The UFC and Georges St-Pierre’s contract negotiations have been a long, drawn out affair. Finally, however, it seems they are at an end.

The two parties have reached an agreement, and the welterweight legend is set to sign a new contract, MMAFighting is reporting, and we could see the Canadian back in the Octagon later this year.

Last year, St-Pierre announced his intention of returning to active competition after taking a prolonged hiatus from the sport. He enrolled in USADA testing, and even mentioned a few opponents he’d be interested in — only for UFC president Dana White to repeatedly deny the claims and suggest St-Pierre was merely trying to stay relevant.

While those words were treated with skepticism, particularly in light of the welterweight’s repeated insistence, it did appear the UFC were reluctant to get a deal done. At one point, St-Pierre even announced that the UFC were not fulfilling the terms of his contract, and he was now a free agent.

Since then, it appears the two sides managed to overcome their differences, and now all that remains is decision on who GSP should face in his return.

A bout with middleweight champion Michael Bisping at 185-pounds has long been rumoured, with the Brit even revealing last week that he knew it was the fight St-Pierre wanted. Bisping has made it clear he would be happy to accept that bout, but should the UFC make it, they would risk upsetting a number of current middleweight contenders, none more so than Yoel Romero.

Or, perhaps if St-Pierre preferred to go down in weight rather than up, it’s been suggested that a superfight with Conor McGregor has interested him. With McGregor’s current message that the UFC fighters around him need to do more to entice him back into the Octagon, it’s likely a possible fight with one of the greatest of all time could fit the bill.

At an hour long Q&A event recently, the Irishman had some words for St-Pierre, accusing him of only showing an interest in MMA unionisation to suit his own needs.

“The only reason you (St-Pierre) are standing in the middle of that union is because you couldn’t get the deal you want. You’re the fakest of everyone up there,” he said.

St-Pierre walked away from mixed martial arts in 2013 after growing disillusioned with the pressure from being a longtime champion, and did so on a 12 fight win streak.