GSP: I’ll retire if lose, won’t be a heavy bag for younger fighters

The greatest welterweight in UFC history, Georges St-Pierre, appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA, and discussed his return to the Octagon. GSP hasn’t fought since 2013, saying he needed a break from the pressures of being on top. He was scheduled to return vs. middleweight champion Michael Bisping, but an eye injury kept him from the planned summer schedule. UFC president Dana White said GSP would instead be trying to regain the welterweight title. However, St-Pierre says he yet wants the Bisping fight.

I want to fight Michael Bisping — me, personally, that’s the man I wanted to fight, said St-Pierre, as transcribed by Adam Guillen Jr. for MMA Mania. As much as I respect him as an athlete, even though he has been very arrogant and cocky with me, I respect him as an athlete. And if I fight him, I am going to hurt him real bad. That I can promise you.”

We have more to gain and it’s a win-win situation for UFC and for us. We can lose big and we can win big, as well. If I come back to fight somebody, I can lose big, but not win as big. I came back to re-write history and get the biggest fight as possible. And for me right now, Bisping has the highest stock.

If he loses the belt, the title, to me he is still the champion. He is the one that works hard, he’s a guy that paid his dues in UFC and has the most successful UFC career with the most wins. He’s beat the best and to me right now he is the main guy.

The top contenders are furious that Bisping had intended to fight Dan Henderson who was outside the top 10, and then GSP, who hadn’t fought in several years, and never at 185.

I understand their position, they are angry and it’s normal,” said GSP. “But, they are also angry because they want what I have. They want my status, they want my money, my banking account and they want the popularity. So, by beating someone like Bisping or beating me, they think they are going to win that automatically. But, it takes more than that. It takes a long time to build up stuff like that.

One thing I can tell you for sure, I am at one fight from retiring for good. This I can tell you for sure. If I come back and I lose, this is it for me, it’s finished. It’s over and I don’t want to hang in there to be a punching bag for the younger people. I do not believe I will lose and feel I am the best, I put a lot on the line and I do feel I am a better version than when I left. If down the road I lose, I pass the torch and I am finished. I will be fighting like there is no tomorrow. That’s when I am at my best. But, look at my record, I don’t lose very often so I could still be there for a while.

GSP says he is recovering from an eye injury, and will be ready to fight after October.