Advertisement

Georges St-Pierre to face Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title

Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre will return to face UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping later this year. (Getty)

It’s official.

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 ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

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-Canadian’s 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 “not even close” to being made. Instead, St-Pierre will bump up in weight for the first time in his career and face Bisping.

“Georges St-Pierre is always in shape and takes care of himself physically so we’ll see what happens,” White said of St-Pierre’s long layoff and return to a higher weight class. “Everybody wants to take a shot at Michael Bisping. They think he’s beatable. Obviously, Georges St-Pierre is no different. He’s going to step up and try to take his 185-pound title.”

There’s 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 company’s 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.