Former two division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre has come forward with a critical statement concerning UFC President Dana White.
St-Pierre caused a bit of a stir when he decided to make an octagon return back in 2017. The fighter moved up in weight and submitted Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title.
The UFC president would go on to claim that St-Pierre was contractually obligated to defend his title, rather than shift divisions. However, St-Pierre vacated the belt entirely after suffering a debilitating case of colitis.
Speaking on the latest edition of The MMA Hour, St-Pierre explained that he is not looking to end his fighting career just yet. Furthermore, the fighter does not believe Dana White is a controlling factor in the matter.
“I’ve not closed the door (on my career). And also, I will have to think about what weight (I return at), at 185, 170, 155, what would be the weight. I’ve won the title at 170 many times. Doesn’t mean I cannot go back and try to go for the title, but for me, now that I’m at the end of my career, if I do something, it needs to be something that excites me, something that is a win-win situation that can elevate me. I’ve said it many times. I know I repeat myself, but it’s the truth.”
“I could’ve lost a lot. I put my legacy on the line. It was very risky. It was an idea that started first with my coach John Danaher, he said, ‘You’ve been fighting at 170 all of your life, one of your main criticisms was that never went up a weight class. Why don’t you try to take on the champion at 185?’ And I thought it was a great idea to shut down one of the criticisms, and I had a lot of time to put on some weight, and that’s what I did. And I changed my way of training. I tried to make myself more exciting as a fighter, more opportunistic, someone who can finish fights actually, not win a decision. That was my other criticism. I wanted to win by finish, and I believe I answered both of those criticisms at the same time. That’s why this fight, I’m very happy about the result of that fight.
“If I would’ve lost, I would’ve lost big. It was a risk. I took the risk. And (UFC president) Dana (White) maybe is not happy about it, because he doesn’t control me. Maybe he’s used to dealing with people that he controls, but he does not control me. I don’t depend on fighting. I don’t need the UFC to live. I have been there, done that, but I don’t depend on fighting. I have other stuff on the side that has nothing to do with the UFC, and I don’t need to fight for the rest of my life if I don’t want to.”
“I can’t fight right now, and things in MMA change very rapidly,” St-Pierre said. “I don’t know. Maybe in a few months a guy will win a title and he’s going to be the new pound-for-pound king, and maybe that will excite me. Who knows?”
