Georges St-Pierre said recently that he was starting to get the itch to fight again, and his longtime trainer Firas Zahabi said this week that he absolutely believes the former UFC Welterweight Champion will fight again.
“I know Georges so well, I know him better than himself,” Zahabi said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “I know Georges. I don’t know if he can walk away. I don’t think he can. I never talk to him about this stuff, because when I see him – everybody’s been asking him every single day everywhere he goes. I know that because everybody’s asking me every single day who he’s fighting.
“I just personally think he cannot sit on the sidelines for too long,” he continued. “That’s just the type of guy Georges is. He’s just that type of personality. He has to compete. And when he’s really done with fighting one day, he’s going to compete in something else. He’s just a competitor. I don’t know if he’s going to take up golf or something, but he’s going to compete the rest of his days. And I think that itch hasn’t gone.
“I really hope he does come back because I’m such a fan of his fighting. That’s the truth. He doesn’t need to come back, I don’t need him to come back, I think he’s amazing…I just want him to come back because I’m a fan. And if he wants to come back or not I’ll support him. I don’t think he owes anybody anything, so I’m behind Georges 100 percent. But I think he’s a hardcore competitor. His psyche is built to compete, and he’s going to do it eventually one way or another, whether it’s in MMA or something else.”
Penick’s Analysis: It still seems like it would be surprising to see him actually come back, but he’s a consummate competitor, and if he really has the itch to get back in there, then it could definitely happen. He has absolutely nothing to prove in the Octagon, and if he stayed away and officially retired he would go out on top. Still, if he decides he misses the competition too much to stay away, then so be it. He absolutely does not need to come back, but he’ll be welcomed by most if and when he does.
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