One of the finest fighters ever to grace the Octagon has announced his return to the UFC, albeit with a serious caveat. Georges “Rush” St-Pierre will once more compete under the UFC banner, but not in the sport of mixed martial arts.
St-Pierre is lined up to headline a submission grappling bout at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational this December, but no opponent has yet been confirmed for the former two-division champion.
Georges St-Pierre Announces UFC Return
Potential opponents for St-Pierre include such UFC luminaries as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, and Anderson Silva. Any of these fighters could present a dream matchup for fans, and St-Pierre is equally excited at the prospect.
“They are all very attractive, but everybody has a different agenda. Some are training for upcoming title fights. Some are maybe too heavy, some are too light, some just retired and want nothing to do with competition.
I received a list from the UFC today and we’re going to check and look who’s available and we’re going to make a decision with the UFC and with my people to make sure we go up against someone they think that the people want to see me compete against.”
Nurmagomedov and Silva, like Georges St-Pierre, have been long retired from the UFC. Both were firm fan favorites, at various points boasting the no.1 pound-for-pound spot.
Khabib has not competed since his retirement a few years ago, instead trying his hand at fight promotion with Eagle FC. Anderson Silva left MMA to embark on a somewhat lucrative boxing career, recently squaring off against influencer-boxer Jake Paul.
St-Pierre believes that submission grappling like the Fight Pass Invitational is “more accessible” than MMA was in the past.“I know for a fact that [submission grappling] is a sport that is more accessible.
It’s accessible to a wider range of people than mixed martial arts due to the risk of injuries [in MMA]. I love martial arts and I’m in a position now, I’m 42 years old, I’m not the same man that I was when I was competing.
When I was competing in mixed martial arts, I wanted to be the strongest man in the world. That was my priority. Now it’s no longer my priority. But I still like to train for a competition and I think it’s perfectly fitted for me.”
Who do you want to see Georges St-Pierre face in his comeback? Let us know in the comments.
