{"id":224281,"date":"2017-02-21T11:56:38","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T19:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=224281"},"modified":"2017-02-21T13:13:13","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T21:13:13","slug":"stephen-thompson-discusses-potential-fight-gsp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/exclusive-interviews\/stephen-thompson-discusses-potential-fight-gsp\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE | Stephen Thompson discusses potential fight with friend Georges St-Pierre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month we learned that, after months of conflicting rumors, reports, and updates, welterweight great Georges St-Pierre and the UFC had resolved their issues and agreed on the terms for a new contract<\/a>. With this development, St-Pierre suddenly has a smorgasbord of exciting matchup possibilities on his table, ranging from middleweight champion Michael Bisping, to lightweight champion Conor McGregor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many of St-Pierre’s most compelling options, of course, exist in the welterweight division that he once ruled. Of all these welterweight options, none is more interesting than a potential fight with the winner of UFC 209’s Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson welterweight title rematch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thompson, however, is a long-time friend and training partner of St-Pierre. As a result, the prospect of a fight with the welterweight great is a bit of a question mark for him.<\/p>\n

\"Georges<\/p>\n

Thompson weighed in on a potential fight with the returning St-Pierre on the latest episode of Rapid Fire, with BJPENN.com’s own Chris Taylor.<\/p>\n

“You never know man,” Thompson said of a possible showdown with St-Pierre. “You know, he was actually my inspiration to switch from kickboxing to mixed martial arts, training with him, helping him get ready for his fights. We have a closer relationship than I even did with Rory [MacDonald]. I would not want to step out there in the Octagon with him, but I understand it’s business, and you never know what the UFC’s going to throw at you.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“I’m glad he’s back in the UFC man,” Thompson continued. “He’s one of the best welterweights who ever stepped out there into the Octagon. My hat’s off to the guy. I know he’s been out for awhile, but he’s always training, always evolving, and he’s a life-long martial artist. But yeah man, you never know. We’ll see what happens.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So there it is. While a fight with St-Pierre is certainly not Thompson’s\u00a0first\u00a0<\/em>choice, he understands that the fight business is just that \u2013 business<\/em>. If the terms are right for both men, it sounds like this fight could be a possibility. It all hinges, of course, on the outcome of Thompson’s looming title fight with Woodley.<\/p>\n

How do you think a Stephen Thompson vs. Georges St-Pierre fight would go? Sound off, PENN Nation!<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPenn.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 2\/21\/2017. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month we learned that, after months of conflicting rumors, reports, and updates, welterweight great Georges St-Pierre and the UFC had resolved their issues and agreed on the terms for a new contract. With this development, St-Pierre suddenly has a smorgasbord of exciting matchup possibilities on his table, ranging from middleweight champion Michael Bisping, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":127873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[2674,10132],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nEXCLUSIVE | Stephen Thompson discusses potential fight with friend Georges St-Pierre | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In an exclusive interview with BJPENN.COM's own Chris Taylor, Stephen Thompson weighs in on the prospect of a fight with his friend Georges St-Pierre.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/exclusive-interviews\/stephen-thompson-discusses-potential-fight-gsp\/\" \/>\n<meta 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