Georges St-Pierre believes Michael Bisping fight is not dead: 'I still have hope'

TORONTO – Georges St-Pierre believes there’s still a chance he could fight Michael Bisping this year, despite UFC President Dana White recently announcing the planned UFC middleweight title fight was off.

St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) told MMAjunkie at a Bud Light Living Rooms event in Toronto on Thursday that he hasn’t directly talked to the UFC brass about White’s statement that he was not willing to wait until at least October to host a fight between Bisping (30-7 MMA, 20-7 UFC) and “Rush,” and instead Yoel Romero (12-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) would be next to challenge for the 185-pound belt.

The former longtime UFC welterweight champion said he believes White announced he was moving on from the bout as a ploy to get him to agree to fight sooner. His schedule until the latter portion of the 2017 calendar year is full, and he said at this point nothing can change that.

“It’s impossible (to fight before October),” St-Pierre told MMAjunkie. “(White) says a lot of things sometimes. I can’t (fight) before October. It’s not only USADA, there’s a lot of commitments like this (Bud Light event) and stuff. I have a lot of commitments. They knew that before.”

St-Pierre said he never received direct contact from the UFC about the fight being off. He learned about the situation when a friend texted him a news story with White’s comments. The news is still fresh, and St-Pierre said his team is working to gain more clarity on what happens from here.

“I can’t say what’s going on,” St-Pierre said. “I heard through the news, but it’s my agent who talks to the UFC. The fighter doesn’t talk to the promoter – it’s the agent.”

After vacating the 170-pound title he held for nearly six years in December 2013, St-Pierre has been on an extended hiatus from the sport. He never closed the door on a potential comeback, but always said it would have to happen under the right circumstances.

A matchup with Bisping first became an option in late 2016 when the fight was discussed to headline December’s UFC 206 event in Toronto. St-Pierre and the UFC were unable to come to terms then, but a few months later a deal was finally reached.

In early March, the UFC held a news conference officially announcing St-Pierre vs. Bisping, but there was no date or location revealed for the fight. White said he wanted it to happen at UFC 213 in July, but the French-Canadian made it clear from the outset that he wouldn’t be ready to fight that soon.

Now the situation is a mess. Romero’s manager, Malki Kawa, told SiriusXM on Thursday that his client has been formally offered a title bout with Bisping, which indicates there’s a degree of truth behind White’s claim. St-Pierre isn’t closing the door, though, and said he remains optimistic his next fight will be against Bisping, because it’s the one he desires most.

“It’s the fight I want and it’s the fight Bisping still wants, from what I’ve heard,” St-Pierre said. “I’m focused and I want it, but we’ll see what happens. I still have hope.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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