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SPORTS Saturday 4 November 2017

St. Pierre set for comeback fight vs. Bisping at UFC 217

By DAN GELSTON April 2007 when Matt Serra
AP Sports Writer took away the 170-pound
NEW YORK (AP) — Georges belt. St. Pierre reclaimed
St. Pierre waved his hands the title later that year and
as a conductor would to a beat Serra in a rematch
chorus of “G-S-P” chanted shortly afterward.
by fans wrapped in Ris- But St. Pierre didn’t fight
ing Sun headbands inside between April 2011 and
Madison Square Garden. November 2012 while re-
“These are your people? covering from a torn liga-
These are your people, ment in his right knee. He
Georges?” fighter Michael bounced back from injury
Bisping chirped as he dis- with wins over Carlos Con-
missed the rising cheers dit, Nick Diaz and Johny
with a wave. Hendricks.He beat Hen-
GSP is back for his people dricks, who has a fight on
and on top of a UFC card the 217 card, by split deci-
one more time. sion, then decided it was
But is it for the final time? time for a hiatus. St. Pierre
St. Pierre (25-2) was one had lamented the stress of
of the UFC’s biggest stars his prominence in the sport,
and pay-per-view draws saying his obsessive nature
during his long reign atop In this Oct. 13, 2017, file photo, Britain’s Michael Bisping, left, and Canada’s Georges St. Pierre prevented him from en-
the 170-pound division, but face off during a news conference in Toronto, to promote their upcoming UFC 217. joying life while maintain-
the Canadian star walked Associated Press ing the focus necessary to
away in November 2013. Rousey came (and went?) wasn’t even legal in New and depend on a lot of train for title fights.“It’s hard
After a lengthy sabbati- and bulldozed her way York the last time St. Pierre stuff. But I don’t see myself on my nerves, but when
cal, he returns Saturday into becoming a main- fought. He’ll top UFC’s going away for a long time I close my eyes at night,
to headline UFC 217 in a stream superstar. St. Pierre’s fourth card in the state in 12 so it’s going to be a good I give myself the choice
185-pound championship 12-fight winning streak that months and the first at MSG match.” would I want to be there or
bout with Bisping (31-7), he takes into Saturday has since a McGregor-head- St. Pierre hasn’t lost since not,” St. Pierre said. q
the gritty English veteran been topped by Jon Jones lined show helped draw an
who won the middleweight and matched by flyweight arena-record gate of $17
championship in a surprise champ Demetrious John- million.Cody Garbrandt
upset of Luke Rockhold last son. And it was McGregor defends the 135-pound
year.St. Pierre, now 36, left again, with a champion- belt against T.J. Dillashaw Paradise in the Caribbean
UFC as one of its biggest ship belt draped over each and Joanna Jedrzejczyk
box office draws, holder shoulder, who was an- puts the 115-pound wom-
of the second-longest nounced Friday as the EA en’s title on the line against
winning streak in the pro- Sports UFC 3 video game Rose Namajunas in the oth-
motion’s history and with cover boy . er two big PPV bouts.
enough stardom to grace But the use of a PS4 control- St. Pierre, who hasn’t re-
the cover of a video game. ler may be the only way to vealed any career goals
Four years later, St. Pierre make sure McGregor steps beyond claiming Bisping’s
returns to a UFC world that into a cage any time soon. 185-pound title, hasn’t de-
blew up into a $4 billion With Rousey, McGregor cided if this bout would be
company without him. and Jones all sidelined, his last.
His fights with Nick Diaz and and UFC struggling to build “Nothing for sure,” St. Pierre
B.J. Penn that drew two a new crop of pay-per- said. “Sometimes you win
of the biggest buy rates view stars, the big attrac- the fight and you could
in UFC history have been tion for 2018 just might be lose and sometimes you
passed six times, notably a blast from the past in St. lose but you should have
by cards headlined by Pierre. won. It depends how it SALES OFFICE +297 2801005 info@leventaruba.com
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