GSP’s Mentor Offers Ominous Prediction For UFC Return

It’s been four years since Georges St. Pierre stepped inside of the Octagon.

After scoring a highly controversial split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in 2013, St. Pierre announced that he needed some time away from the sport, vacating his long held welterweight title soon thereafter.

Now, however, the Canadian star, at age 36, is gearing up to make his return, as he’s set to take on middleweight champion Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 217 on Nov. 4.

While he appears to be nothing short of confident, his longtime mentor, Kristof Midoux, doesn’t share the same sentiment:

“I do not agree with this return and I do not know who managed to convince him,” Midoux recently told UFC veteran Patrick Cote on the Uppercut Podcast (translated from French via Le Journal de Montréal). “I do not see the objective surrounding this fight.”

“Moreover, when I see George’s eyes, they do not tell me anything good,” Midoux added. “During his face-to-face [with Bisping] in Las Vegas, I would have liked him to give a slap to Bisping to show him what was waiting for him on November 4th. The guys who have their hands in their pockets like George did, they do not feel like fighting. You have to have the urge and the rage to do it. “

St. Pierre certainly has a tall task in front of him, as Bisping is the larger man riding a five-fight winning streak. “Rush” has often said, however, that he only wanted to return for the biggest challenge, but Midoux just doesn’t feel as if he’s ready:

“I think he needs help and I think the people around him are hiding things from him,” Midoux said. “I witnessed his sparring and I did not see what I wanted to see from him.”

How do you expect St. Pierre to look when he enters the cage and faces off with Bisping in New York city?