No one knows whether Georges St. Pierre will ever return to the UFC, but his coach seems to think we haven't seen the last of GSP. St. Pierre is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee and is expecting to receive medical clearance for martial arts training around October.
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Firas Zahabi, head coach at Tristar Gym in Montreal, told ESPN.com that "Rush" has already began "gymnastic training" to work on his upper body while his leg heals. Zahabi said this recovery is going better than the last one in 2011 when he tore the ACL in his right knee, but only St. Pierre knows if he will ever return to the octagon.
"My personal opinion is he still has plenty of competitive juice in him," Zahabi said. "I don't think he'll be anywhere near fight shape until he's late-34 -- mid-34. I think he's got a few fights in him but I don't want to speak for the guy. He might retire and no one could blame him."
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In November, St. Pierre defended the UFC welterweight championship for the ninth consecutive time with a split decision win over Johny Hendricks. Following the win he said he needed to take a hiatus from mixed martial arts and vacated the title, but he didn't officially retire.
"Right now, every time I talk to him, we never talk about his comeback," Zahabi said. "I'm being 100 percent honest with you. I tell him people ask me about it every day. I think we both just know that there is no answer until he gets back in the gym, in his routine and sees if he wants to continue."
Zahabi said they will do "light" mixed martial arts training in October: "Maybe hit pads. A little movement. Nothing crazy."
Meanwhile, the welterweight division is as competitive as it's ever been. Led by current champion Hendricks, there is a host of contenders who are all championship-caliber fighters like Robbie Lawler, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, Carlos Condit and Matt Brown.
Do you think St. Pierre will return to the UFC? Let us know at @SportsWN and @doricsam83.
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