GSP: The stars are aligned for my return

The greatest welterweight in mixed martial arts history, Georges St-Pierre, has not fought since a split decision over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. Initially, he cited the pressure of being on top, and said he needed a break.

He later cited one of the conditions crucial to his return as comprehensive, random, out of competition testing for performance enhancing drugs. He got that, and after years of thinking about, appears, for what it is worth, to be closer than ever.

Before any potential return, he has to spend four months in the drug testing pool established by USADA, the UFC’s independent agency. That began on August 10.

On Dec. 10, four months to the day, the UFC returns to Toronto with UFC 206. Given that set the UFC’s all time gate record of $12,000,000 at UFC 129 in Toronto, the timing may not be coincidental.

“All the stars are aligned, my friend,” said St-Pierre, now 35, to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. “I’m not lying to you, it’s not done yet. It’s not done at this point. We still have to talk to the new owners soon, see what they’ve gotta say.”

Since GSP left, the UFC sold to the WME-IMG agency. St-Pierre is managed by the sterling Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and his people are talking to their people. The fighter says he isn’t looking for “anything extravagant.”

“It’s something fair and we have to wait. I’m very well represented. I’m very confident and trusting in the people that work for me. I’m very well taken care of for that. I want to go back to fighting. I don’t have to. I would like to, because I feel I’m in my prime right now. I’m the best I’ve ever been at 35. Right now. I don’t want to wait any longer, because if I wait too long I’m gonna be past that prime and I don’t want that. This is a good time to be back right now. That’s why I want to go back.”

“It depends on them. We put our cards on the table, see what’s going to happen. I think my agents are talking to the new owners pretty soon. So we’re going to have some news.”

One possibility is a rematch with Nick Diaz. GSP won a unanimous decision in the first fight.

“It could be very possible to happen,” GSP said, slyly, to MMA Fighting. “I beat him, but there was a lot of animosity. I didn’t feel I fought well that fight. He says I poisoned him and all that kind of stuff. Whatever. He has very good excuses. Even myself, I could make excuses, but I’m not that type of guy. Trust me when I say I didn’t fight as well as I wanted to and it would be fun to do it again.”

“There’s a lot of options. I know a lot of guys have called me out. … Everybody is dangerous this game, I know. People say I’m ducking this guy, I’m ducking that guy. I’m not ducking anybody.”

“I’m not scared of this guy and it would be fun to be welcomed in the cage after a long layoff to fight a guy that has such a stature, that sort of skillset. He’s a very dangerous guy, Nick Diaz. it would put me right back in the water where I left it, at the very world-class caliber level. I would welcome the challenge. I’m not a guy who would shy away from a challenge like that.”