St-Pierre expects comeback fight to take place after July

The long-awaited return of Georges St-Pierre is going to take a little longer.

During an appearance on "The MMA Hour" on Monday, the welterweight great announced that his comeback bout versus UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping will likely take place in the second half of 2017.

"I know it will be after July, this is for sure," said St-Pierre. "I can't tell you exactly when because there are a lot of things I need to do for the infrastructure and everything, it will be after the summer, that's for sure."

The update comes on the heels of St-Pierre officially re-signing with the promotion in February.

Beyond the expected preparations that St-Pierre will make for his first fight in over three years, the 35-year-old fighter must undergo four months of testing with the USADA before being eligible to compete, per his status as a fighter coming out of retirement. GSP actually entered the agency's testing program last August, but removed himself when it looked like he would be unable to work out a new deal with the UFC.

UFC president Dana White had previously said he hoped St-Pierre-Bisping would be a possibility to headline International Fight Week in July, but it appears that is off the table.