Georges St-Pierre 'talking' with UFC about potential return

A potential Georges St-Pierre return to the UFC appears to be a real possibility.

The former UFC welterweight champion was courtside at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to see the Raptors host the visiting Philadelphia 76ers when he spoke to TSN about whether or not we’d ever see him fight again. For the first time since he voluntarily vacated the 170-pound title and drifted into a semi-retirement back in late 2013, St-Pierre had an optimistic outlook on competing inside an Octagon again.

“I’m on good terms with the UFC – we’re talking,” St-Pierre said. “Everything is possible, but I don’t know right now. I can’t tell you everything. I have to keep some secrets.”

There were rumors about a possible return at UFC 200 recently when St-Pierre showed up cageside for UFC 196. With the main event being the ever-so-popular Conor McGregor making his welterweight debut against Nate Diaz, there was some speculation that the UFC would pair McGregor against St-Pierre at the promotion’s biggest show. However, those dreams were dashed when Diaz submitted McGregor in the second round.

There’s no telling whom St-Pierre would face if he opted to return. Although Robbie Lawler is the current welterweight champion, according to friend and training partner Rory MacDonald, GSP isn’t necessarily looking to regain the title. Instead, making the biggest fights possible would be on the agenda if a return was in order.

However, there could be some issues with the UFC’s current deal with Reebok as it pertains to his contract with the promotion. Before St-Pierre took a hiatus away from the sport, fighters were able to obtain sponsors in order to earn some extra income. But with the Reebok deal in place, any other logo outside of Reebok or the UFC is banned and cannot be worn inside the Octagon. It appears that this is an issue that could put a snag in his return as he said that he and the UFC “sometimes do not agree on something.” He addressed it in a separate interview with French-Canadian outlet RDS.

"There are many things, but I won’t go into detail," St-Pierre said according to a translation on Bloody Elbow. "My contract is very old. It was done even before Reebok entered the UFC, so there are several things that come into play."

Nevertheless, a GSP return is something the MMA world will be paying close attention to and it appears we’ll have to hang on the former champion’s every word until something is official.