Fighter Georges St-Pierre on Saturday at UFC 217 picked "up right where he left off four years ago" by claiming the middleweight title from Michael Bisping via a third-round submission, showing he is not only back, but he "might be just as good as ever," according to Martin Rogers of USA TODAY. It was beginning to appear that the UFC’s "most notable cache of star power was entering a terminal funk, here was one of the biggest names of all, not just delivering but also silencing many of the doubters who felt the rust would be too much to shake off." The buzz now will "turn to what happens next with St-Pierre." UFC President Dana White said that St-Pierre he is being "lined up to take on interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, possibly in Whittaker’s native Australia" at a PPV in February. However, what "threatens to send the rumor mill into overdrive ... and could generate monumental paydays for both fighters and White" would be St-Pierre taking on Conor McGregor. There is a "size difference, but it is feasible that the pair could square off" (USA TODAY, 11/6). The NATIONAL POST's Daniel Austin wrote it "seems inevitable" St-Pierre and McGregor "will be set on a crash-course towards one another" (NATIONAL POST, 11/5). However, White texted "Noooo" about the "question of there being any chance" that St-Pierre fights McGregor next (LATIMES.com, 11/5).
THE HEART OF THE CARD: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote UFC 217 was "one of the most remarkable nights in the UFC’s history" with three title changes, and the card "might have been the greatest" in UFC history. White said that indications are that the PPV "did well over" $1M. In addition to "being a great night of fights, it was also a big night for the business" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/5). ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto wrote UFC 217 was a "shot in the arm for the entire sport." Okamoto: "No hyperbole: UFC 217 in Madison Square Garden was one of the best nights in MMA history" (ESPN.com, 11/5). In L.A., Lance Pugmire wrote it was a "card for the ages" and something that "salved the sting of the organization's uneventful year." It also "boosts 2018 with a slate of irresistable matchups" (LATIMES.com, 11/5). In N.Y., Michael Blaustein wrote UFC 217 "somehow surpassed UFC 205." While that event saw McGregor win over Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, "one of the greatest moments in UFC history," UFC 217 will be "remembered as one of the best cards ever." Three titles "were contested." Three titles "changed hands." And all of the fights "were classics" (N.Y. POST, 11/5). In DC, Payne & Wagenheim wrote it was a card that "left fans and fellow fighters astounded, and it injected a renewed excitement into the UFC brand that has been waning since Ronda Rousey’s last defeat" and McGregor’s foray into boxing (WASHINGTON POST, 11/5). In Las Vegas, Adam Hill wrote UFC 217 was "one of the wildest nights" in the promotion's history (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/5).
