Former UFC champ Georges St. Pierre signs deal to return
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has signed a deal to return to competition after more than three years away.
Sources close to the organization confirmed the news, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times on Friday.
The 35-year-old agreed to terms on a new deal earlier this week and signed a contract Thursday.
St. Pierre last fought in November 2013. Shortly after winning a split decision over Johny Hendricks to retain the welterweight belt, St. Pierre vacated his title and announced a hiatus from the sport.
He has teased a return on several occasions.
St. Pierre was reportedly close to returning last year, when he was expected to headline UFC 206 in Toronto. He began talking with UFC officials in June after announcing he was ready to resume his career.
Negotiations fell through, and St. Pierre remained out of the cage. He declared himself a free agent, but that claim was quickly shot down by the UFC, and both parties seemed to agree his only option for a return to mixed martial arts would be in the UFC.
St. Pierre met with WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel late last year. UFC president Dana White said during an interview with TSN last week he had been speaking with St. Pierre and indicated everything between them was “straight.”
No date for a return has been set, and it’s still unclear in which weight class St. Pierre will fight. Middleweight champion Michael Bisping has yet to book a fight with top contender Yoel Romero and has indicated he hoped to instead land a lucrative bout against St. Pierre.
That now appears to be a real possibility for the second half of 2017, though St. Pierre would have plenty of options. He also could challenge for the welterweight belt or finally fight Anderson Silva, the other dominant champion of his era.
There’s also a chance St. Pierre could fight Nick Diaz in a rematch. White indicated he thinks St. Pierre could get down to 155 pounds to challenge superstar Conor McGregor for the lightweight belt.
St. Pierre has won 12 straight fights and a UFC-record 12 title fights.
One of his biggest gripes with the UFC was the lack of a true drug-testing policy. The organization partnered with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to implement a year-round program in 2015.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.
