It’s mostly been a summer of bad news for the UFC. Injuries have affected events, pay-per-view buy rates have struggled, and the promotion might have reached its recent nadir when they were forced to cancel a scheduled event on Sept. 1.
Just when they need some good news, they got it. On Monday, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had his surgically repaired right knee cleared, paving the way for a UFC 154 showdown with interim champ Carlos Condit in Montreal.
St-Pierre announced the news himself through his various social media outlets.
The 31-year-old originally injured his knee while practicing wrestling last December in anticipation of a title defense against Nick Diaz. An MRI proved that GSP had a torn ACL as well as a smaller tear in his meniscus. He had surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, and has spent the time between then and now rehabilitating his knee.
In the meantime, Condit defeated Diaz in an interim title fight last February, and elected to wait and face St-Pierre rather than defend the interim belt.
St-Pierre (22-2) hasn’t fought since UFC 129 in April 2011, when he defeated Jake Shields in the main event of the highest-grossing show in promotional history, drawing a gate of over $12 million to Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
The champion and the UFC have long targeted UFC 154 as the site of St-Pierre vs. Condit fight, as the city is GSP’s hometown. Though the fight is not yet official, it is likely to be announced within a few weeks. UFC 154 will take place on Nov. 17 at the Bell Centre.