Georges St-Pierre says he's ready to make UFC return

Georges St-Pierre, who stepped away from MMA fighting in late 2013 after a ninth straight defense of his UFC welterweight title, said Monday in a phone interview with "The MMA Hour" that he is prepared for a comeback.

"I'm ready," St-Pierre, 35, said when asked whether he was prepared for a return to the UFC, after having alluded to the possibility in recent interviews.

"My agents, even before I came on the show today, they briefed me. They said, 'Don't say this, don't say that.' They briefed me, they said, 'We're in negotiations, remember, blah, blah, blah.' I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't worry, I'm not a kid.'

"But I'm an emotional guy, and when I get emotional sometimes, I say things that are not necessarily in the best of my interests, and I try to not go overboard with that.

"But the only thing is, I love my sport and I still feel I'm at my best right now. The clock is running. I'm not getting any younger. I'm in my peak of my career, and if there is a shot, there is another goal, another run, I better do it and do it quick, because it is time to do it now."

St-Pierre, considered one of the best MMA fighters of all time, has a 25-2 record and held the UFC welterweight title from 2007 to 2013, beating Johny Hendricks in a split decision at UFC 167 the last time he fought.

He first won the title when he beat Matt Hughes in November 2006, before losing to Matt Serra in his first title defense in April 2007. He reclaimed the title in late 2007 and held it until he walked away six years later.

Robbie Lawler is the current UFC welterweight champion. But middleweight champion Michael Bisping and featherweight titleholder Conor McGregor have been mentioned as possible opponents if St-Pierre returns.