This weekend Georges St-Pierre will defend the UFC welterweight championship against Johny Hendricks. This UFC 167 headline bout will definitely be one of GSP’s toughest challenges to date as he will be taking on a man who many feel has the tools to stop the Canadian superstar. With rumors this week that Georges has been considering retirement, the outcome of the fight could play a big part in determining the next step for St-Pierre’s Mixed Martial Arts career.

The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, November 16th, and will celebrate the UFC’s 20th Anniversary. At the UFC 167 pre-fight press conference a reporter asked UFC president Dana White why they chose Georges St-Pierre to headline their Anniversary event:

“First of all he fell on this date, it worked out that way, but there’s no doubt about it, I’ve said it forever, he’s the pay-per-view king. Nobody sells more pay-per-view’s then Georges St-Pierre does. We just got lucky that he landed on the 20 year anniversary.”

The reporter then asked Dana if GSP’s mainstream appeal represents what the UFC plans to become as they continue to grow. White responded:

“You couldn’t ask for a more perfect champion, you couldn’t ask for a guy who works harder, you couldn’t ask for a guy who represents the brand better, who represents the belt better, who represents his country better. He’s an absolute professional and perfectionist at everything he does and it’s been an honor and pleasure working with him throughout the years, and will all the stuff that’s been said this week I hope we’re gonna continue to work with him for many years to come.”

White was then asked by a reporter if he fears that GSP will retire in the cage on Saturday night, to which he replied:

“He’s not retiring, that’s bulls%!t”

It is clear that the UFC president wants St-Pierre to stick around, but then again why wouldn’t he want a guy who brings in good pay-per-view numbers to stay on board, after all Dana is a promoter and Georges is a great fighter.

St-Pierre will know when the time is right, but lets just hope it’s no time soon as I love to watch this guy compete. Not only a great fighter, Georges is also one of the best athlete’s and all-round martial artists in the game today, so it would be a shame to see him leave, especially when there are some great potential matchups for him in the future.

Maybe Dana knows something we don’t and that’s why he’s so confident that GSP won’t be retiring, who knows? However, I do know that the main event this weekend is not to be missed, so make sure you tune in for UFC 167.

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