Former UFC two-weight champion Georges St-Pierre recently startled fans by announcing his return. However, the Canadian MMA superstar will not partake in an MMA match. Instead, on December 14th, he will engage in a grappling bout at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6. Soon after GSP announced the news during a UFC press conference, fans began to pitch ideas for his next opponent. Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the prospects mentioned for his huge comeback.
The former UFC two-weight champion, though, eventually cleared the air on the Nurmagomedov match. Now, two weeks later, he has an opponent for his highly anticipated return to the grappling arena.
Who will Georges St-Pierre face on his return?
Georges St-Pierre has not fought since his 2017 victory against Michael Bisping, in which he submitted the British star in the third round. However, the moment to return to action has arrived, and he is also up against an intriguing name.
According to Bloody Elbow, GSP will fight former UFC welterweight championship contender, Demian Maia. Their story followed a tweet from Maia in which he discussed the fight. He wrote:
“Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you. Grappling @GeorgesStPierre will be a huge challenge & great motivation. You GSP are one of the greatest competitors ever, whom I respect a lot. I’m game! Looking forward to competing at @ufc invitational.”
Despite how this tweet is worded I’m told GSP’s opponent for his grappling match hasn’t been finalized and a number of potential opponents are still being discussed. https://t.co/TRRjQrKLEK
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) July 20, 2023
However, after his tweet went viral, well-known MMA journalist Mike Bohn explained that Maia is not yet a confirmed opponent for GSP’s return and that the UFC is still exploring for alternatives. He wrote:
“Despite how this tweet is worded I’m told GSP’s opponent for his grappling match hasn’t been finalized and a number of potential opponents are still being discussed.”
Maia is one of the finest submission artists in UFC history. GSP, on the other hand, has also a solid grappling history. Given that, if it happens, it would be a fantastic matchup. However, GSP vs. Nurmagomedov remains a fan-favorite matchup that yet again failed to materialize.
GSP says Khabib Nurmagomedov was not on the list
Georges St-Pierre vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov has long been a dream fight. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, the bout did not take place in the UFC.
Fans had some anticipation that GSP might face Nurmagomedov once his comeback was confirmed. However, GSP emphasized in one of his interviews that Nurmagomedov will not be his opponent when he returns.
The MMA veteran said that the UFC is considering a number of possibilities, including Anderson Silva, Kamaru Usman, and others. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, was not on the list.
