Several weeks ago, all signs pointed to former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre returning to the Octagon at UFC 206 to fight UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at UFC 206 in Toronto, Canada.
Unfortunately, while both men verbally agreed to the fight, there were several hangups on the matchup, with St-Pierre’s deal with Under Armour being one notable conflict of interest given the UFC’s partnership with Reebok.
Ultimately, negotiations between St-Pierre & the UFC failed, and St-Pierre sent a message to Bisping, informing him that he would be unable to fight him at UFC 206:
“Nothing would make me more happy in the world to fight you in Toronto, Michael. Last week I met with Ari, and I made peace with Dana [White]. I tried to resolve things, but unfortunately, right now it’s not happening. Hopefully, things will change soon. Thank you”
Now, St-Pierre’s attorney, Eric Hochstadt, has spoken with Forbes to discuss the situation between the former welterweight kingpin and the new UFC owners:
“It’s fair to say that negotiations for UFC 206 have failed, and Georges is OK with that,” said Eric Hochstadt, one of St-Pierre’s attorneys and a partner in Weil’s Litigation Department. “He certainly tried with the UFC’s new management.”
“Look — Georges is ready to go if we can get this done,” Hotchstadt said. “Hopefully, for the sport, for Georges, for fans, that can happen. At this rate (of negotiations), probably next year.”
“He doesn’t need the UFC,” Hochstadt said of St-Pierre. “If the new owners, William Morris-IMG, don’t want him back and they try to block him from fighting elsewhere, he can then take the legal battle or decide to walk away and do other things.”
“Those are the bad guys here,” he said. “Under the prior management before William Morris-IMG we don’t think any of this stuff would’ve happened. There would’ve been a deal reached, maybe even for UFC 206 in Toronto.”
With St-Pierre’s attorney taking such a strong stance against the new WME-IMG owners of the UFC, do you think we will ever see St-Pierre return to the Octagon? Give us your thoughts below PENN Nation!