(Updated at 2:33 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 to reflect additional information on the fight’s potential location.)
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s long-awaited return will begin with a title fight.
St-Pierre will meet Michael Bisping for the middleweight title, UFC President Dana White announced today on ESPN. The fight’s date and location has not been finalized, though White told TSN the Quebec native St-Pierre “probably will not fight” in Canada.
“It’s probably going to be Las Vegas,” White said.
Former welterweight champ St-Pierre first needs to clear a four-month period required by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC’s anti-doping partner,, which will have the right to drug test.
St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) and Bisping (30-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) will face off Friday at a press conference in Las Vegas, which hosts Saturday’s UFC 209 at T-Mobile Arena.
“He’s one of our biggest stars,” White said. “If you look at the Chuck Liddell era – Anderson Silva, ‘GSP.’ He was one of the big stars who helped build the sport and helped build the UFC. He never lost his title. He walked away and left the belt. Many people still consider him the 170-pound king – you can’t be the man unless you beat the man.”
St-Pierre’s return to the UFC was confirmed earlier this month by White, ending a contentious behind-the-scenes fight over negotiations on a new contract. The former champ walked away from the table and subsequently declared himself a free agent, in the process aligning with the upstart MMA Athletes Association. The UFC reminded him he was still under contract; fighters who retire remain bound to their previous deal.
White originally named the winner of UFC 209’s headlining rematch between welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson, Bisping and even a potential lightweight opponent as possibilities for St-Pierre’s comeback fight. But in the end, White said Bisping is the best choice.
“Everyone wants to take a shot at Michael Bisping,” White said. “They think he’s beatable, and obviously Georges St-Pierre is no different. So he’s going to step up and try to take his 185-pound title.”
Bisping goaded St-Pierre into a fight when rumors surfaced of his desire to return. The two were even linked to a headliner at UFC 206 before St-Pierre shot down the possibility.
The last time St-Pierre was seen in the octagon was November 2013, when he won a split decision over Johny Hendricks in a brutal fight at UFC 167. St-Pierre subsequently announced he was stepping away from the sport and vacated his belt, though he did not declare himself officially retired.
“I’m not a big believer in long layoffs,” White said. “Even Muhammad Ali, after a three-year layoff, didn’t look the same. But (Chan Sung Jung) ‘The Korean Zombie’ just came back and looked amazing after a three-year layoff, so who knows. Georges St-Pierre is always in shape, takes care of himself physically, so we’ll see what happens.”
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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