Coach: I think GSP will return, but don’t expect it soon
Firas Zahabi: “Nobody knows but I think that he’s just so hyper-competitive that eventually he’s gonna wake up one day and be like, ‘I need a challenge.’”
UFC welterweight G.O.A.T. Georges St-Pierre vacated his title shortly after a successful defense vs. Johny Hendricks Decision at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. The primary cause appeared to be the psychological pressure of staying on top. GSP returned vs. Michael Bisping and took his middleweight belt. Then he vacated that title, too, citing Colitis. Many question whether St-Pierre will ever return.
However, during a recent interview with FightHubTV, GSP’s head trainer Firas Zahabi predicted that he would return, but not soon.
[Georges is] fantastic, said Zahabi, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. He’s doing great. I honestly don’t bother him about [when he will fight again] because I know everybody is always asking him about it, 24 hours a day. When I see him, I don’t talk about the next fight. We don’t talk about it. We know each other. I know what he’s thinking, he knows what I’m thinking, and we leave it at that.
I think, personally, that he’s going to fight again. He doesn’t know. Nobody knows but I think that he’s just so hyper-competitive that eventually he’s gonna wake up one day and be like, ‘I need a challenge.’ I just think that’s the person he is. That’s how I see him but we’ll have to wait and see.
I have no idea [how long he’ll be out]. I think he’s out for at least a year or two. I don’t know. We all love Georges but he’s put in so many years, he’s put in so many bouts, I don’t think it’s fair to ask him for more.
GSP turns 37 in May. And according to his coach, he’s not back, he’s gone again. So fans can hope for another fight or two, but he is out of the mix. Still, a superfight vs. Conor McGregor would be tremendous. But Conor may not be back either.
