Georges St-Pierre’s return to MMA seems to be more about checking items off his bucket list than a round-the-clock fighting career.
Maybe it’s the colitis that caused GSP to change directions on his promise to defend the middleweight title he captured for Michael Bisping back in November. But if that’s the case, it doesn’t look like it.
For many, it appears that Georges St-Pierre’s return to MMA competition wasn’t so much about re-establishing a full time MMA career, or even himself as a UFC champion. Instead it’s been an opportunity for ‘Rush’ to re-establish himself as a PPV star. And the path to doing that just does not go through Robert Whittaker.
But it just might go through Conor McGregor. Or even… Floyd Mayweather?
That’s what GSP’s longtime head coach Firas Zahabi is teasing. In a recent interview with TSN, the Tristar Gym founder gave his thoughts on what it would take to get St-Pierre back in the Octagon again. The answer? Something “big” (transcript via MMA Fighting).
“I think Georges is gonna get better, get back in the gym,” said Zahabi. “He’s gonna feel his body out and see what he wants, what’s the most interesting, epic fight out there. Mayweather? McGregor? We need a mega-fight.
“Georges will come back for a big, exciting fight.”
As Zahabi sees it, GSP has already put a lot into MMA. If he’s going to continue fighting, he should be getting more out of it. “You’re gonna see, in the future, these guys are gonna sign rookie contracts, first year in the UFC, million-dollar contracts. But why? Because of all the greats that came before,” he explained.
No timetable has been given for a potential St-Pierre return to the Octagon. It seems doubtful that he’ll be on the sidelines for four years again, as he was after the last time he vacated a UFC belt. But, it may be a little time before just the right bout comes along to lure one of MMA’s biggest stars back into the cage again.