Georges St-Pierre’s MMA career has taken an unexpected turn as of late. The fighter made his big return to the UFC earlier this year after going on a lengthy hiatus from the sport back in 2013. For his big return, the fighter moved up in weight to face off against UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping for his title at UFC 217. “Rush” went on to choke out the “The Count” for the middleweight strap. However, things have not been going St-Pierre’s way since.
In the wake of a debilitating medical issue, as St-Pierre is stricken with colitis, the fighter has vacated the middleweight title and has put his MMA career once again on hold. UFC President Dana White recently offered his reaction to the news, as St-Pierre was contractually obligated to unify his title in a fight against interim champion Robert Whittaker after his fight with Bisping.
Speaking in a media scrum, as offered byMMA Fighting, White explained that he expected to be angry at the news. However, the UFC president has kept his cool.
“I thought I would be (super pissed), but I’m not. I expected it,” White said. “Listen, I had him sign a contract that said he would defend against Whittaker for a reason — because I knew he wouldn’t.”
“At the end of the day, there’s a reason I put that stuff in the contract for him to sign,” White insisted. “There’s a reason. And am I shocked? I don’t think anybody is shocked. He came out, he hand-picked Bisping and then went away again. So, whatever, it is what it is.”
“He doesn’t want to fight anybody at welterweight,” White continued. “That’s why he fought Bisping. He didn’t want to fight (Tyron) Woodley, he didn’t want to fight (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. He didn’t want to fight any of those guys. He wanted to fight Michael Bisping, and he did, and now he’s off again. So, listen, I’m not shocked, I’m not mad. It is what it is.”
