GSP entered USADA pool before rule change, could be cleared for July return

Georges St-Pierre's return to the Octagon won't be hampered by any excess red tape.

The former UFC welterweight champ re-entered the USADA testing pool before a change in protocol was implemented on April 1, and will therefore undergo four months of screening - as opposed to the six now required of fighters returning from retirement - before being cleared to return to the Octagon, the anti-doping agency told FOX Sports' Damon Martin Wednesday.

GSP rejoined the USADA pool in March, just a few weeks after returning to the UFC on a four-fight deal, and has since been tested, Martin reports, thereby making him eligible to return around July. The Quebec native had put the wheels for his comeback in motion last August, only to remove himself from the testing cycle when attempts to hammer out a new contract with the promotion hit an impasse.

The 35-year-old had previously cited the anti-doping agency's prerequisites as a temporary obstacle to his return bout opposite middleweight king Michael Bisping, but the timeline on his drug screening falls in line with UFC president Dana White's designs on booking the fight for UFC 213 - scheduled for July 8 - as the grand finale of International Fight Week. St-Pierre, however, has been eyeing a fall date for the marquee showdown.

GSP will end a layoff dating back to November 2013 when he steps into the cage to face Bisping. He last fought at UFC 167, where he defended his welterweight strap with a split decision over Johny Hendricks.