Enough is enough—Georges St-Pierre needs to officially retire.
UFC president Dana White won’t like it. Fans likely won’t either.
Too bad.
St-Pierre clearly has some issues he needs to iron out during a hiatus from the Octagon. A permanent hiatus.
There’s no reason at the age of 32 St-Pierre should look like this after a fight, as he did after a controversial win over Johny Hendricks:
Or talk like this as captured by CBS Sports’ Gregg Doyel:
Or this, as he stated in the post-fight press conference (after a trip to the hospital):
I understand from the point of view of the UFC, it’s bad for them if I leave like this. I need to … I can’t sleep at night now. I’m going crazy. I have some issues. I need to relax. I need to get out for a while. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Or be treated in this manner by his boss, as White told reporters after the fight on the pay-per-view:
Did he say he wants to retire? He didn’t say ‘I’m going to retire. I’m going to hang it up. It’s been great everybody. Thanks a lot for all the years. See you later,’ a furious White said after the fight. He said ‘I’m going to take some time off.’
No…You don’t just say ‘I’ll take some time off, maybe I’ll be back, maybe I won’t.’ You owe it to the fans, you owe it to that belt, you owe it to this company and you owe it to Johny Hendricks to give him that opportunity to fight again.
Sorry White, GSP isn’t a piece of meat. He’s human.
Look, it’s no secret GSP is White’s big draw—and arguably his last. He even told Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes that GSP is extremely wealthy. He goes out of his way to mention it in the pressers after UFC 167.
GSP clearly does not need the money. His legacy is forever cemented. As ESPN illustrates, he has the most wins in the promotion’s history:
What more is there? GSP has won 12 in a row. His body has taken a serious toll as a direct result of the violent sport. We all know there will come a point where he is truly dethroned and embarrassed by an up-and-comer, which will slightly tarnish his legacy.
Why keep going?
Certainly not because of White’s selfish ranting and raving (seriously, GSP has helped make the promotion what it is, and White has the audacity to lash out? Did the NBA huff and puff when Jordan called it quits?).
White is correct about one thing—GSP certainly did not say the “R” word. But he should. Youth, wealth and hopefully good health after 27 bouts in the Octagon is nothing to sniff at—or throw away with more unnecessary fights.
GSP is a reluctant champion at this point. He’s at the end of his career, or very close. Fans and a greedy boss want to see him step back into the Octagon as soon as possible. Common sense and a simple sense of compassion can tell most that’s not the best idea after witnessing the disheveled GSP after UFC 167.
It’s time to call it off. GSP fades into the sunset on top, like many superstar athletes have failed to do in the past. It makes too much sense—and for a guy who helped to pioneer the popularity of a sport and seemingly always had a smart head on his shoulders, it should be expected.
This should be the end for Georges St-Pierre—he’s earned it.
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