UFC president Dana White isn’t forcing the middleweight division to wait around for Georges St-Pierre.
White told FOX Sports Australia late Wednesday night that the promotion will move on from having Michael Bisping defend his title against St-Pierre, instead giving Yoel Romero the next shot.
“I made this GSP fight, we did a press conference. The thing was supposed to happen in July. Michael Bisping is going to have to defend his title now. We’re not waiting for GSP,” White said. “(Yoel) doesn’t need to voice his opinion on why he needs a title shot. He definitely deserves a title shot. He’s next in line, he’s the No. 1 ranked guy in the world.
“Georges St-Pierre was coming back. Bisping-St-Pierre – they both wanted that fight. We asked Yoel to step aside, he did. It doesn’t look like that fight is gonna happen now. Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November. Who knows if that’s even the case. It could be next year.”
Bisping has stated several times that he would wait for GSP to be ready to go before fighting again. He has also expressed issues with fighting Romero due to a previous drug test result that came back flagged.
After winning the title on short notice vs. Luke Rockhold last year, Bisping (30-7) successfully defended it with a win over Dan Henderson, avenging a previous loss in the process. However, that move caught the attention of many, including the top contenders in the division who were forced to sit on the sidelines or risk their spot by competing.
St-Pierre, a former welterweight champion, announced his return earlier this year after leaving the sport following a win over Johny Hendricks. When the UFC announced Bisping-GSP, no date or venue was confirmed at the time of the booking.
