Georges St-Pierre and UFC Agree to Terms, Return Imminent
Georges St-Pierre's return to the Octagon is imminent.
Though pen has yet to be put to paper, a report by MMAFighting.com on Wednesday indicated that St-Pierre and the UFC have agreed to terms.
Citing multiple unnamed sources, the report indicated that St-Pierre has agreed to terms for a new multi-fight deal with the promotion. A bout during the third quarter of 2017 is expected.
St-Pierre has long been teasing a return to the Octagon, and had been in the thick of negotiations with former owner Lorenzo Fertitta in 2016. The target at that time had been a bout with UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
When the UFC was sold to WME-IMG for roughly $4.2 billion, things quickly turned south. Negotiations ceased.
UFC president Dana White recently breathed new life into the possibility of St-Pierre's return, telling Canadian outlet TSN last week, “We've been talking to GSP for, God, over a year now. Me and GSP got everything straight between us.”
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Now, however, it appears that the two sides are coming together to bolster the promotion's star power. 2017 has been off to a rocky start for the UFC, with little star power driving early events. St-Pierre's return coupled with the expected return of Conor McGregor in the latter half of the year would provide a much needed boost to the bottom line.
At the time of publication, it remained unclear if Bisping was still the target for St-Pierre's return, but returning as a middleweight wouldn't be surprising for the former welterweight kingpin, especially considering the changes to weight-cutting regulations and methods since he last fought in 2013.
