Georges St-Pierre is stepping away from fighting and relinquishing his UFC welterweight title, giving Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler the chance to fight for the vacant belt at UFC 171.
St-Pierre didn’t completely shut the door on a comeback, however, and UFC President Dana White said that he believes the fighter will return. Until that time comes, White said nothing will change in the terms of St-Pierre’s contract. Instead, GSP will simply continue where he left off.
“His contract freezes,” White said, when asked where his fighter stands from a contractual perspective. “If Georges St-Pierre stays out for six months or six years, his contract is frozen. So when he comes back, his contract will start again with his first fight [upon his return].”
St-Pierre told media members on a conference call that the pressures of being a champion, combined with the relentless pace of promoting fight cards while training for title defenses, became too much for him. As a result, St-Pierre said he needed to take an indefinite leave and agreed to vacate the title in his absence.
“I’ve been fighting for a very long time, at a very high level,” said St-Pierre. “It’s a lot of pressure. I know that UFC is a business. They have to keep things rolling, so I vacate my title.
“I need to have a normal life for a little bit,” he added. “If I come back some day, I will be even better.”
White sounded optimistic about a St-Pierre return, and applauded the now-former champion’s decision to step away to clear up whatever personal problems currently troubling the fighter.
Life goes on, the UFC boss said, but there will be more chapters to read in the book that is the career of GSP.
“Because he’s walking away,” White said, “it’s like you put a bookmark in it and wait to see how this story ends.”
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