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| Georges St-Pierre will return to face UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping later this year. (Getty) |
After more than three years away from the sport, former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his return to the Octagon against current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
The announcement was made by UFC president Dana White on ESPNโs โSportsCenter.โ
St-Pierre, who last fought at UFC 167 in 2013 against Johny Hendricks, was engaged in an extremely long and tentative negotiation process with the UFC. The two sides finally struck a deal last week and the speculation regarding who the French-Canadianโs first opponent would be upon his return began.
There was some thought that a megafight between St-Pierre and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor could be in play. However, with McGregor currently chasing after a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, White said that particular fight was โnot even closeโ to being made. Instead, St-Pierre will bump up in weight for the first time in his career and face Bisping.
โGeorges St-Pierre is always in shape and takes care of himself physically so weโll see what happens,โ White said of St-Pierreโs long layoff and return to a higher weight class. โEverybody wants to take a shot at Michael Bisping. They think heโs beatable. Obviously, Georges St-Pierre is no different. Heโs going to step up and try to take his 185-pound title.โ
Thereโs currently no date scheduled for the fight although some signs point to UFC 213 on July 8 in Las Vegas. The July pay-per-view is always heavy on top tier talent and coincides with the companyโs International Fight Week. The past few years have seen Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar and a host of others fill up that July date.
It appeared that Bisping would defend his title against top contender Yoel Romero. However, with a big money fight against Georges St-Pierre, it looks like Romero will have to get back in line and hope to face the winner.
A press conference with St-Pierre and Bisping will be held this Friday in Las Vegas in advance of UFC 209.
