Georges St-Pierre will return to action soon, and the UFC's matchmakers are probably already scrambling to figure out how to capitalize on the legendary welterweight's comeback.
With apologies to Demian Maia and the Diaz brothers, GSP has a number of satisfying options in front of him. Whether he's looking for profitable fights, fresh challenges, or MMA immortality, here are the scenarios that could best maximize St-Pierre's talents.
The ultimate money fight
There's no bigger fight the UFC can make than Georges St-Pierre versus Conor McGregor.
If the UFC's dream of selling out a venue like AT&T Stadium is to come to fruition, a meeting between two of their most proven draws is the only matchup that could do it. Besides Brock Lesnar, nobody in the 2000s sold pay-per-views like St-Pierre.
McGregor has since gone on to break every PPV record in promotional history and often generated those results against opponents without nearly the same drawing power. Pair him up with a dance partner who brings his own mystique to the Octagon and the sky is the limit.
If McGregor can compete at 170 pounds for Nate Diaz, he'd certainly do it again for GSP.
Who needs Floyd Mayweather?
The new generation
Regardless of who St-Pierre fights, he's going to be well-compensated, so that gives him the option of pursuing intriguing challenges as opposed to simply gunning for names that will fatten his wallet.
St-Pierre was the man in the welterweight division for seven years, and he has to be asking himself if he has what it takes to climb that mountain again. That means going head to head with one of today's top guns at 170 pounds: UFC champion Tyron Woodley or No. 1 contender Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.
Woodley and Thompson go five more rounds at UFC 209 in a rematch of their close majority draw back in November. Whoever wins will set themselves up for a match with St-Pierre, the man many consider to be the greatest welterweight of all time.
This is a can't-lose scenario for the UFC, which can market a triumphant GSP all over again, or see one of its newer fighters elevated by a win over a legend.
The legacy fight
Way before McGregor made it look easy to jump between weight classes, the dream match to make was St-Pierre versus Anderson Silva.
While St-Pierre took on all challengers at 170 pounds, Silva ruled over the middleweight division with an iron fist. "The Spider" routinely made his opponents look like amateurs with his highlight-reel KOs, a stark contrast to the more methodical decision wins of St-Pierre.
Fans were starving to see St-Pierre go up in weight and challenge Silva, but the timing was never right for the two to face off. Fast forward to the present and the 41-year-old Silva suddenly finds himself back in the win column after eking out a win over Derek Brunson, while St-Pierre just so happens to be returning to competition. Suddenly, the dominoes are falling into place.
Should that fight fail to materialize, there is the appealing alternative of a bout between St-Pierre and current middleweight champion Michael Bisping. This one is even closer to becoming a reality, since the two have openly addressed a potential match that would be rife with historical implications.
A win over Bisping would make St-Pierre just the fourth UFC fighter to capture world titles in two divisions, and it would move him back into a tie with Bisping for the most UFC victories with 20.
