Georges St-Pierre believes that fighters need to not just sign any deal put in front of them to increase fighter pay across the board.
GSP may come back, but not without the right deal. The former UFC welterweight champion stepped away from the sport well over two years ago for a variety of reasons. Last week, he announced his intention to return after completing a test training camp. He mentioned fighting everywhere from middleweight to lightweight, but also made it very clear that he has a negotiating team working on financial terms with the UFC. This is something he doesn’t feel enough fighters are taking the opportunity to do (via MMA Fighting):
That’s how it should be done,” St-Pierre said on The MMA Hour. “That’s the problem with a lot of guys who complain they don’t get paid enough. It’s because they’re ready to sign anything. They got caught with their emotion and they sign anything. They’re going to fight for peanuts. You don’t want to do that. If you do that, you’ve penalized the other guys who want to get paid more.
“Why would they (the UFC) pay some guys more money if they can get another guy almost for free, you know what I mean? As partners, I think they should be more aware of this. It’s important.”
GSP admitted that he has two men handling his business affairs because he himself can get emotional and potentially sign the wrong deal. He stated that the three of them all have to agree on anything before he puts pen to paper, which is something he needs.
It remains to be seen if a new UFC deal will come to fruition for the former champ, but discussing fighter pay is not something the UFC generally likes in general. Hopefully his comments aren’t held against him, no matter how tame they may seem.