Freddie Roach Thinks Georges St. Pierre Will Return To Fighting

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre recently shot down Dana White’s speculation that he would stay retired, noting that he could step back into the Octagon if the circumstances were indeed right.

Stalwart in his anti-performance-enhancing drug (PED) stance, St. Pierre has long hinged any potential return on the elimination of steroids and other banned substances in fighting. With drastic changes on the way for the UFC’s drug testing program this summer, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not “GSP” will ever set foot in the cage.

There’s at least one person close to the situation that does believe “Rush” will eventually come back, however. That man is St. Pierre’s famed boxing coach Freddie Roach, who recently appeared on AXS TV’s Inside MMA to discuss the situation:

According to Roach, he’s been training boxing with St. Pierre, and the decorated all-time great former champion is starting to regain the desire to fight:

“I trained him two days ago before he went home, and I said, ‘What do you think? Are you going to fight again.’ He says, ‘I’m getting’ the itch.’ I says, ‘well, if you do, I would make sure you’re one hundred percent healthy and you know, everything/s right on point.’”

St. Pierre told Roach he would come back on one condition:

“And he says, ‘The only way I fight again is if you’ll promise me you’ll be in corner.’ So I said, ‘That’s not a problem.’”

The talk has Roach believing St. Pierre will indeed come back, and if he does, the legendary coach will be ready to put in the work:

“So I do think Georges will fight one more time at least, and we will train very hard for that fight. There’s nothing else; hard work pays.”

St. Pierre has always been known as one of the hardest workers in MMA, but that mindset also lead, at least in part, to him getting burnt out and taking an extended leave of absence.

It’s tough to say if he could still contend at the absolute top of the stacked UFC welterweight division; and indeed his good friend and training partner Rory MacDonald could be champion if he can defeat Robbie Lawler at July’s UFC 189.

That makes “GSP’s” return a cloudy one at best, regardless of what Roach thinks.