🇨🇦 GSP BACK IN ACTION? RAF founder Chad Bronstein is reportedly trying to convince UFC legend Georges St-Pierre to make his return and headline an event in Canada. Could we actually see the Canadian legend compete again? 👀🔥 Via: @mmafighting #ufc #mma #canada #goat #gsp
RAF founder Chad Bronstein is reportedly working to convince Georges St-Pierre to come out of retirement and headline an event in Canada. The report, which is not officially confirmed, was first carried by MMA Fighting. No opponent, date or venue has been mentioned.
St-Pierre, a 45-year-old from Canada who trains out of Tristar Gym, owns a professional record of 26-2-0. His most recent recorded fight came on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217, where he submitted Michael Bisping in the third round to win the middleweight title. That result is nearly nine years old as of this report, which would make any comeback a long layoff by any standard.
The numbers behind his career explain why a return would draw attention. St-Pierre landed 3.78 significant strikes per minute at 53 percent accuracy, and his wrestling-based approach produced 4.16 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Before the Bisping win, he had taken a split decision over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013, and a unanimous decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in March 2013. All three of those bouts were title fights.
An orthodox fighter, St-Pierre stands five-foot-eleven (180 cm) with a 76-inch (193 cm) reach. At 45, he would be competing well past the age at which most fighters have left the sport.
Why it matters
- A St-Pierre comeback would give a Canadian card a marquee name, which is presumably the appeal for RAF in staging an event at home.
- His recorded run of three straight wins, two by decision in five-round title fights and one by submission, shows a fighter who finished his career on a high.
- The gap since his last recorded bout, from November 2017, would be one of the biggest questions around any matchup.
The report describes Bronstein as trying to persuade St-Pierre, not as having reached an agreement. Nothing suggests the Canadian has agreed to fight, and the idea remains at the speculation stage.
