Photo via Rayalamo.com
A torn ACL forced UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre out of a planned title defense versus Nick Diaz in February. The two were to meet in the headliner of UFC 143, but instead Diaz will now face Carlos Condit for an interim title.
News of the injury was announced earlier today with a likely return for the champ ten months down the road. This is the second time St-Pierre has been forced out of a title fight in the past two months due to a knee injury.
The French-Canadian fighter tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee as well as suffering a small tear to his internal meniscus. GSP said the injury happened while he was wrestling.
Speaking about the incident earlier today, the champ had a message for the haters, vowing to come back “stronger, smarter and more clever” this fall.
“A few months ago I was on top of the world and I’m now I’m in a downfall,” St-Pierre said. “But you recognize a champion from how he comes back from things that don’t go well. Everybody that says bad things and says bad stuff about me right now, mark my words. I’m going to tell you right now, I’m in a downfall in my life, but in a few months, I’ll be back stronger than ever, and I will be champion again. I promise.”
“I believe there is only one person to blame for what happened and it’s myself,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy, I endure pain and go through it. I learned a big lesson in my life. It’s going to make me stronger, smarter and more clever.”
“Some people will say bad stuff about me, that ‘he’s finished,’ and stuff like that,” he said. “What I’m going to tell you is t’s very easy to hit a guy when he’s down. We have a saying in France, ‘The life goes up and down.’ People will laugh because I’m in a downfall, I’m hurt, I’m not a threat to them. But I’ll be back on top, mark my words.”
Quote via MMAFighting.com