Georges St-Pierre explains why he wants to fight again after three-year hiatus

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre made it clear on Monday’s episode of “The MMA Hour” that he is ready to get back in the Octagon.

“Rush” last fought in November 2013 where he took a controversial split-decision win over Johny Hendricks.

However, after a recent successful test camp to ensure his skills were still on par with elite training partners, St-Pierre opened up to Ariel Helwani on how he came around to the idea of fighting again.

“What I did is I did a training camp to see where I’m at,” St-Pierre said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “I’ve been training, but being in shape and being in fighting shape is something different. I did a training to push myself and go back to the highest level of competition. I didn’t fight, but I put myself through a training camp and I sparred and everything, and I did it successfully. Now I know for a fact that I could go back and fight, if my management and the UFC get to an agreement.”

St-Pierre mentioned previously that a major factor in his negotiations with the UFC had to do with Reebok’s uniform deal with the organization. However, if the terms can be agreed upon, we could see a superfight between “Rush” and newly crowned middleweight champion Michael Bisping.

“I have a lot to lose in this, because I finished on top,” St-Pierre said. “I finished as champion, and that’s the way everybody would like to leave the sport — on top, healthy, and wealthy — and I did it. If I go back and, it needs to be for something big. I think for my first fight, it needs to be for something big, and that’ll give me the swing and the momentum to do it again and again and again for another run.

“So it depends on what it going to happen, but I have a lot to lose, but the thing is also, the reason why I’ve been thinking of coming back, is I don’t want to end up at 80 years old and telling myself, ‘I should’ve done this, I should’ve done that.’ Because all of the things I regret in my life the most, it’s not the things that I have done. It’s the things that I have not done, the things that I regret the most. So I don’t want to end up where I’m too old and say, ‘aw, I should’ve done it. I was in great shape. My timing was impeccable, and I didn’t do it,’ so I would die with regret.”