Georges St-Pierre: ‘I’m starting the USADA process to be tested’
In an interview with Ram Gilboa on Bloody Elbow today, former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said that he is negotiating with the UFC about a possible return to the Octagon and will soon begin the USADA drug testing process that is required ahead of a potential fight.
St-Pierre is one of the biggest stars in UFC history, but hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since scoring a controversial victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November of 2013.
It has recently been speculated that GSP could face newly-crowned welterweight champion Tyron Woodley upon his return if it were to happen, and Nick Diaz has also been mentioned as a potential opponent.
When asked about a possible return, St-Pierre said, “My agent is negotiating with the UFC, they had an offer, we made a counteroffer, you know that’s how business goes. And then we heard a day after that UFC sold for $4 billion dollars. So we waited for a few days, to see what was going on, because even some of the employees were afraid of losing their job — even some of the high ranking people in the UFC were afraid. We wanted to let the management to take care of their own company first, and then see what happens.”
“Now we’re talking again and I’m starting the USADA process to be tested, I’m starting it Aug 10th in Las Vegas. Because to be eligible to fight you need to be tested.”
On the topic of the Diaz brothers, St-Pierre said, “I have no problem with Nate. It seems to me to me like it’s Nick Diaz that is running for another shot at me. I wouldn’t mind, I’m not afraid of Nick Diaz, I’ll tell you. I am telling you right now: If it’s what the fans want to see, I’m in.”
When discussing the negotiation process with the UFC, St-Pierre mentioned that Michael Bisping was originally offered as the opponent for his return fight in Toronto before Bisping defeated Luke Rockhold to win the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 199 earlier this year.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.