says that St-Pierre has other other options outside of the UFC.
Several ex-UFC fighters made the switch to Bellator after expressing their disappointment in the Reebok sponsorship deal. Matt Mitrione, Rory MacDonald, Phil Davis, and Benson Henderson are just some of the athletes who now fight under the Bellator banner.
St-Pierre is expected to meet with the UFC’s new owners, WMG, next year in an attempt renegotiate a new contract. If the meeting is unsuccessful, however, the MMA fan favorite could turn his attention to Bellator for a more permanent fixture.