St. Pierre (left) And Hendricks With White During UFC 167 Official Weigh-in
Nov 15, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC 167 Welterweight challenger Georges St. Pierre (left) and welterweight champion Johny Hendricks pose for photographs with UFC president Dana White during the official weigh-in of UFC 167 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Reuters/Stephen R. Sylvanie-US

Chris Weidman and Johny Hendricks have been feasting on the absence of some of the top names in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It is well-known that Weidman had the most to do with the absence of Silva after breaking his leg in their last fight, a rematch after the American stunned the Spider with one punch. St. Pierre is another thing, as he was forced to leave the sports and his belt behind due to a torn left ACL he suffered last March while training.

Now, he appears to be closer to returning to the Octagon after receiving clearance from the medical staff that he can resume the rigors of a fight. Since last month, reports were ripe that the Canadian fighter was already hitting the gym and working on regaining his strength. This time UFC head honcho Dana White himself confirmed the news that his welterweight champion is good and ready to go.

"They cleared GSP's knee," White said per UFC.com. "After surgery like that it still takes about another 30 days before you start to mentally feel right. But he's in a good spot."

There is still speculation if the 33-year-old fighter will ever grace the Octagon once again. After defending the belt for ninth consecutive time and emerging triumphant once again over Johny Hendricks, St. Pierre had to leave the sport but did not give a final word if he will be retiring. Despite this, White has been on record saying that St. Pierre will immediately receive a title fight if ever he decides to return.

In his absence, Hendricks has been lording it over the welterweight class. He has already annexed the vacant title by beating Robbie Lawler and is set to defend the distinction in December in a rematch at UFC 181. The fight will have GSP's shadow all over considering that the Canadian is one of the sport's biggest draw. His former manager Stephane Pantry even got ahead of himself when he announced that his former ward had officially decided to return. However, St. Pierre denied those declarations and said that he is still on the fence on the comeback issue.