At a to be determined date later this year, former UFC welterweight champion and veritable MMA legend Georges St-Pierre will return to the Octagon after several years of retirement. He will not, however, return to his former haunts in the welterweight division. Instead, he’ll be moving up to the middleweight division for an immediate – and controversial – title shot against reigning champion Michael Bisping.
While we know that this fight is happening, Bisping, St-Pierre and the UFC have had a difficult time nailing down a date and location. Bisping has been very vocal in his desire to fight during International Fight Week, ideally at UFC 213 on July 8, but it’s looking more and more likely that this fight doesn’t occur until the fall.
Whenever it happens, it sounds like it might just go down inside New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden. At least, that’s what St-Pierre hinted on Tuesday night.
After attending a second-round NHL playoff game between the New York Rangers and the visiting Ottawa Senators, St-Pierre suggested that he could soon fight in the Rangers’ home arena, Madison Square Garden.
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“Big thanks to @NYRangers and #mvpgroupintl for inviting me and @Erik_Owings at @TheGarden for the game tonight,” St-Pierre said. “I could be fighting here in a few months… Can’t wait!!!”
While the UFC has not yet announced a fall trip to Madison Square Garden, such a thing is definitely possible. The promotion debuted in the storied arena last November, breaking numerous records with UFC 205, a card that featured three title fights and names like Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez, Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Yoel Romero, Chris Weidman, Miesha Tate and Raquel Pennington. St-Pierre’s return to the cage would make a suitable chapter two in the UFC’s new relationship with the revered venue.
Do you think Georges St-Pierre makes his return at Madison Square Garden this fall? Sound off, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/2/2017.