UPDATE 3:05 P.M. Pacific Time
Dana White told LA Times reporter Lance Pugmire earlier today that, “As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks. I feel confident that Georges is fine with that and all is on track.”
It was previously thought that GSP’s father was terminally ill and that was the reason why he decided to take time off, but White also refuted those rumors during his phone conversation with The Times.
Now while the UFC president doesn’t have an exact day in mind for the potential rematch, he did briefly mention the UFC’s annual Memorial Day card in Las Vegas. That’s a good possibility, but nothing at this point is set in stone.
—End of Update—
Saturday’s welterweight championship clash at UFC 167 produced remarkable and unsatisfying results.
First off, divisional king Georges St-Pierre stole a split-decision from a hungry Johny Hendricks, who seemingly had the victory in the bag. Unfortunately for his efforts, the judges scored it for the champ.
But what happened next captured everybody’s surprise more than the actual decision did. Following Bruce Buffer’s post-fight announcement, a victorious and battered GSP stood in front of a sold out Las Vegas crowd and emotionally closed the curtains on his UFC career for the foreseeable future.
The unexpected Octagon walk away not only left a welterweight division in limbo, but it ultimately confused the MMA community.
St-Pierre has consistently been one of the best fighters in the world. He carries himself with the utmost professionalism and rarely does anything to challenge the powers of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.
But despite the shocking news, White doesn’t seem too worried about losing his biggest pay-per-view draw. During the post-fight media scrum following one of the most hotly talked about title fights in recent memory, the face of the UFC made things seem better than they actually may be.
“I’m in a better mood now,” said White, which was originally reported by MMAMania. “[We talked] about his problems and his problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are. I’m not Dr. Oz, or whoever that guy is, but Lorenzo is still in there talking to him. We’ll get through this. I’m confident that he will come back. One of the things that makes Georges as great as he is, is that things drive him crazy.”
“Little things drive him nuts…like the whole obsession thing he was talking about,” added White. “He’s obsessing over something else right now that he thinks might be the end of the world now but it’s not. He got his ass whooped tonight, whether that was it or it wasn’t, I don’t know. I wasn’t being harsh, it’s reality…”
However, things may be worse than White initially thought, as recent reports by MMA Frenzy and TMZ suggest, an ill father and unexpected pregnancy are supposedly weighing heavy on the champ’s mind—(though the reports regarding his father’s health were recently shot down according to La Presse, h/t Bloody Elbow). Those are serious problems for any person to deal with, let alone a polarizing MMA fighter who trains months on end.
But if anybody knows what St-Pierre is capable of doing in the toughest of struggles, whether in the ring or in his personal life, it’s probably his boss.
“How long has Georges been here…eight, nine years?” proclaimed White. “This is the first time Georges St. Pierre had a problem. It happens, he’s a human being. … He was very emotional about some s— that was going on with him right now and it’s really not that bad, but to him it’s bad, it’s the end of the world. He’s mentally strong guy, he’s a hard-working guy, he’s an honest guy. He’ll work it out.”
So will GSP be back? Will he return next year to face off with Hendricks one more time? Or will he be bound by serious personal problems that are understandably his first priority?
Time will tell. Hopefully, Saturday wasn’t the last time we get to see the pound-for-pound legend inside the cage.
For more UFC news and coverage, Follow @DHiergesell
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com