UFC Fight Pass is like a young racehorse. It’s a little gangly now, but it’ll grow quickly into something useful, with the right attention.
The UFC streaming service got off to a rocky start with security and navigation issues, but it adjusted it…
UFC Fight Pass is like a young racehorse. It’s a little gangly now, but it’ll grow quickly into something useful, with the right attention.
The UFC streaming service got off to a rocky start with security and navigation issues, but it adjusted itself accordingly after consumer response. Most of the problems seemed to come from a hurried launch rather than a conceptual flaw, and now we should look at Fight Pass for what it was meant to be: a wise, if premature, media decision that gives fight fans more of what they want and poises the promotion to expand its influence.
At this point, there appears to be very little mystery left in Georges St-Pierre’s indefinite leave of absence from mixed martial arts.
In case you didn’t hear him the first time, the former UFC welterweight champion said on Monday he think…
At this point, there appears to be very little mystery left in Georges St-Pierre’s indefinite leave of absence from mixed martial arts.
In case you didn’t hear him the first time, the former UFC welterweight champion said on Monday he thinks major changes are still needed in how the sport conducts its drug testing.
Without them, he won’t return.
“Personally, I’m not interested in coming back if there’s nothing done in that regard…,” St-Pierre said during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “The only thing I regret now is…I should have (made these demands) before this. Because this has been bothering me for a long time and I never said anything.”
When St-Pierre first relinquished the 170-pound title and announced he would take a sabbatical from MMA three months ago, a lot was said (and not said) about his unspecified personal problems. There seemed to be no end to speculation about what could be troubling him so much that he’d be willing to give up the welterweight championship and walk away from the sport that made him.
The more we hear from him now, however, the more obvious it is that those private issues (whatever they were) weren’t the only thing bothering him. He also wanted comprehensive independent drug testing for himself and his future opponents.
On Monday GSP sounded rested and relaxed, even a little bit thrilled that last weekend he got the chance to watch UFC 171 in the company of personal hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. He didn’t seem irked or jealous that Johny Hendricks is the new champion, and near the end of the conversation got a chance to personally wish Hendricks well when Helwani patched him in via phone.
“Stick around for a bit,” St-Pierre said to Hendricks. “Keep the title and we’ll see what happens in the sport. If some things change maybe we’ll get together again.”
The personal issues? They seemed like old news, making it feel more likely than ever that St-Pierre’s much-ballyhooed private crisis amounted to little more than simply needing a rest after spending the last decade of his life walking the razor’s edge of UFC competition.
St-Pierre told Helwani he’d “never been happier” than after four months away from the cage and without the pressure of another big fight on the horizon. He says he’s not stressed and is at work on some business ventures to “build a better life.”
Drug testing, it appeared, was the one issue left that stuck in his craw.
That’s a different story than the one we heard during his awkward in-cage interview after his narrow decision win over Hendricks at UFC 167. It’s different than what we heard from him at the post-fight presser or the numerous bits of gossip that floated to the surface immediately following his retirement.
When St-Pierre first put some of the blame for his exit from the sport on ineffectual drug testing in January during a press event in Montreal, UFC officials said they were shocked by the comments. They said the topic didn’t come up with him when he told the company he was vacating his title in late December.
On Monday, St-Pierre told Helwani he’d privately discussed the issue with both UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta following UFC 167 and didn’t see how they could be surprised to hear him talk about it again. He reiterated that he doesn’t want to hurt the fight company, but only wants to “elevate the sport” by changing the system by which fighters are drug tested.
What was less clear was specifically how St-Pierre wishes to change the system. He made a point of saying his beef wasn’t with state athletic commissions or the UFC, but repeated again and again that his objections were with the mechanism itself, which he believes is unsatisfactory.
At least now we know: The personal issues made for nice fodder for whispers and innuendo, but they are no longer what’s keeping St-Pierre from returning to the cage. Now, the problem is drug testing and how to fix it.
If we ever want to see him in action again, it sounds like somebody better figure out a way to make some changes.
Since announcing his indefinite leave of absence from mixed martial arts in late-2013, former UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre has spearheaded the charge for a more rigorous drug testing program which would curb the pervasiveness of perf…
Since announcing his indefinite leave of absence from mixed martial arts in late-2013, former UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre has spearheaded the charge for a more rigorous drug testing program which would curb the pervasiveness of performance enhancing drug (PED) use in the sport.
St-Pierre’s criticism of the current system has extended from the UFC itself to the ineffectiveness of state athletic commissions, although through in all, UFC President Dana White has maintained that St-Pierre’s decision to leave MMA was due to “personal problems,” rather than his stance on PEDs, with White most recently reiterating that claim to reporters last week in Dallas and stating that he “knows for a fact” that St-Pierre will return.
St-Pierre, though, takes exception with White’s characterization of the situation, along with the assertion that St-Pierre never personally mentioned his concerns to UFC officials before airing them publicly.
“I said it even before when I met with them (White and Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta). This, I swear,” St-Pierre insisted on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I met them after my fight with Johny Hendricks when I went in the back. I said that to them. I said it to them, I swear on myself and my family.
“So when they say I never said it, that I said it publicly before I said it to them, I said it to them first.”
In the lead-up to UFC 171, White dismissed the role that St-Pierre’s grievances over widespread PED abuse played in the Canadian’s exit from the sport, stating that “a lot of that stuff got blown out of proportion” and that St-Pierre was gone solely “because of the reason he sat down with me and Lorenzo that night and told us,” which White attributed to St-Pierre aforementioned personal issues.
Though while St-Pierre agrees that those issues did indeed play a part in his decision, ultimately, he says, they were only one piece of a much larger pie.
“I have personal issues. And also the drug testing has something to do with it,” St- Pierre said. “This is the truth. I said it first. And I cannot use the kind of language I would like to use, in the way that I told them, because I did not use the right language, very nice language when I said that to them. I made references to very bad things and I cannot tell you the way that I said it because I never want to accuse one individual.
“They were not surprised. I don’t believed they were surprised. I told them and they were like, ‘oh, you think so?’ I was like, yeah, I know for a fact.
“Lorenzo is a good person,” St-Pierre continued. “Lorenzo understands that it’s true. I believe the problem is not the UFC, it’s the system. It’s a new sport, and the last thing I want is to hurt the UFC. I just want to elevate the sport. I think it’s the next step for elevating the sport, that it should be done.
“The system is not in place. There are no guidelines. The way they test now, it’s not good. It’s not good the way they test. If you get caught on steroids right now, it’s because you’re very disorganized. It’s so easy to beat the test. It’s ridiculous. It’s not a real test.”
St-Pierre made it clear that while he’s not trying to attack the UFC, he’s frustrated by what he perceives to be the organization’s reluctance to implement change which could go a long way towards cleaning up the sport.
“I’m part of the family in the UFC, but I want more of the UFC,” he said. “I think it’s something they should do because a lot of other athletes who are not interested in my sport, the first thing they say when they look at mixed martial arts is that big cliché, the stereotype, these guys all have tattoos and they take steroids.
“There needs to be random testing by an independent organization that has no interest in the money for the fight. That’s how it should be done. That’s how it is in any other sport,” St-Pierre explained.
“If the UFC changed something, it’s going to change everything, because the UFC is like Vaseline, it’s like Q-tips. Now when people think about mixed martial arts, they don’t even say mixed martial arts. They say UFC, because the UFC is the biggest and the most prestigious organization.”
St-Pierre was also asked about his recent comments regarding the UFC being a “monopoly,” and whether he has any interest in assisting in the creation of a fighter’s union which could look out for the interests of his fellow fighters.
“I don’t want to do anything bad to the UFC,” St-Pierre responded. “I’m proud of the UFC, I support the UFC, and this has been really misunderstood. The reason why I came out was to help the UFC. I said it to the UFC and it’s the truth.”
At age 32, it’s likely that St-Pierre could continue to compete at a high level in the sport for several years if he so chose. However, after sitting idly by for years, St-Pierre says, he would now only return to MMA if and when his concerns over the pervasiveness of PED use are handily addressed.
“Me, personally, I’m not interested in coming back if there’s nothing done in that regard,” St-Pierre said.
“I’m not at peace to fight like this. The only thing I regret now is, this thing, I should have done it better. I should have done it before. I should have done it before this, because this has been bothering me for a long time, and I never said anything. But I should have done this long before. Because I had money. I could have paid for the VADA tests earlier. I should have done that before.”
For once, Georges St-Pierre is finally enjoying a life without the nuances and personal obligations that come along with being a UFC champion.
The former welterweight champ was just finishing an afternoon training session before picking up the phone to…
For once, Georges St-Pierre is finally enjoying a life without the nuances and personal obligations that come along with being a UFC champion.
The former welterweight champ was just finishing an afternoon training session before picking up the phone to speak with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday. One could tell just from the cheery sound of St-Pierre’s voice that his decision to step away from fighting was the right choice:
It was my choice to give up the title. Nobody ever forced me to fight, and nobody ever forced me to stop, and I wanted to stop. …When I fought Carlos Condit, I was very hungry. When I fought [Nick] Diaz, I was not as much hungry. When I fought [Johny Hendricks], I was even less hungry, and I felt like I needed to step out to see if I wanted to do this or not again. I didn’t have as much fun as I used to—too much pressure, too much critics, a lot of problems.
The critics came down especially hard on St-Pierre after his title fight with Hendricks back in November 2013. In the past, people have often criticized the French Canadian star for fighting safe or coasting to decisions, but against Hendricks, he stood toe-to-toe with arguably the most dangerous puncher in the welterweight division and eked out a controversial split decision.
After the fight, St-Pierre announced he would be taking some time off to deal with personal problems in his life, a decision he likely regretted. The ripple effect from St-Pierre’s spontaneous announcement sent UFC President Dana White over the edge at the post-fight press conference.
Instead of warm praises for a great fight, St-Pierre was greeted with an onslaught of negativity and basically pushed into a corner to make a choice—defend the UFC title or get out of the way.
St-Pierre went with the latter during a media conference call in December, when he announced he would be taking an extended hiatus from fighting.
When I was young, I was like 20 years old, I didn’t give a damn about anything. The only thing in my mind was fighting. I didn’t care about anything else, I didn’t have nothing else on my mind. The more you grow up, the more problems you have, the more expectations, the more bulls**t you have in your life too. The more important things you have in your life, sometimes, it’s hard to keep a priority the priority.
During a scrum with the French media in January (h/t MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani), St-Pierre attributed fallacies in the UFC’s drug-testing module as one of the main reasons he decided to leave. White nonchalantly responded on The Dan Le Batard Show that St-Pierre was “crazy” and “way out of line.”
Since the public spat with White, St-Pierre wants to make it known that he’s not out to hurt the UFC or disparage its reputation. He even reworded his statements to point the finger at the entire system, rather than just blame the UFC, during his appearance with Helwani:
I didn’t want to make problem for the UFC, but I talked about what I wanted. It’s a big problem in the sport, and I want these things to be done. Otherwise, I will not come back to fighting.
…I was with Chris McCormack, world champion in triathlons, in a promotion, and I talked with some of the guys in Brazil, he’s a Judo Olympic guy, champion. All of these guys can be tested randomly every time. We talk about how they just ban TRT, but really MMA is the only sport they allowed TRT in. It was a normal thing. It probably should have been done a long time ago. The problem is not only TRT, it’s the way they do the tests. They can ban anything they want, but if they don’t test for it, it’s a problem.
…The problem is not the UFC, it’s the system. It’s a new sport, and the last thing I want is to hurt the UFC. I just want to elevate the sport.
St-Pierre’s absence left a huge void in the UFC’s welterweight division, which was stitched up in Saturday night’s vacant title bout between Hendricks and Robbie Lawler. The bout has already garnered early praise as a potential “Fight of the Year” candidate.
Fortunately for Hendricks, he came out on the winning side of the dogfight this time around, netting a clean 48-47 sweep over his adversary.
One would think St-Pierre’s passion for competing again would be reignited by watching White place the UFC title around another man’s waist. Quite the contrary—the former champ felt nothing but the same joy and excitement experienced by any other MMA fan on Saturday night.
“No [the itch didn’t come back]. I was just watching as a fan, and it was a lot of fun,” said St-Pierre.
Arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history is serving as nothing more than an everyday fan. Now that will take some getting used to.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
On Saturday night at WCMMA 14 in London, welterweight Mike Garret knocked out Sam Heron with a savage head kick immediately after the opening bell. Promoter Dave O’Donnell — who you may remember from the “Completely Insane British Guy Interviews Anderson Silva” video — called it a “new world record” at 1.7 seconds. In the longer video above, a timecode runs in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, stopping at 1.13 seconds, which would be incredible if it was an accurate reflection of when the fight ended. But it’s not, really.
That 1.13 number refers to the time between the first bell and the time when Garret’s foot makes contact with Heron’s face. Unfortunately, that’s not the official end of the match. An MMA fight ends at the moment when the referee waves it off or intervenes. So yes, Heron gets his lights turned out just a little over one second into the fight, and Garret walks away, signaling that the fight is over for him at least. The problem is, the referee takes a couple of additional seconds to walk over to Heron, assess his condition, and wave off the fight. Later in the video, O’Donnell rounds down and calls it a “one-second” knockout. Then he has a conversation with Garret, and honestly, I couldn’t understand most of it.
Personally, I’m seeing three seconds and change, which would put it in line with Clements vs. Tucas. (And this one still looks faster.) But if self-promotion is your goal, “one-second knockout” certainly sounds nicer.
On Saturday night at WCMMA 14 in London, welterweight Mike Garret knocked out Sam Heron with a savage head kick immediately after the opening bell. Promoter Dave O’Donnell — who you may remember from the “Completely Insane British Guy Interviews Anderson Silva” video — called it a “new world record” at 1.7 seconds. In the longer video above, a timecode runs in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, stopping at 1.13 seconds, which would be incredible if it was an accurate reflection of when the fight ended. But it’s not, really.
That 1.13 number refers to the time between the first bell and the time when Garret’s foot makes contact with Heron’s face. Unfortunately, that’s not the official end of the match. An MMA fight ends at the moment when the referee waves it off or intervenes. So yes, Heron gets his lights turned out just a little over one second into the fight, and Garret walks away, signaling that the fight is over for him at least. The problem is, the referee takes a couple of additional seconds to walk over to Heron, assess his condition, and wave off the fight. Later in the video, O’Donnell rounds down and calls it a “one-second” knockout. Then he has a conversation with Garret, and honestly, I couldn’t understand most of it.
Personally, I’m seeing three seconds and change, which would put it in line with Clements vs. Tucas. (And this one still looks faster.) But if self-promotion is your goal, “one-second knockout” certainly sounds nicer.
Turns out the classic UFC 171 title fight between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks comes with an additional twist — as in, the man who emerged victorious and now holds the UFC’s welterweight belt thought about pulling out of the fi…
Turns out the classic UFC 171 title fight between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks comes with an additional twist — as in, the man who emerged victorious and now holds the UFC’s welterweight belt thought about pulling out of the fight with a bum elbow.
The UFC’s new 170-pound champion Hendricks appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and, though reluctant to get into too much detail until he had it checked out, divulged that an injury suffered in training nearly sidelined him. Turns out while everybody was talking about big left power bombs, Hendricks was nursing his right elbow, an injury that effectively prevented him from taking Lawler down.
“Realistically, it’s my elbow,” he told host Ariel Helwani. “It happened actually a week-and-a-half before, and it happened in the first round.”
When asked how it happened, Hendricks said the recurrence showed up in an early exchange.
“Throwing a hook,” he said. “And whenever I threw a hook it just spazzed out. I don’t know what happened. I felt my arm actually pop. We’ll see what happens.”
During the pay-per-view telecast, Hendricks could be heard complaining about his shoulder between the third and fourth rounds –the rounds where Lawler began to turn the tables and take over the fight.
“I was pretty hurt, I’m not going to lie,” Hendricks said. “[Lawler] hit me pretty good. The third round was bad enough that in the fourth round he was still able to do it.
“There were a couple of punches where I thought, I really need to throw back. Because [I thought] if I let him get a couple more of these in, yeah, it could be over. But I told myself, hey, just fire back. Just fire back. Calm down. And when I told myself that I was able to start landing some of my own punches.”
Even rocked and rattled by Lawler in the third, Hendricks still had the presence of mind to use his code word for the elbow injury that was plaguing him. Hendricks could be heard saying that his shoulder was “jacked up” to his cornermen, which he says was nothing more than a smokescreen in case anybody from Lawler’s side might be listening.
“The shoulder didn’t bother me — the shoulder was never an issue,” he said. “I said ‘shoulder’ because what was going on, just in case it got relayed back.”
Although pain wasn’t an issue throughout the five-round fight, Hendricks emphasized that the injury did prevent him for attempting takedowns, essentially forcing to stand in front of Lawler in the pocket. Though it made for a memorable brawl for spectators, it was something Hendricks wasn’t planning to do.
“It was whenever I tried for takedowns, I could not get it,” he said.
When asked if the injury was severe enough that he considered dropping out of the fight, he said the idea crossed his mind.
“We thought about it,” he said. “But that world championship means a lot more.”
Hendricks was able to win a unanimous decision, 48-47 on all three scorecards, because he fought with urgency in the fifth round. He also secured a takedown halfway through to leave no doubt.
When asked when he would get the elbow checked out, Hendricks said he was going to do that as soon as the interview was over. He stated he would like to have his first title defense in either September or October, depending on how things go.
At this point, there appears to be very little mystery left in Georges St-Pierre’s indefinite leave of absence from mixed martial arts.
