Georges St-Pierre has been cleared to train again following a second major knee surgery, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will return to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon again.
UFC president Dana White said in an interview that St-Pierre was already given green light to train seventh months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.
"They cleared GSP's knee," White said via UFC.com. "After surgery like that it still takes about another 30 days before you start to mentally feel right. But he's in a good spot."
White, together with UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertita, recently traveled to Montreal, Canada to visit St-Pierre and know more about the status of his recovery from the knee injury.
White clarified, though, that they are still unsure about GSP's plan, saying that the former UFC welterweight champion will tell them about his decision in the next several weeks.
"His knee just got cleared and he'll start training again and getting back into shape. He'll let us know when he's ready. When the time comes and if the time comes, they'll figure it out," White added.
St-Pierre has not fought since stepping away from UFC after his victory against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. The 33-year-old Canadian has been mum about his future plans, but his longtime coach, Firas Zahabi recently said in an interview that he believes his fighter will return to the Octagon.
"I believe there's still a lot of fire in him," Zahabi said via The Globe and Mail. "I just think he needs to balance his life a lot more. When you run, you trip. He did too many fights too soon, too much. I think he's just got to space them out. He can handle that. He just needs to have some personal life as well."
In the event St-Pierre decides to fight again, White said that the former welterweight kingpin will get a title shot.
GSP has already made it clear, though, that he won't fight reigning welterweight champion Rory MacDonald in a title showdown because they are from the same stable, but White expressed confidence that the two fighters will eventually agree to face each other.
"We didn't even talk about that," White said. "I've always had the feeling - they're both professionals and when the time comes and if the time comes, they'll figure it out."
