Another day, another drug testing story! But while the last few days have been about roided up cows and an MMA legend discussing why he ain’t no snitch, we finally have something fairly normal to talk about…Georges St-Pierre is coming back! While that alone isn’t necessarily big news, given how he (and/or his coaches, and/or his manager, and/or his training partners) has/have been teasing a return for months now, we actually have some real news about a GSP comeback!
GSP told BloodyElbow.com in an interview that he has signed up with USADA’s testing program.
GSP is officially coming back! His signing up with USADA all but guarantees he will be in the UFC before year’s end. Photo off GSP’s Instagram.
While that may not sound like a big deal…think again!
According to the UFC’s deal with USADA, fighters coming back from a retirement are obligated to undergo four months of preliminary testing before they can return to the cage. The rationale? To prevent fights from doing something like what Stephan Bonnar did back in 2012, where he semi-retires, juices up and returns to action.
Here’s what GSP had to say about his return, and about why he doesn’t want to be another Brock Lesnar case:
Now we’re talking again and I’m starting the USADA process to be tested, I’m starting it Aug 10. in Las Vegas. Because to be eligible to fight you need to be tested…But me, I don’t want to be an exception, because I was very outspoken about Performance Enhancing Drugs. It would be bad for my reputation if I would have an exemption – I don’t want to have a free pass, I want to be like everybody else. That’s why I’ll be starting the process Aug 10. I don’t have any fight yet, but it’s gonna happen now, because I’m getting tested, if I’m getting tested it’s for a reason.
Brock Lesnar received a special drug testing waiver from the UFC to make sure he could fight at UFC 200…which bit them in the ass pretty hard. Photo by WWE.com.
If GSP is planning to strictly follow the USADA policies about fighters returning from a retirement, that would mean he would be eligible to fight on December 10. Worth noting is that December 10 is nearly one month after UFC 205, the UFC’s long-awaited trip to Madison Square Garden, which may ruin the rumored plans to have him headline the event.
But who is GSP looking to face in his return?
GSP may have a chance to take back the UFC welterweight title he never lost.
Here’s what he had to say:
The first offer they made us was for Bisping. We were interested in that fight, we made a counter offer, but like I said one day after we heard they sold the company…They asked us if we wanted to fight in Toronto, I don’t remember if it was the Rogers center or the Air Canada center, but it was to be Bisping. And I said yeah, I’m interested…I heard he was interested. But I heard also that he was interested to fight Dan Henderson. I understand that.
Since the UFC’s booking of Bisping vs. Henderson, the discussion on GSP’s return has shifted over to Tyron Woodley. Both men have expressed interest in the fight, and it would make sense to do it at the UFC’s next year-end event, UFC 207.
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