As he is known to do, Dana White is hinting at big things in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s future.
In this particular case, the UFC CEO
recently indicated on the Full Send podcast that a superfight
is in the works for the Las Vegas-based promotion. Other than
confirming that said bout didn’t involve Conor
McGregor, White wouldn’t reveal any further details.
“We’re talking about one right now, actually, that just popped up a
few days ago,” White said. “I can’t talk about it until we get
everybody… well, every fight that you would consider a
‘superfight’ would involve McGregor but this one isn’t, no.”
That led to speculation that UFC Hall of Famer Georges St.
Pierre might be part of White’s plans. The former two-division
champion hasn’t competed since 2017, when he submitted Michael
Bisping at UFC 217 to claim middleweight gold. St. Pierre
officially announced his retirement from MMA in 2019.
St. Pierre quickly shut down rumors of a possible return while
speaking to media following the UFC Fight Pass Invitational
grappling event over the weekend.
“Absolutely not,” St. Pierre said. “I promise you, I always told
myself that I will not fight in the cage after the age of 40. I
don’t say I will never compete in any combat sport event, but a
fight in a cage professionally in a serious thing for my legacy, I
will not do it.”
St. Pierre was supposed to compete at the event before a shoulder
injury relegated him to a commentary role. While “Rush” has no
interest in fighting in the UFC again, grappling could be a
possibility once he recovers.
“I’m extremely competitive, and sometimes I forget that I’m 42, and
I don’t give myself enough rest, and that’s why I think I partially
tore my labrum, my subscap, and my rotator cuff,” St. Pierre said.
“But my shoulder is getting better, and we’ll see how it goes.”