Former longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre says fight fans shouldn’t expect him to strap on the gloves again unless the world’s premiere mixed martial arts organization institutes independent drug testing.
Rush vacated UFC gold, which he won back in April 2008, last December. He was only a few weeks removed from a razor-thin split-decision win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November.
Now, in an e-mail interview with Bloody Elbow, the French-Canadian superstar has revealed that he won’t be returning to the Octagon unless the UFC steps up its drug testing policies.
“I will never fight again in MMA without my opponent and myself being thoroughly tested for the most advanced PEDs by a credible independent anti-doping organization like VADA or USADA under the strictest standards of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) Code,” GSP told Brent Brookhouse.
Hendricks and St-Pierre both called for stricter drug testing prior to their November 16 encounter, but the idea never came to fruition since the parties could not agree on which outside agency to use, per MMA Fighting.
For the record, St-Pierre has never failed a drug test in 27 professional mixed martial arts contests, nor have any of his opponents.
The Tristar Gym standout was riding an impressive 12-fight win streak when he vacated his title and announced his hiatus from the sport.
In his absence, Hendricks captured the vacant welterweight championship against Robbie Lawler at UFC 171 in in March.
After bicep surgery, Bigg Rigg will return to the cage to square off with Lawler sometime in early 2015.
Will his hardened stance on eliminating performance-enhancing drugs from MMA completely mean we’ve seen the last of St-Pierre as a UFC fighter?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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