No matter who Georges St-Pierre chooses to fight next, the former UFC welterweight champion and now reigning UFC middleweight champion is definitely back. It’s a sigh of relief for the organization which is desperately in need of stars to boost its dwindling Pay-Per-View numbers. St-Pierre, who returned to action last weekend at UFC 217 against Michael Bisping, made headlines when he choked out Bisping in the third round of a scheduled five-rounder in New York.
The stunning performance was the first back for the MMA star since narrowly defeating Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 nearly five years ago. His victory over Bisping Saturday night was his 13th in a row. St-Pierre hasn’t lost since a shock first round technical knockout to Matt Serra in 2007.
Widely considered the greatest welterweight in the history of the sport, St-Pierre has captured the 170-pound belt twice in his career. Winning the middleweight title last weekend allows St-Pierre to join a short list of MMA greats to have won two UFC titles in two different weight classes.
Who Will Georges St-Pierre Fight Next?
The question now is, who will Georges St-Pierre fight next? Initial reports have led to it being Robert Whittaker, but now that is uncertain. UFC President Dana White nearly confirmed St-Pierre’s next opponent to be Whittaker, although no contract has been drafted and no official announcement has been made.
“It’s going to be Whittaker,” White said at the post-fight conference (transcript via MMAFighting.com). “I don’t even know what’s going on with GSP. He was transported to the hospital, so he’s got to get stitches on his nose. If he doesn’t take Bisping down and keeps this fight standing, he comes out of that fight with almost no damage.
Bisping did some serious work from his back and split his nose open and had him bleeding all over his face. [St-Pierre] took some big shots from the top position and if he didn’t do that he probably would’ve come out unscratched. So yeah, he’s got to go to the hospital right now. We’ll see how he is and what the status is with him.”
Las Vegas Opens Betting Lines…And Things Are Definitely Interesting
Despite there not being an opponent for St-Pierre as of yet, it hasn’t stopped the bookies at some Las Vegas casinos to open betting lines for a few of St-Pierre’s potential opponents. Just taking a look at the numbers, and we already see which names are pretty hot for the GSP sweepstakes.
Obviously the biggest fight to be made is one against the fighting Irish. See for yourself and let us know what you think. Here are the recently opened betting lines.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Conor McGregor
Georges St-Pierre -150 (2/3)
Conor McGregor +120 (6/5)
*Both must fight for action. Must fight in 2018 for action.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Robert Whittaker
Georges St-Pierre -160 (5/8)
Robert Whittaker +130 (13/10)
*Both must fight for action. Must fight in 2018 for action.
Demetrious Johnson vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Demetrious Johnson -200 (1/2)
T.J. Dillashaw +160 (8/5)
*Both must fight for action. Must fight in 2018 for action.