Champion St-Pierre will rest, then decide his future

• Georges St-Pierre defeated Carlos Condit at UFC 154
• Middleweight Anderson Silva is interested in a catchweight champion-vs.-champion bout
• Middleweight Johny Hendricks knocked out Martin Kampmann with one punch

Following a 19-month injury layoff, recovery from ACL surgery, and a grueling fight camp, UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre plans to take a well-deserved vacation.

Few could deny he earned it after a bloody five-round victory at the UFC 154 event in Montreal.

But at the same time, his victory fueled speculation about whom he'll face next, and when.

As he sat down at the post-UFC 154 news conference clutching an enormous ice pack to his bruised and swollen head, St-Pierre heard all sorts of suggestions about what he should do next.

He just didn't hear any ideas he liked well enough to commit to. Not yet, anyway.

Before St-Pierre's pay-per-view victory, UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva had expressed interest in a catchweight champion-vs.-champion bout with the UFC 154 headliner. But then, that was before welterweight Johny Hendricks (14-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) put himself on the list of top welterweight contenders with a one-punch knockout of Martin Kampmann (20-6, 11-5) in the first round of the co-main event.

By the time St-Pierre's work was done, one thing he wasn't lacking was options. But these are big decisions, and the 31-year-old Canadian titleholder wasn't going to be rushed.

"I just got hit," said St-Pierre (23-2, 17-2), gesturing to a lump on his forehead that had come courtesy of a kick from interim champ Carlos Condit (28-6, 5-2), who dropped a unanimous decision in the title-unification bout. "I need some vacation before I make a decision."

The most profitable option would seem to be Silva (33-4, 16-0), who spoke to reporters just to declare his willingness to go down in weight for a superfight with his fellow champion. St-Pierre has held the UFC welterweight title since April 2008, and Silva has ruled the middleweight division since October 2006. A cross-division superfight with the two likely would be the richest fight in MMA history.

"Georges St-Pierre for my next fight? Maybe," Silva said, before quickly adding that it wasn't his call to make. "It's (UFC President) Dana (White)'s decision."

If that's the case, then the St-Pierre vs. Silva bout is all but a done deal. White has repeatedly expressed his desire to book the fight, preferably in May, either in St-Pierre's home country of Canada, Silva's turf in Brazil, or maybe even neutral ground at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Then again, White could have other plans.

"I wouldn't rule out that Georges fights one more time and then fights Anderson," White said.

That could be good news for top welterweight contender Hendricks, whose five-fight win streak is hard to ignore. A former NCAA national champion wrestler at Oklahoma State, Hendricks could have the grappling chops to force the well-rounded St-Pierre into a stand-up battle, as well as and the power to finish it on his feet.

"I'm a wrestler, and I can knock people out," Hendricks quipped after his latest victory. "That's pretty sweet, huh?"

With so many suitors, St-Pierre won't be lacking work in the months to come. Now it's just a question of which fight he'll choose, and when he'll decide.

First, though, he wants that vacation. It just might have to be a little shorter than he originally planned.

Fowlkes also writes for MMAjunkie.com