Trainer: Georges St-Pierre has no immediate plans for UFC return

Despite comments to RDS.ca from his former manager stating otherwise, Georges St-Pierre is not coming back to mixed martial arts (MMA) anytime soon.

That's according to his head trainer, Firas Zahabi, who earlier this afternoon dismissed those claims, telling MMA Fighting that the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion of the world, "has absolutely no return plan [right now]."

And even though Firas recently stated that he believes "Rush" has plenty of juice to perform at the highest level once all of his rehab is complete, a comeback -- if it indeed happens -- won't be likely until next year.

Then again, those are Zahabi's hopes, not St-Pierre's.

Despite having a guaranteed title shot upon his return and the urge to prove that he is the best 170-pound fighter in the world, "Rush" is enjoying his time away from fighting which -- for those of you keeping count -- is now going on 10 months since St-Pierre left the sport.

A few months later, the former champion tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee while wrestling, forcing him to go under the knife (pic) and endure several months on the sidelines and further delaying a potential comeback.

While it wouldn't hurt to have him back, the welterweight division has flourished in his absence, as plenty of top contenders have stepped up, eager to fill the void left behind by one of the all-time greats.

Chief among them is Johny Hendricks, who won the vacant strap at UFC 170 earlier this year by besting Robbie Lawler in an epic five-round affair. The two men will try to replicate that bout as they go head-to-head one more time at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Once the dust settles in "Sin City," the champion will have no shortage of challengers (see the list here) ready to end his reign at the top of the division and grab a share of the bright spotlight.