It looks like we’ll all be waiting a little bit longer to see Georges St-Pierre fight in the UFC again. In recent weeks, it had looked almost a certainty that GSP would make his long-awaited return to the company, potentially at UFC 206 in Toronto; however those developments appear to have been all but fallen through as GSP confirmed to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour that he is a free agent. In an interview as recent as Monday, GSP stated that his legal team has already terminated his UFC contract after fight deadlines were not met. If true, this would mean that GSP is currently free to sign a contract to fight with any other MMA organisation, although it seems that as of today, even GSP isn’t certain as to his next step, but is eager to fight competitive again:
“"The reason I wanted to go back and fight is because i feel right now that I'm at my best … I'm a free man. Now, I know I'm free. I have other options. I'm not caught up legally with a contract. I'm a free man."
It appears that the recent sale of the Ultimate FIghting Championship to WME-IMG disrupted contract talks between St-Pierre and the UFC, and according to GSP, the new company cited privately to him that they were weighing-up the considerable “financial risk” of reintroducing him to the UFC audience. This rumour has been hotly disputed by MMA fans in the wake of this news, with many arguing that GSP would be a dead-cert to sell out the AIr Canada Centre in Toronto on his long-awaited return.
Of course, it doesn’t appear to be that simple, and it almost never is. The UFC has already hit back at GSP, disputing his claims of free agency, and implied that legal action would be taken against the Canadian fighter to resolve the current conflicts. In a statement released hours after GSP’s free agency revelation, the UFC stated that "Georges St-Pierre remains under an existing agreement with Zuffa, LLC as his MMA promoter… Zuffa intends to honor its agreement with St-Pierre and reserves its rights under the law to have St-Pierre do the same."
We want to know where you think GSP’s next fight will take place? Do you see the two sides reconciling to finalise a contract for a GSP UFC fight, or will the Canada native look elsewhere to step back into the ring? Leave us a comment below on this page, or connect with us via social media by clicking any of the social media buttons below.
