The welterweight division is in the spotlight at UFC 171 this weekend, and despite its biggest star not currently in the picture, UFC president Dana White believes Georges St-Pierre’s return to the organization is inevitable.
“The reality is this: He had some personal problems that he wanted to deal with [and] he’s dealing with them. When those problems are dealt with, he’ll be back,” White told UFC Central host Showdown Joe Ferraro in Dallas. “I’m very confident he will be back.”
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC 171 preliminary fights on Sportsnet 360 Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST
Recent opponents of GSP, Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit, aren’t so certain.
“Realistically, I don’t know,” said Hendricks, whom GSP beat in November before taking an indefinite leave of absence. “There’s part of me that thinks he might be done, but then there’s also a part of me that says, ‘he might come back.’”
GSP recently admitted that he stepped away from MMA in part because he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder.
“My gut says he’s done,” said Condit, who went five rounds with the Canadian at UFC 154. “Honestly, he’s doing other things. If your heart’s not in it—which I’m not sure it is in Georges’ case, [it’s not smart to fight].”
While some have viewed GSP’s absence from the division as a good thing for 170-pound fighters since it opens things up, not all are happy he’s absent.
Rising contender Tyron Woodley, who meets Condit in the co-main event Saturday, wishes GSP returns one day because he hopes to challenge himself against the man widely considered the greatest welterweight in MMA history.
“You watch this guy as champion for so long, you want to compete against him,” Woodley said. “For me it will be a fulfilling moment to actually get a chance to fight him.”
Watch Countdown to UFC 171: Hendricks vs Lawler
Since vacating his title, GSP says he has been happy and healthy and has never ruled out a potential return to the Octagon.
The 32-year-old Saint-Isidore, Que., native amassed a 19-2 record in the UFC, became the promotion’s top pay-per-view draw and holds several records including: most wins, most total strikes landed, most significant strikes landed, most takedowns landed, and most total time spent competing in the UFC cage.
