Nearly 18 months since capturing a unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields at UFC 129, UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is finally preparing to make his return to a division which has undergone a significant facelift in his absence following knee surgery. 

"It's like there's a lot of new challenges and I'm very happy to be back," St-Pierre told MMAWeekly. "It's like a new thing; it's actually pretty cool. I feel a lot more motivation right now. It's exciting. Look for bigger and better challenges."

When St. Pierre last fought in April of 2011, consensus MMA welterweight rankings had the following fighters ranked in the top five:

1. Georges St. Pierre 
2. Jon Fitch
3. Thiago Alves
4. Jake Shields
5. Josh Koscheck

Here are the consensus top five welterweights today:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Carlos Condit
3. Nick Diaz
4. Johny Hendrix
5. Jon Fitch

Only Fitch has remained among the division's top contenders in the 18-months since St. Pierre's been inactive and the champ has a whole new list of challengers. Chief among them, current interim welterweight champ Carlos Condit.

"He can change, that's why he's so good. He can change the way he fights according to his opponent. That's why he's so good and I know that," St. Pierre said. "I'm going to take that fight and fight the best I can, and give it all I can."