Georges St-Pierre, one of the UFC’s biggest stars, recently announced free agency. This means he is no longer an option for UFC 206 in Toronto, Canada. Many rumors surrounded GSP’s eventual UFC return, but after his segment on The MMA Hour, it’s clear nothing will materialize.
What Happened?
After defending his welterweight title in 2014, the Canadian superstar went on a hiatus to clear his head; OCD played a factor in this decision. However, rumors sparked up earlier this year surrounding GSP’s return.
A chance to reclaim his welterweight title at UFC 200 against Robbie Lawler were apparently discussed. That fell through, and Lawler was knocked out by Tyron Woodley. The next option was fighting Woodley at Madison Square Garden for UFC 205, the promotion’s debut in New York. That was scratched too as Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez will get that slot instead. Finally, it appears the UFC and Georges St-Pierre settled on UFC 206 in Canada to host his anticipated return.
The Deal
According to St-Pierre, he and Lorenzo Fertitta (one of the former owners of the UFC) were close to getting the deal done. The exclusive Reebok sponsorship was no doubt a serious talking point, but St-Pierre seemed optimistic they could get the fight. However, when WME-IMG (the new owners of the UFC) took over negotiations, everything was off the table.
According to GSP, the UFC told him it would be a “huge financial risk to introduce [him] to the new audiences.”
St-Pierre then sought out James Quinn, a lawyer who took over the dealings with the new UFC brass. He gave the promotion a legal deadline to schedule him a fight, and when they failed to do so, the Montreal-native apparently entered free agency.
The UFC’s reasoning behind scrapping negotiations is laughable. Not only would a GSP return at UFC 206 sell out the Air Canada Centre, but it would likely sell over 1 million PPVs. The light-heavyweight title is also on the line at this event, which would have made it an ultra-stacked card.
Without GSP, the event is likely to do under 400,000 PPV buys, and probably won’t sell out. Even though UFC 206 still has a few more fights left to be announced, I doubt the Canadian fans are happy with the card.
What is Next for GSP?
This doesn’t mean that GSP is not going to fight in the UFC, but you can expect him to get offers from other promotions.
Bellator is building up their welterweight division, and it’s looking stacked. They now have former UFC title challenger, and St-Pierre’s teammate, Rory MacDonald. They also have Benson Henderson (former UFC lightweight champion), Andrey Korseshkov (Bellator welterweight champion), Paul Daley (former UFC contender and kickboxer), Josh Koscheck (former UFC title challenger), and Michael “Venom” Page (rising welterweight star).
St-Pierre would be the biggest signing that Bellator has ever done, and it would considerably increase their chances of competing against the promotional giant. However, I fully expect the UFC to make GSP another offer a little later down the road. I’m hopeful they can come to their senses and give St-Pierre the return he deserves.
It might mean waiting until 2017, but I think we’ll be seeing GSP in the UFC. If he does sign with another promotion, it will likely be Bellator considering Viacom’s strong financial backing. Things could get very interesting for the UFC if they lose one of their top 5 biggest names. Even though St-Pierre is reaching the end of his career, his name has the pull to sell some big PPVs.
