The relationship between Dana White and Georges St-Pierre is still an openly toxic one. The latest example of this came on Wednesday as the UFC president bashed the former middleweight champion in an interview with ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto.
“There is no status,” White said when asked about the timetable for St-Pierre’s next fight. “I knew what he was doing. That’s why I put (a mandatory title defense) into his contract. I don’t know, man. I don’t think the guy wants to fight. I think he jumped in, grabbed some cash and went back to Canada.”
After a nearly four-year-long hiatus from fighting, St-Pierre returned at UFC 217 to capture the middleweight title from Michael Bisping in dramatic fashion. Despite the fact that the event was a booming success from both a business and entertainment perspective, St-Pierre surrendered the belt just 31 days later, a move that left many fans, fighters and pundits feeling sour.
While St-Pierre’s decision was because of an ulcerative colitis diagnosis, the Canadian’s consistent reluctance to commit to being a full-time member of the division left many feeling like St-Pierre had pulled one over on the UFC and his fellow 185-pound contenders.
White, for his part, isn’t hiding his frustration with the situation but insists he knew this was St-Pierre’s plan all along. That said, this is far from the first time White has suspiciously questioned Rush’s ethics and competitive spirit.
The two sides had a major falling out in 2013 after St-Pierre announced that he was taking a hiatus from MMA. The announcement was met with a tirade by White that drove a profound wedge between the two and suggested longstanding animosity on the part of White. While White’s tune on St-Pierre changed for a brief time, he became oddly hostile towards St-Pierre in 2015 when rumbles of a comeback began intensifying, which continued until he officially put pen to paper with the UFC in 2016. Things didn’t end there, however, as the two sides had a yearlong tug-of-war over who St-Pierre would face in his return.
(Warning: NSFW language in video.)
St-Pierre ultimately won that battle, but White seems to be looking for a rematch as the next chapter of St-Pierre’s career begins. Now free to pursue a fight in any division he chooses, all signs point to St-Pierre angling for a bout with the UFC’s top draw, Conor McGregor. How does White feel about what could easily be the biggest fight in UFC history, though? Not great.
“He ain’t fighting Conor McGregor,” White said. “If he wants to come back, [UFC welterweight champion] Tyron Woodley or [middleweight champion] Robert Whittaker is waiting for him. They’re both waiting, if Georges wants to come back.”
White’s words have always called for a grain of salt, but given his recent track record on both St-Pierre and McGregor, it’s hard to take any bold proclamations from White on either man especially seriously. Expect official word on both men coming in early 2018…and don’t count out a St-Pierre vs. McGregor superfight being announced for summer.
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