(This story first was published at USA TODAY Sports.) <\/p>\n
Just when the UFC looked to be reeling after collecting a series of metaphorical bloody noses, it came leaping off the canvas with a double dose of positive news Friday. <\/p>\n
OK, enough with the tired fight-related clichs, but the revelations that MMAicon Georges St-Pierre will return to the sport after a three-year layoff, followed soon after by womens superstar Cristiane Justino being cleared of a doping infraction, meant a huge day for the UFC and PresidentDana White. <\/p>\n
It also spelled a comeback of sorts, following a disappointing couple of months for the organization. <\/p>\n
The recent narrative for UFC has hardly been positive. Last summers sale of the company to WME-IMG for $4.2 billion lined the bank accounts of White and his business partners, the Fertitta brothers, yet created other headaches. <\/p>\n
Suddenly, and legitimately, fighters wanted a greater piece of the pie, and every contractual negotiation White has entered into since has been significantly more fraught than in the past. <\/p>\n
The UFC is now in a superstar-driven era and they dont come any bigger in UFC history than St-Pierre. The Canadian, 35, never officially announced his retirement but was widely thought to be done, and completing a deal to bring him back is a major coup. <\/p>\n
Crossover star power is what the UFC has long coveted, but it brings issues of its own. Sometimes the big names fail to live up to the hype and are exposed, brutally so, like Ronda Rousey, whom White admitted recently might never be seen in an octagon again after a second consecutive crushing defeat, doled out by Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30. <\/p>\n
Sometimes the star only rises, like Conor McGregor, and that doesnt stop the problems from mounting either. McGregor is now so big that he is not just demanding all-time record paydays but also a stake in UFC equity, while having his head turned outside of MMA, with a boxing match between him and Floyd Mayweather, incredibly, appearing to move closer to fruition. <\/p>\n
Given that the UFCs recent approach has been to build its calendar around marquee names on the biggest dates, it had suddenly found itself short of firepower. No Rousey, not for a while at least. No McGregor, certainly not until after his baby is born later this year and maybe not for quite some time after that. No Jon Jones, who is serving a suspension due to a doping infraction. <\/p>\n
All this is why having St-Pierre back matters so much. He is an icon in the sport, having made his UFC debut 13 years ago and lost only twice, to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra before, later avenging both defeats. <\/p>\n
His victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129 drew a record crowd of 55,724 at Torontos Rogers Centre, a number only beaten in 2015 when Rousey and Holly Holm faced off in Australia. <\/p>\n
In the most unpredictable of sports, St-Pierre racked up a streak of 12 consecutive victories before finishing up in 2013 with wins over Nick Diaz and Johny Hendricks. <\/p>\n
A lot has changed since then. After losing to St-Pierre, Hendricks went to the top of the heap, becoming welterweight champion, then to the edge of the scrapheap, having lost four of his last five fights and three in a row in 2016. <\/p>\n
Diazs brother, Nate, has remarkably ridden his irreverent personality and non-conformist nature to become one of the biggest draws in the company. And standards of athleticism and professionalism, two facets in which St-Pierre was unrivaled, have risen greatly. <\/p>\n
St. Pierres return will be perhaps the most anticipated fight of the year. No opponent has yet been announced, though middleweight champ Michael Bisping and welterweight forces Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson could be high on the list. <\/p>\n
Having an event like that on the radar will likely help UFC fans forget about last weeks UFC 208 snoozer, which offered poor value for money with a series of disappointing, low-action fights, topped by a dull main event for the womens featherweight title, won by Germaine de Randamie against Holm. <\/p>\n
Fridays announcement that Cyborg, widely considered the best womens fighter in the world, is cleared to compete after being granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption after testing positive for a banned diuretic, capped a day for White where everything went right. <\/p>\n
Given that the UFC essentially created a womens featherweight division solely to accommodate Justino, the sense of relief was palpable. Already the speculation as to whom, and when, Justino and St-Pierre would fight, is underway. <\/p>\n
And just like that, the UFCs comeback was starting to gather momentum. <\/p>\n
For more on the UFC, visit the Rumors section of the site. <\/p>\n
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Read more:<\/p>\n
UFC back in business with return of 'Cyborg' Justino, Georges St-Pierre - MMAjunkie.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (This story first was published at USA TODAY Sports.) Just when the UFC looked to be reeling after collecting a series of metaphorical bloody noses, it came leaping off the canvas with a double dose of positive news Friday. Continue reading