Bisping willing to fight Romero in July if GSP isn't ready
A matchup between the UFC's two winningest fighters might not be a done deal.
Middleweight champion Michael Bisping has been pegged to fight returning legend Georges St-Pierre sometime in 2017, but with St-Pierre rumored to be angling to compete in the latter portion of the year, Bisping has apparently grown impatient.
On the most recent episode of his "Believe You Me" podcast, Bisping explained that he could take on rival Yoel Romero during International Fight Week in July if St-Pierre isn't prepared to step into the Octagon earlier.
"If he's not ready then I guess Yoel Romero gets his title shot," Bisping said, as transcribed by Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting. "Listen, I'm not afraid of Yoel Romero. If GSP wants to fight, of course, there's a great story there ... But, I'm not willing to sit around and he doesn't get to call the shots. It's my belt and I'm not some little a--hole waiting in the wings for my title shot.
"I've got the belt and I want to fight. I'm in my prime. I don't want to sit around for a year. If we don't fight until September or October, that would be a year and I'm not willing to wait a year for Georges St-Pierre."
A bout between Bisping and St-Pierre would not only pair up a current titleholder with a former one, it would also tie two fighters with the most combined UFC wins. Bisping holds the promotional record at 20, while GSP is close behind with 19.
St-Pierre, a former welterweight champion, has not fought since taking a self-imposed hiatus in November 2013. He re-signed with the UFC in February and must go through the USADA drug testing program before he is eligible to return.
While he's one of the highest-profile opponents that Bisping could possibly face, "The Count" has his sights set on a certain date and he believes that he and UFC president Dana White are on the same page.
"July 8, Las Vegas, International Fight Week is the date and the event that we are targeting," Bisping said. "But Dana wouldn't confirm the date at the press conference. But then I saw Dana a couple of weeks later when I was working at FOX and Dana said, 'Yeah we're still hoping for July 8.'
"Long story short, it looks like GSP is trying to push for a later date. I heard rumors of that a while ago from Ariel Helwani. I heard that they wanted September/October and that's what the UFC told me as well. But I'm just throwing it out there right now, if he wants to wait until September or October, then he can go find himself another opponent, buddy."
Should Bisping agree to fight Romero instead, it would be the culmination of a months-long feud that has seen the Cuban fighter calling for a shot at the middleweight title. Romero is 8-0 in the UFC and became the No. 1 contender after knocking out Chris Weidman in November.