It looks like the first hurdle has been jumped.
Georges St-Pierre’s much-publicised return to the UFC is looking more likely than ever after he recently revealed that he had entered the athlete testing pool for the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Georges St-Pierre reveals he has entered USADA testing pool, doesn't want Brock Lesnar treatment https://t.co/G4cyuoavlp
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 11, 2016
The former long-time welterweight champion insisted that he didn’t want to be handed a similar exemption to the one that Brock Lesnar enjoyed prior to his comeback fight, a victory over Mark Hunt which is currently shrouded in controversy due to the fact that Lesnar popped positive for a banned substance in two USADA tests.
St-Pierre, a vocal critic of performance enhancing drugs, wants there to be no excuses or special treatment for his return and is keen on going through the four-month testing period before he steps foot in the Octagon for the first time since November 2013.
With the ball firmly rolling, now all that’s left to consider is a date, location and the most important element of his comeback bout… an opponent.
A title fight against current 170lb champion Tyron Woodley has been discussed, as has super-fights against the likes of Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva, while a rematch with Nick Diaz or the realisation of a trilogy with BJ Penn would also get fans tuning in in droves.
GSP recently spoke with Jason Nawara of UpRoxx and revealed who he would be most open to sharing the Octagon with if and when he does wrap his hands once more.
“I take one fight at a time,” said St-Pierre. “Yeah, I had the belt for a long time, but it doesn’t matter if it’s for the belt or not. I want a fight that’s going to elevate myself. There are fights that will help elevate me and there are fights that does not. For example, some people challenge me to a fight and I would not accept it.
“Fighting Tyron Woodley would elevate myself because he’s the champion now and if I win, it would elevate me and make my situation better. I have to consider the risks in fighting him, but yeah, a win would elevate me. Same thing with Nick Diaz — a win would elevate me. Even though I beat him already, I feel like I didn’t beat him the way I should’ve and then he came back with a bunch of excuses about why he lost the fight. So, if you wanna do it again, no problem!
“Some other guys have challenged me, and I’m not really positive about taking a fight with them because it doesn’t elevate me. Some of them are very dangerous, they challenge me, but I don’t really have much to gain by fighting them. Like, BJ Penn is an incredibly dangerous fighter. He has an incredible set of skills. He goes on Twitter and challenges me, but it’s not a fight that will elevate me. He’s incredible, but it’s an unnecessary risk for my legacy and I’ve already beat him twice. He’s incredibly dangerous if he puts his mind to it, he’s very dangerous. Not that I chicken out on anything, or you could call it chickening out, but some guys I will not fight.”
St-Pierre, now 35, last competed against Johny Hendricks in a brutal bout, the outcome of which was razor-close, and soon after he Canadian legend vacated his title in order to take a break from the gruelling world of mixed martial arts.
But it certainly sounds as though he’s ready to get right back in there.
He continued: “It’s not an issue with fighting, I’m 35 years old. I want to choose the best fight, the most exciting fight and the fight that elevates me that will make people remember me forever. The guys I need to fight for that, I need to take into consideration.”
