At this point, it’s impossible to tell whether or not former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make a comeback to mixed martial arts competition. But it’s becoming more and more unlikely as each day passes. UFC president Dana White has discussed St-Pierre’s potential return countless times since the Canadian’s retirement at the end of 2013, and at times, White has been confident St-Pierre would eventually return, while other times, it has been completely the other way around.
St-Pierre said last year that he intended on fighting in the UFC again and even enrolled in the USADA drug testing program, but negotiations went south, as communication was lost after the UFC sale in July. He also declared himself a free agent, though the UFC shortly thereafter stated that he was still under an exclusive contract with Zuffa, LLC. Months later, negotiations started up again after the unveiling of Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA), an organization St-Pierre is part of.
Nothing has been made of those negotiations yet, but White said in an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter in Brooklyn, New York ahead of UFC 208 that the organization is still talking to the ex-champ, who’s widely regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists to ever walk the planet. White also said that he has mended fences with St-Pierre.
“We’re where we always were with GSP. We’ve been talking,” White said. “We’ve been talking to GSP for, God, over a year now. Me and GSP got everything straight between us. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
White was asked if he would bet that St-Pierre returns in 2017 at five-to-one odds, and he said he would. He clarified that he isn’t sure whether or not St-Pierre really will, but still feels that that is a good wager.
St-Pierre (25-2) retired after a controversial decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. “Rush” holds wins over the likes of Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and B.J. Penn.