At UFC 217 in November 2017, Georges St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon for the first time in four years.

When doing so, he made the move up to middleweight as he captured the division’s title by finishing the champion, Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping with a third-round rear-naked choke.

Soon after the big win, St-Pierre would reveal he was battling ulcerative colitis and would be relinquishing the title.

Prior to this comeback, St-Pierre found himself defending his welterweight crown against Johny Hendricks in 2013. After the fight, he would make it clear that he needed a break from the sport… Not a ‘retirement.’

Just this past week, however, the all-time great officially announced his MMA retirement.

Despite this, St-Pierre’s longtime coach at TriStar MMA, Firas Zahabi wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadian icon ends up coming back for that perfect opportunity.

“He retired on Thursday and Friday morning he was there for practice,” Zahabi told Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “I believe there’s a fire in Georges. I believe that one day there will be an incredible opportunity for a fight and he might come back.”

At this stage in his career, St-Pierre made it clear that he was only looking to build onto his legacy with the biggest possible fights. The one that he had most in mind was none other than a bout with the unbeaten 27-0 lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Currently suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Nurmagomedov doesn’t have a lot of options negotiation wise. Especially with his disinterest in competing in Las Vegas again.

Thus spelling the end for Georges St-Pierre as that was the last one that he wanted. If Zahabi’s comments are any indication, maybe he’ll still get it someday.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/25/2019