MMA fans worldwide will be rejoicing after George Saint-Pierre today dropped his strongest hint to date that he will return to fighting at some point in the future.
This is great news considering that it has been so long since GSP last fought in the UFC. It was all the way back in November 2013 when the Canadian was last in the octagon, where he recorded a split decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
According to Canadian website RDS, the three time former Welterweight champion reveled in an interview that he is itching to tape up his gloves again. He also admitted that he keeps up to date with fights and fighters in his division.
I'm starting to get the feeling, more and more, to come back. I watch the fights to see what's going on in my division, and I'm staying in shape. It's like a knife that I have to keep sharp just in case I ever decide to jump back in the mix. It's not for sure that it won't happen in 2015, but I'm not sure yet.
GSP also admitted that, while he has stayed in the gym since taking a break, his training has intensified as he prepares for his potential MMA comeback.
This is music to MMA fans' ears especially considering recent comments made by Dana White last month where he opined that he didn't foresee GSP ever returning to the octagon. White was of the belief that GSP recent successes outside the MMA world - and the financial rewards that go with it - made him less hungry or inclined to compete.
In an interview recently with Yahoo Sports, GSP said that a major reason why he walked away from the sport was the substandard methods or inadequate measures the UFC was taking to catch drug cheats in the sport. He was extremely dissatisfied with what he viewed as "rampant performance-enhancing drug usage in mixed martial arts."
However the UFC have tightened up their regulations and have and it has the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) running its drug testing program. This is also another likely factor to his return to the sport.
Couple this new form of testing with the fact that GSP seems to have gotten the fighting bug back in him means that we will get to see this great fighter fight once more.
