UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping is expected to defend the title against former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre later this year.
The middleweight champion has given GSP a July deadline to fight him or Bisping says he'll be defending the gold against somebody else.
“July 8, Las Vegas, International Fight Week is the date and the event that we are targeting. 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. Because I call the shots. Without sounding like an a**hole, it’s my belt. I’m the champion and I’m not willing to sit around until September or October. This fight was discussed in January. A fight camp only takes eight weeks or six weeks. Fighting in September or October is ridiculous. July 8 is the date. I will be a little bit flexible and maybe go past that a little bit but I want to fight at International Fight Week, July 8. So Georges St-Pierre, get it together. Stop doing your f**king gymnastics, stop doing your backflips and whatever it is and let’s do this, buddy. Come on, sign the paperwork. You want it. You sat there at the press conference. You talked big. You sounded confident so sign the God d**n paperwork. It’s as simple as that,” Bisping said on the Believe You Me podcast.
Assuming that the fight falls through, the middleweight champion is preparing to defend the championship against Yoel Romero.
“If he’s not ready then I guess Yoel Romero gets his title shot. 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. He doesn’t get to call the shots. And I’m not being a baby about it, if he needs a little extra time, we’ll do that. But you can’t keep me waiting around indefinitely,” says Bisping.
Neither the UFC or GSP has yet to respond to the deadline set by the Bisping.
Upon hearing the news, the man who may be getting the title shot in Yoel Romero has seemingly dismissed the claims made by Bisping.
Romero issued his response on Twitter:
I think @bisping will do as gsp wants. He doesn't have the heart nor the juevos to fight me. If he did he would fight me in July. #ynuevo https://t.co/AOy8wUU548
— Peoples Champ (@YoelRomeroMMA) March 28, 2017
Although it has been over a month since the fight was announced, a firm date for the fight was never announced by any of the parties involved.
