Georges St-Pierre vs. Demian Maia announced for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 in December

Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre will grapple Demian Maia in December.

‘Rush’ announced his return to competition earlier this month at International Fight Week. Last facing Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in 2017, Georges St-Pierre scored a submission win over ‘The Count’. That gave him gold in a second weight class but would wind up being his final contest.

Well, that’ll go down as his final fight in the cage, anyway. Earlier this month, Georges St-Pierre announced his intention to return to competition at Fight Pass Invitational 6 in December. The grappling match will be his first competition of any kind since retiring. Now, he has an opponent in the form of Damien Maia.

The Brazilian announced the news on social media earlier today. Last week, Georges St-Pierre pitched multiple opponents, including the Diaz brothers, as possible grappling foes. However, he will instead face a veteran that is considered one of the greatest grapplers in UFC history.

RELATED: GEORGES ST-PIERRE CROWNS ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI POUND-FOR-POUND NUMBER ONE: “HE’S THE BEST”

Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you.
Grappling @GeorgesStPierre will be a huge challenge & great motivation.
You GSP are one of the greatest competitors ever, whom I respect a lot. I’m game! Looking forward to competing at @ufc invitational.

— Demian Maia (@demianmaia) July 20, 2023

“Every now and then, something comes up that still does really motivate you. Grappling @GeorgesStPierre will be a huge challenge & great motivation. You GSP are one of the greatest competitors ever, whom I respect a lot. I’m game! Looking forward to competing at @ufc invitational.”

For Demian Maia, the December grappling match will be his first combat sports appearance since June 2021. At UFC 263, the Brazilian suffered his second-straight loss, losing to Belal Muhammad. That fight was the last on his UFC contract and wasn’t re-signed by the company.

For months following his last UFC appearance, Demian Maia called for a retirement fight in the company. While he didn’t get that wish, he will get to welcome back Georges St-Pierre to competition in December.

What do you make of this grappling match announcement? Are you excited about Georges St-Pierre vs. Demian Maia?