Report: St-Pierre, UFC agree to terms on new contract

GSP is back.

Welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre has agreed to terms on a new multi-fight contract with the UFC and is expected to sign soon, according to a report from Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, citing multiple sources.

The deal has not been finalized, but the promotion is aiming to have St-Pierre compete in the third quarter of 2017. It will be the fighter's first bout since Nov. 16, 2013, a split decision win over Johny Hendricks that marked St-Pierre's last title defense before he chose to take a hiatus from competition.

In the three years since the Hendricks fight, the 35-year-old St-Pierre has never said he is fully retired.

Last year, rumors began to swirl about a St-Pierre return, but they were bogged down by public comments from both UFC president Dana White and St-Pierre himself. White repeatedly claimed GSP no longer had the drive to fight, while St-Pierre maintained that his issues with the UFC were strictly financial.

St-Pierre has a number of lucrative sponsorship deals that could be complicated by the UFC's exclusive apparel deal with Reebok. It is not known yet how that dynamic will be addressed in this new deal.

During his run with the UFC from 2004-2013, St-Pierre established himself as the greatest fighter ever at welterweight and one of the pound-for-pound best of all time. His 19 wins and nine consecutive successful title defenses are both tied for second in the annals of the Octagon, and he holds wins over fellow luminaries Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, and Nick Diaz among many others.