GSP Is Ill With Disease, UFC Return Pushed Back

It would appear that UFC middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre's next octagon performance may be later than initially expected. Georges St-Pierre put on a dominant run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's welterweight division. Defending his welterweight title from Johny Hendricks back in 2013, "Rush" announced that he was going on a lenghty hiatus from the sport of mixed martial arts after cultivating a stunning 12 fight winning streak. Nearly four years later, St-Pierre decided to make his big octagon return. Moving up in weight, "Rush" challenged UFC middleweight champion Michael "The Count" Bisping for his title. The two MMA veterans squared off in the main event of UFC 217, the UFC's second appearance inside the illustrious Madison Square Garden in New York. The two fighters put on a bloody war for the New York crowd, but St-Pierre ultimately walked away with a submission victory over "The Count." Moving forward, St-Pierre has claimed that he is contractually obligated to face off against interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a title unification fight next. That being said, it would appear that St-Pierre will need some time to recover from a serious illness before the champion can face off inside the octagon again. Speaking to MMA Junkie at a recent media scrum, UFC President Dana White revealed that the UFC middleweight champion is currently suffering from colitis and is out indefinitely. “They called me yesterday, and I think it’s out that he has colitis." Dana White said. "So he’s out for a minute.” St-Pierre later offered a statement over Facebook concerning the matter. The fighter confirmed that he is suffering from colitis and that he recently had to visit the hospital for a colonoscopy due to the illness. "I now understand the health issues that I had during my last training camp... I hoped my condition would improve after the fight but unfortunately it got worse and I had to go straight to the hospital for a colonoscopy when I came back from vacation last Wednesday. The diagnosis is ulcerative colitis and I am now taking medication that will hopefully appease the symptoms. My health is my #1 priority right now, I’m still a very happy man, thanks for your support!!!" https://www.facebook.com/georgesstpierre/posts/10159863431415650 For more MMA news click here.