Georges St-Pierre is leaving middleweight behind…
The news that former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would be relinquishing his middleweight title before ever defending it was a disheartening, if somewhat foreseeable development. St-Pierre, who captured the title via a thrilling submission of Michael Bisping at UFC 217 last month following a four year absence from the sport, revealed an ongoing battle with colitis as the primary reasoning for his departure, telling TSN that he “didn’t think” he’d be back before formally relinquishing title days later.
“My fight at UFC 217 was one of the greatest nights of my life but I now need to take some time to focus on my health,” St-Pierre said. “Out of respect to the athletes and the sport, I don’t want to hold up the division. I will be giving up my belt and once I’m healthy I look forward to working with the UFC to determine what’s next in my career.”
As a result of St-Pierre’s sudden departure, the UFC quickly scrambled to promote the bout between interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Luke Rockhold at UFC 221 into a fight for the now-vacant middleweight title. With some fans calling for St-Pierre’s head following the announcement and others appearing a little more understanding, one person who both sides probably didn’t expect an even-keeled response from was that of Dana White.
The UFC President, who infamously tore into St-Pierre following his initial departure from the sport back in 2013, had been adamant that St-Pierre would defend the middleweight title (should he win it) in the lead-up to UFC 217, saying that he’d be “pissed” if he chose to back out afterward.
While speaking with reporters following UFC Fresno last night, however, White issued a surprising about-face, claiming that he “expected” St-Pierre to vacate the middleweight title even before he had won it.
“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. He came out, he hand-picked Bisping and then went away again. So, whatever, it is what it is.
While it’s a refreshing bit of honesty from White, it is rather disheartening to hear him so readily admit that he allowed GSP to game the system for a one-time payout. “It is what it is” isn’t exactly a satisfying resolution to St-Pierre’s much-hyped return, and aside from essentially admitting to anyone who paid for UFC 217 that they were being sold wolf tickets the entire time — to borrow a phrase from Nick Diaz — it also speaks to the continuing disregard with which the UFC treats the very titles it uses to prop up its pay-per-views. But then, I suppose that’s what puts the “entertainment” in this form of “sports entertainment” we cling to, isn’t it?
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Jared Jones is a writer, musician, and filmmaker currently residing in Boston, MA. Angry comments can be directed to his Twitter and/or Facebook pages.
