TORONTO — Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has rejected a Quebec report that he is about to announce his return to action.
Asked if reports of a comeback announcement were true, St-Pierre sent a one-word text to The Canadian Press — "Non."
The 34-year-old from Montreal has not fought since November 2013, when he defeated Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks to retain his 170-pound mixed martial arts title. St-Pierre (25-2) said he needed time away from the sport.
St-Pierre has continued training, coming back from a knee injury sustained during his hiatus. But he has not said definitively whether his fighting days are over.
He did say recently that he planned to follow the advice of renowned boxing training Freddie Roach to go through a mock training camp to see if he still had the hunger to fight. St-Pierre told The Canadian Press this week that he has yet to do that.
(Ruthless) Robbie Lawler currently holds the UFC welterweight belt. But featherweight champion (The Notorious) Conor McGregor is looking to expand his domain, with a title bout against lightweight title-holder Rafael dos Anjos set for UFC 196 in March.
McGregor has talked of trying his hand at welterweight and a matchup with St-Pierre, one of the sport’s icons, would be mouth-watering to many fans.
