Dana White: Romero-Whittaker interim title fight possible, GSP says he’ll return at 170

Dana White: Romero-Whittaker interim title fight possible, GSP says he’ll return at 170

UFC president Dana White provides an update on the middleweight title picture, as well as Georges St-Pierre’s return to fighting.

The UFC’s middleweight title picture is as murky as it’s ever been. Plans were initially to have champion Michael Bisping face off against former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, ideally in July, but that looks like it’s been shelved. Dana White said that GSP was not going to be able to make his return to the Octagon until November, and that they weren’t going to wait for him.

Bisping evidently is still recovering from a knee injury, so he won’t be ready to compete again “anytime soon,” which means he’ll be creeping upon a full year since his successful title defense against Dan Henderson. With contenders waiting in the wings for a shot at Bisping’s title, most notably #1 ranked Yoel Romero, White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto what the promotion has in mind should Bisping-Romero not come to fruition.

"We're trying to put together that Bisping-Romero fight," White said. "If [Bisping] can't fight this summer, we'll probably create an interim title between Romero and Robert Whittaker."

Whittaker is coming off a sensational TKO win over Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FOX 24 in April. He is a perfect 6-0 since moving up to middleweight, while Romero is 8-0 since dropping down from light heavyweight. There has never been an interim middleweight title fight in UFC history.

As for GSP’s future, White relayed that "[St-Pierre] says he will fight whoever the 170-pound champion is when he comes back."

Current champion Tyron Woodley is on course to face Demian Maia, but he does have his eyes on either Nick Diaz or St-Pierre.