It's been two and a half years since Georges St-Pierre last stepped into the octagon.
A comeback for the 34-year-old is something which has oft been rumoured.
The Canadian's coach, Firas Zahabi of Tristar Gym in Montreal, appeared on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani on Monday and spoke about St-Pierre.
If Conor McGregor had beaten Nate Diaz on March 5th, there were rumours that post-fight he was going to call out St-Pierre. Obviously, defeat prevented McGregor from doing so.
The possibility is something which Zahabi spoke about with enthusiasm.
If McGregor had won, he's just a guy that stirs the pot like nobody else. It could have been crazy if he called out Georges, it could have been crazy if Nate called out Georges. Anything could have been motivating for Georges, I think it could have happened. Nothing happened.
Going by what Zahabi had to say, St-Pierre is no longer interested in titles, making a match-up against welterweight champion Robbie Lawler a non-starter.
It's all about the money fight - the super fight - for St-Pierre in the twilight of his relevance. Despite his UFC career now being tarnished by a loss, McGregor is still the promotion's biggest draw.
I don’t know if that motivates Georges. Lawler has lost to guys that Georges has already beat. Georges, I don’t know if he wants to be champion again. I don't know if he wants to start getting into the whole world of defending his title over and over again. I don't know if he wants to do that, but it's all up to him.
A rematch between McGregor and Diaz is yet to be confirmed, but at this stage it would be a surprise if it doesn't happen. Zahabi certainly appears to be hinting that his fighter would like to face the winner of McGregor vs Diaz 2.
Zahabi did not say for certain that St-Pierre would return this year but he did express his belief that the former welterweight champion is still one of the best in the business.
If I had to venture, I would say yeah, he comes back in 2016. Again, it’s no guarantee. I’m not confirming that. I think he’s a motivated guy, I think he’s in shape, I think for him it’s just the fight that excites him. That’s all that he needs.
I personally believe he has a lot of fight left in him. He's so incredible an athlete as usual. He was in training today, his performances are amazing. He is still the best in the world, in my opinion. If he chooses, if he feels like getting back inside the Octagon, if he has that right motivation, I think he'll show the world he's still the best.
If McGregor was to beat Nate Diaz and then take on St-Pierre, he would move further from the realm of sporting relevance and more towards big money, spectacle fights.
Picture credit: Mark J. Rebilas / SPORTSFILE
