UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre knows he will be rusty when he fights Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in Montreal on Nov. 17.
By the time he steps into the cage at the Bell Centre it will have been nearly 19 months since he last competed in mixed martial arts. For most fighters, the long layoff would be a daunting task to overcome but St-Pierre said although ring rust is a real thing, his preparation will lead to success.
“For sure it will be there, but the fact that I prepare myself very well, it will be okay,” the Saint-Isidore, Que., native told Jim Lang on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Friday.
“I’m very happy. It’s been a long time since I fight and I’m very anxious to get back in the Octagon.”
On Thursday, at a UFC 154 press conference at the Montreal Science Centre, St-Pierre said he believes Condit is the most dangerous opponent he has faced so far in his 10-year MMA career. He echoed those sentiments Friday.
“There’s a lot of things to be aware. He very dangerous everywhere but I’m ready for any eventualities.”
Despite the fact he is preparing for his welterweight unification bout, the topic of a super-fight with Anderson Silva and him one day vacating his belt and leaving the 170-pound division won’t go away.
GSP explained that he is not considering any potential fight with Silva or the thought of one day moving up to the middleweight division for a new challenge. He said that topic can be addressed after his fight with Condit, which takes place at the Bell Centre.
One tool St-Pierre will have at his disposal while training for his matchup with “The Natural Born Killer” is a former opponent of Condit.
Rory MacDonald, whose only career loss came to Condit at UFC 115, is a close friend and training partner of St-Pierre and will be helping him prepare in Montreal at the Tristar gym.
“Rory is a great training partner for me and I’m very lucky to have him training with me. I learn a lot from Rory, we have a great team at Tristar and I’m very happy training with him.”
St-Pierre speaks very highly of MacDonald, who fights BJ Penn in December, and has said he believes the 23-year-old will be a champion one day. Many feel MacDonald will be ready for a title shot within the next year or so, but the two teammates have gone on record saying they will never fight one another.
GSP told Lang that he hopes to fight for five more years at a minimum, so it will be interesting to see what happens at the top of the division if St-Pierre continues to defend his belt and MacDonald keeps winning and rising in the ranks.
He also said as the UFC continues its global expansion that he would like to fight all over the world in different countries. Up until this point in his career, GSP has fought nine times in Canada (UFC 154 will be his tenth fight in his home country) and 15 times in the United States.
Tickets for UFC 154 go on sale to the public on Saturday (Sept. 29).
