The world has been waiting on news of George St-Pierre’s much-anticipated return to the Octagon.
The former UFC welterweight champion and one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time hasn’t seen action since narrowly defeating Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 back in 2013, but in a recent press conference for UFC 214 which takes place this weekend, UFC President Dana White spilled the beans and said GSP gets a crack at the winner of the title bout between Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.
What kind of form will we see GSP come back in?
St-Pierre hasn’t been in competition for over four years now. And the last time fans saw him in the cage, he didn’t exactly look like a dominant champion. Against Hendricks, who was at the peak of his powers in 2013, St-Pierre looked out of his element and arguably lost his last fight. So what kind of form will St-Pierre come back in exactly?
No one has seen or heard of how St-Pierre’s training has gone. Obviously, after such a lengthy period away from competition, the body gets used to “normal” life. Fighters who have spent extended periods of inactivity often find it hard to get back into fighting shape. Though St-Pierre is considered one of the all-time greats, he certainly has his work cut out for him.
Is it a possibility that the long rest could have benefited St-Pierre and he comes back looking like a new man? Yes. But at 36-years of age, St-Pierre is no spring chicken. Plus he spent the last four years of arguably his prime, trying to make it big in Hollywood.
Still, St-Pierre is no stranger to the fight game, having faced the best of them during his time. It would be a mistake to overlook him as just some old guy who misses the thrill of competition. That being said, MMA is a young man’s game and guys like Tyron Woodley are monsters in their own right.
So GSP gets next shot at the welterweight title after #UFC214! pic.twitter.com/5uw73ILjPf
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 26, 2017
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Tyron Woodley won’t believe it until it happens
Speaking of Tyron Woodley, the reigning UFC welterweight champion doesn’t believe St-Pierre will ever step into the cage with him because the Canadian is too busy dealing with Michael Bisping.
White made the announcement at the UFC 214 press conference.
“You know that is the plan as of right now. Whoever wins this fight, fights GSP. GSP’s people are here today to speak to me, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll see how that goes. That is the plan as of the last time I talked to GSP,” said White.
“They’re going to ask him to fight (Michael) Bisping, because George doesn’t want to fight me,” Woodley interrupted. But White stares at him with a ‘wtf dude’ look on his face.
“What did you say? Listen, the Bisping ship has sailed. Uhhh, it’s gone. If you win on Saturday, it’s going to be you, pal,” answered White.
Not going to lie, White put Woodley on blast there. Seems like the UFC’s head honcho is definitely looking forward to the return of one of his biggest cash cows.
Do you think GSP deserves an immediate title shot?
When it all boils down to it, we’ll have a tremendous welterweight title fight this weekend between Woodley and challenger Demian Maia. Maia deserves this shot, after such a lengthy campaign taking on the division’s best. He’s beaten them all, from Carlos Condit to Jorge Masvidal.
Maia deserves his shot at the title. The question is, does St-Pierre deserve his? Let us know in the comments.
