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Are You Happy With St-Pierre vs. Bisping?

Earlier this morning (Wed., March 1, 2017), the mixed martial arts (MMA) universe was shaken to the core when it was officially announced that longtime former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would finally make his long-awaited return against current middleweight champ Michael Bisping at a yet-to-be-named event in the second half of 2017. It wasn’t

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Earlier this morning (Wed., March 1, 2017), the mixed martial arts (MMA) universe was shaken to the core when it was officially announced that longtime former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would finally make his long-awaited return against current middleweight champ Michael Bisping at a yet-to-be-named event in the second half of 2017.

It wasn’t the most jaw-dropping announcement given the 185-pound title fight had been talked about as a clear option for months, with discussion ramping up since St-Pierre made his comeback official 12 days ago on February 17. ‘GSP’ obviously spent several grinding years as a dominant champion, but he also brings what will be nearly a four-year layoff to the octagon against Bisping, and w have to be honest – his last bout versus Johny Hendricks was one of his least dominant performances, and he escaped with a very controversial split decision.

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Because of that run at welterweight, St-Pierre wants to return to big-money super fights, and outside of a mega bout versus Conor McGregor – a match UFC President Dana White said wasn’t even close to being signed – this is probably the biggest fight ‘GSP’ can return to. Yes, there were fights like his long-rumored dream match with Anderson Silva and a rematch with Nick Diaz, but those fights can still happen.

And they can happen for much higher stakes if St-Pierre does beat Bisping and join McGregor, Randy Couture, and BJ Penn as one of MMA’s few heralded multi-division champions in the UFC.

Yet there’s the backlash I’ve seen many fans speaking of online, that of the fact clear No. 1 middleweight contender Yoel Romero was denied his title shot at Bisping, something White had seemingly promised ‘Soldier of God’ recently. Those type of promises are shaky at best, we’ve come to realize, and now a middleweight division that was already in a state of disarray after Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold on short notice last year and his first title defense against No. 13 Dan Henderson last October.

It seems there’s a cloud around St-Pierre’s return, a fog that echoes a sentiment all the best fighters at 185 pounds are getting passed over for a man, who while no doubt being a great, has never fought at middleweight and also has not competed for over three years. Romero will wait, Jacare Souza will just have to keep dominating whoever is next, Luke Rockhold will have to fae one of them in his return eventually, and the Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi co-main event at next month’s UFC 210, which will feature No. 4 vs. No. 5, will do little to project the winner into a title shot despite it obviously being a huge victory on paper.

So hence the mixed feelings about St-Pierre vs. Bisping. If ‘GSP’ wins as many are expecting him to, then he probably won’t face Romero or Souza in his first title defense. He’d have to face Silva or Diaz because the opportunities would both be too huge to pass up, and they’d certainly be several times bigger than St-Pierre vs. any one of the top middleweights in terms of rankings. The UFC’s new ownership needs attraction-level fights and fast, and these fit that billing like few other bouts could.

I for one think St-Pierre vs. Bisping will be a fun fight with a great backstory. I just can’t help but feel the already messy middleweight division got a whole lot muddier in the process. What are your thoughts on the unexpected title fight?

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Tyron Woodley: GSP & Nick Diaz Are Stepping Stones For Me

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley hasn’t been in the hot seat for long, but already is making some noise about huge fights. Mere minutes after starching Robbie Lawler at UFC 201, ‘The Chosen One’ was interviewed by top contender Stephen Thompson. ‘Wonderboy’ called for his shot at the belt, but was snubbed by Woodley in

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Former 170-pound champion and UFC legend GSP has been inactive since a 2013 split decision over Johny Hendricks. ‘Rush’ took an extended leave of absence, referencing the lack of drug testing and personal issues as his reasons. In time we’d come to learn that St-Pierre still had the urge to fight, and just yesterday he announced he had joined the USADA testing pool. The obvious connotation from that statement is that GSP is coming back.

Georges St-Pierre has teased a comeback practically from the moment he vacated the belt at UFC 167... — Georges St-Pierre has teased a comeback from the moment he vacated the belt at UFC 167…

Money fights are the future

Former Strikeforce welterweight champ and cult UFC icon Nick Diaz had his suspension from the Nevada Commission end earlier this month. Once Woodley spoke his name, the 209 native gave a number of colourful interviews regarding the recently minted champion. In a hilarious moment, Diaz claimed Woodley ‘needed a few more fights’ before he could be considered as a worthy foe.

These comments did not go down well with ‘The Chosen One,’ who later responded by saying Diaz had ‘talked himself out of the money fight.’ The welterweight revival continued though, as St-Pierre doubled up the headlines by calling out Diaz for a rematch. Not one to miss out on all the fun, Woodley sat down with The Buzzer’s Andy Nesbitt to talk about his next fight.

“Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz are stepping-stones to me making the UFC hall of fame. I like the St-Pierre fight at UFC 205, he has a big following in New York and I think it would make a great fight. The Diaz call out was because he was one of the guys who fought when there wasn’t a lot of money in fighting. Out of all the guys I thought he really deserved a big money fight.”

“This is the biggest opportunity for the UFC to blow this out of the water. The former champion, a legend, and (me) the future of the sport. I have to go out there and prove to myself I’m the best in the world.”

Respect for CM Punk

“Fighters get enough flack from the fans. Fighters should not be giving someone else who competes that kind of flack.”

There’s a lot of potential for Tyron Woodley’s future as UFC champion. Do you think e can beat Nick Diaz or Georges St-Pierre? If so, there’s no denying he’ll be well up there with the best welterweight champs of all-time.

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Georges St-Pierre Wants To Fight Tyron Woodley

Newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is already lining himself up with some very interesting fights. After dispatching Robbie Lawler in the first round at UFC 201, ‘The Chosen One’ is now red-hot property in the UFC market. Challenges have come in left and right, but perhaps the most intriguing potential fights have come […]

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‘Wonderboy’ issued a challenge to the new 170-pound boss just moments after his devastating knockout against Lawler, but it wasn’t a bout with Thompson that Woodley would acknowledge. Calling out former champion Georges St-Pierre and also Nick Diaz, ‘The Chosen One’ admitted he’s looking for the ‘money fights’ now. In quite the common theme, Woodley joins champions such as Conor McGregor, Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping who have all reached outside their divisional rankings recently in search of big fights.

In terms of Woodley wanting to fight ‘GSP,’ there are a lot of questions that arise. Will St-Pierre even return and, if so, should he receive an immediate title shot? His last fight, a narrow win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, was now three years ago. The time has passed quickly, and UFC president Dana White recently stated in an interview that ‘Rush’ would ‘never fight again.’

Of course the word of White is by no means gospel, and St-Pierre has pondered the idea of a comeback pretty much since the moment he vacated the belt. With USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) now running the show, perhaps ‘GSP’ will be happy to compete again.

Responding to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, St-Pierre confirmed today that he wants to fight Woodley. Although no solid date has ever been nailed down for ‘Rush’ to return, the clock is ultimately ticking for the ex-poster boy of the UFC. Many consider the Canadian star as the greatest welterweight to ever live, and he is constantly in the top end of the pound-for-pound argument.

Would you be keen to see St-Pierre come back to the UFC, or has the game passed him by?

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Yoel Romero Wants to Fight Georges St-Pierre

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The middleweight division got a lot more interesting at UFC 199, as Michael Bisping put together a lifetime performance in knocking out Luke Rockhold. A seemingly advantageous position for ‘Rocky’ actually turned out to be a nightmare. Chris Weidman dropped out injured and ‘The Count’ stepped in on two weeks notice to score a huge win. Having already wobbled and submitted Bisping in their first fight, The American Kickboxing Academy representative came in to the June 4 pay-per-view main slot as heavy favorite.

After 10 years of toiling in the upper-middle tier, always falling at that pivotal stage of his run at the belt, Bisping had staked his claim, and with that came all new rivalries. Never before has a single victory caused so many ripples, spreading out to the very edges of the division and including some of the most well known names in mixed martial arts history.

Suddenly Dan Henderson was being talked about for a rematch, for obvious reasons, and Bisping was on board. But then Georges St-Pierre, the former welterweight champion, claimed he’d be making a return at 185 pounds and wanted a piece of the Englishman. Contenders Jacare Souza and the long-absent Tim Kennedy, former champions Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold and Anderson Silva all have recently issued challenges to ‘The Count.’ After a decade of being dismissed by his fellow middleweights, Bisping now holds the 185-pound world in his hands.

But one interesting fight that may come of this shuffle of affairs in the middleweight category includes Yoel Romero. Although currently on the USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) mandated suspension which was eventually agreed upon to expire after only six months, ‘Soldier of God’s’ return date is now in sight. He was initially popped for growth hormone, but it was later revealed through testing that a legal supplement had indeed carried the illicit substance. Romero took to Twitter to send out a statement to the consensus greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre:

@GeorgesStPierre if you want to fight 185, I'm available after July 13th since Mickey @bisping won't fight me #ynuevo

— Yoel Romero (@YoelRomeroMMA) June 27, 2016

Given his stern stance against PED (performance enhancing drug) use in MMA, albeit to a lightly lesser and unfortunate degree, do you think ‘Rush’ will have any interest in fighting Romero? Further to that, if the ex-champion can walk straight in to title contention with a fight against Bisping, why worry about anyone else in the meantime?

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BJ Penn vs. Georges St-Pierre 3? ‘The Prodigy’ Wants GSP In New York

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It’s been a long time since we’ve seen either BJ Penn or Georges St-Pierre actively fighting. For ‘Rush’ it was the tail end of a six-year win streak that sent him to retirement in 2013, having won 12 straight fights since 2007, but squeaking past Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Citing personal issues and the somewhat loose drug testing regime in mixed martial arts at the time, the former promotional poster boy relinquished his undisputed title, much to the dismay of his fans and UFC president Dana White.

‘Th Prodigy’ left the sport on a very different kind of streak, having been 5-1-1 in his last five years of competition, only competing three times between October 2011 and July 2014, and losing all those fights in rather ugly fashion. Fighting Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald at welterweight was brave, albeit somewhat ill fated, and taking on Frankie Edgar at featherweight in his last fight was not a great decision.

That was 2014, and Penn lost by harrowing TKO in the trilogy match with Edgar, sending him out of the sport with a rather unsatisfactory summary to such a storied fighting career. Criminal accusations and a failed USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) test for IV use have hindered returns at UFC 197 and 199 for the former welterweight and lightweight champ, but now he’s aiming for a November return against an old foe in Georges St-Pierre:

Hey @GeorgesStPierre if you can make 155 easily, I'm free in November and would love the opportunity to fight you at 155 pounds in New York.

— BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) June 27, 2016

This was in response to ‘GSP’ recently telling The MMA Hour that he could ‘easily’ make lightweight if required.

During his best years Penn lost to ‘Rush’ by both decision at UFC 58 and TKO at UFC 94. The former welterweight champion and consensus greatest 170-pounder of all time ‘GSP’ has already been linked to a middleweight return against Michael Bisping, so is ‘The Prodigy’ asking for a lightweight battle a little too far down the weight categories?

Penn, in terms of fighters going down as their age goes up, is quite a rare sight. Most prefer to go up as their physique naturally swells over time, and what are the chances that St-Pierre will actually fancy the trip down below his formerly owned weight class? That said, UFC 205 will be the first event held in New York, and at the Madison Square Gardens no less. For obvious reasons this will be a historic night, potentially filled with red panties should the stars align in the correct manner.

Would this be a fight worth watching? Possibly, but I get the feeling that regardless of weight, St-Pierre would continue Penn’s run of bad luck.

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Georges St-Pierre vs. Robbie Lawler Could Happen In New York, Report Says

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Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has sat on the sidelines since vacating the belt after UFC 167 in 2013. The Canadian hero looked a shadow of his former self in squeaking past ‘Big Rigg,’ and many felt that Hendricks had in fact done enough to win that night. Citing personal issues and the poor state of drug testing in the UFC at the time, ‘Rush’ stepped away from fighting and left behind the title he’d held for nearly seven years.

Now the belt has gone from Hendricks, who beat Robbie Lawler for the vacant title at UFC 171, to ‘Ruthless’ after he topped ‘Big Rigg’ in the rematch at UFC 181. Two wildly exciting title defenses over Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit later, and Lawler, one of the original old school stars, is a firm fan favorite. Amid all this change in the welterweight division, the man who brought it to the forefront of the MMA world has still not announced a comeback yet.

A recent interview with St-Pierre’s mentor Kristof Midoux, who is reportedly highly influential in GSP’s decision making, reveals that UFC 205 is being discussed for the ex-champion’s long awaited comeback.

The interview was from LaPresse.ca, as relayed by BJPenn.com, check it out:

While Rodolphe Beaulieu, St-Pierre’s manager says that Georges is the only person who truly knows if he will ever fight again, Midoux has a lot of influence on “Rush” and says he would push him to fight with the current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in his return. Midoux also said that if Georges were to beat Lawler and still wants to continue fighting, he would like to see Georges rematch Johny Hendricks and win in a more decisive matter and put their controversial first fight to rest.

Midoux states that he has plans to put “GSP” through a hard training test against tough competition that will not take it easy on the former champ to see if he still has what it takes to compete with the world’s best fighters.

Midoux said that they were looking to see if New York or Las Vegas would be the possible location of a return fight, but ultimately it all comes down to timing and if St-Pierre still has the hunger to compete.

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