Georges St-Pierre to face Michael Bisping for UFC middleweight title
Canadian has not fought since November 2013
Former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is starting his comeback with a bang — against UFC middleweight title-holder Michael Bisping.
The two will meet for the 185-pound crown in the second half of 2017, according to the UFC.
The 35-year-old St-Pierre has not fought since November 2013 when he won a narrow decision over Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks for his 12th straight win. The Montreal mixed martial arts star then took a hiatus, saying he needed time away from the sport.
"We haven't set a date yet, but that's the fight," White said during an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter. "He has to be tested by [U.S. Anti-Doping Agency] for the next three months.
"There's a lot of things that have to happen for Georges St-Pierre to come back, and then we'll pick a date."
England's Bisping won the middleweight championship from Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in January 2016, subsequently defending the title against Dan Henderson.
The 38-year-old Bisping (31-7-0) had been campaigning for a big-money fight against St-Pierre (25-2-0).
St-Pierre's previous UFC fights were all at 170 pounds.
With files from Reuters