Search icon

MMA

20th Jun 2016

Georges St-Pierre finally announces he’s ready to return to the UFC

Finally

Ben Kiely

Georges St-Pierre has chills… and there are unconfirmed reports that they’re muliplyin’.

It’s electrifyin’.

After months and months of sitting on the fence, making vague comments about potentially returning to fighting, GSP has finally said in plain English (with a French-Canadian twinge) that he wants to come back.

This is the part where we all “woo”.

UFC megafan

The former UFC welterweight champion hasn’t fought since vacating his belt after successfully defending it against Johny Hendricks in 2013. However, on Monday’s episode of the MMA Hour, “Rush” announced that he has those “chills” again and wants to return to the Octagon.

“What I did is I did a training camp to see where I’m at. I’ve been training, but being in shape and being in fighting shape is something different. I did a training to push myself and go back to the highest level of competition. I didn’t fight, but I put myself through a training camp and I sparred and everything, and I did it successfully. Now I know for a fact that I could go back and fight, if my management and the UFC get to an agreement.”

GSP-McGregor

GSP has teased contemplating thinking about maybe considering returning to the sport for a while now, so host Ariel Helwani was compelled to ask him to say it straight out whether he was actually planning on doing it or not. His response was nothing short of glorious.

“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. I’m ready. I’m an emotional guy. My agents, even before I came on the show today, they briefed me. They said, ‘don’t say this, don’t say that.’ They briefed me, they said, ‘we’re in negotiations, remember, blah, blah, blah.’ Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I’m not a kid. But I’m an emotional guy, and when I get emotional sometimes, I say things that are necessarily in the best of my interests, and I’m trying to not go overboard with that.”

“But the only thing is, I love my sport and I still feel I’m at my best right now. The clock is running. I’m not getting any younger. I’m in the peak of my career and if there is a shot, there is another goal, another run, I better do it and do it quick, because it is time to do it now.”

With Michael Bisping holding the middleweight belt, it was thought that his first defence could be against the returning GSP. The Canadian denied the rumours that his camp reached out to Bisping’s team or the UFC about a potential fight.

However, after laughing heartily at an audio clip of Bisping claiming he would “send him back to a movie set” if they fought, Georges admitted that he would be open to fighting “the Count” if the fans and the UFC wanted it to happen.

SNAPCHAT