Michael Bisping says he agreed to fight George St-Pierre; Dana White denies

ByBrett Okamoto ESPN logo

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping says he has verbally agreed to fight Georges St-Pierre at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto -- but UFC president Dana White immediately shut the idea down when reached by ESPN.com.

Bisping (30-7) called out St-Pierre directly via social media on Tuesday. The 37-year-old claimed he had already agreed to face the Canadian star and was simply waiting on him to accept.

"We all want more money," Bisping wrote on Twitter, "But let's go, sign the papers. Give the people of Toronto what they want, be a hero! Let's go champ!"

Bisping, who is coming off a successful title defense earlier this month, went on to say the UFC had been negotiating the fight "the last few days."

But in a text message to ESPN.com, White said the matchup wouldn't happen.

"There is no Bisping vs. GSP fight in Toronto," White said. "I know Mike wants it but it's not happening."

Bisping's management did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A former welterweight champion, St-Pierre (25-2) dropped a bombshell last week when he announced he'd terminated his contract with the UFC. His attorney, Jim Quinn, told ESPN.com the fighter's legal team had found the UFC in breach of contract and therefore viewed St-Pierre as a free agent. The UFC quickly released a statement saying St-Pierre remained under exclusive contract.

St-Pierre vacated the 170-pound title and walked away from professional fighting in 2013. He told The MMA Hour last week, however, he had been in negotiations with the UFC regarding a comeback since February.

Those talks recently broke down, according to St-Pierre. He said the UFC's announcement it had sold for $4 billion in July significantly slowed negotiations.

Fighting out of Tristar MMA in Montreal, St-Pierre hasn't fought since a decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November 2013. A light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson is currently scheduled to headline UFC 206 at Air Canada Centre.