UFC President Dana White is continuing to pour cold water on talk that Georges St. Pierre may be set to return to the Octagon, despite the star himself insisting that’s his intention.
“All the stars are aligned,” St-Pierre had told MMAfighting earlier this week. “I’m not lying to you, it’s not done yet. It’s not done at this point. We still have to talk to the new owners soon, see what they’ve gotta say.”
The 35 year-old went on to insist that the time was right for him to fight again after nearly three years out, but some issues still have to be figured out with the UFC first.
“I’m very well represented. I’m very confident and trusting in the people that work for me. I’m very well taken care of for that. I want to go back to fighting. I don’t have to. I would like to, because I feel I’m in my prime right now. I’m the best I’ve ever been at 35. Right now. I don’t want to wait any longer, because if I wait too long I’m gonna be past that prime and I don’t want that. This is a good time to be back right now. That’s why I want to go back.”
You would think the news that one of the sports biggest ever stars indicating his eagerness to return to the Octagon would be music to the ears of White, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Instead, White remains adamant that GSP’s head isn’t in the game anymore.
“I don’t care how big you are or how much money you make or how much money you bring into the company – if you don’t want to fight anymore, you shouldn’t fight anymore,” White stated on ‘The Herd’ show on FOX Sports 1 hosted by Colin Cowherd. “This is a sport you’re all in, you can’t be wishy-washy.
“That’s why when people talk about, ‘Oh Georges St-Pierre’s coming back’. Georges St-Pierre doesn’t have that ‘I want to be a world champion’ attitude anymore. He doesn’t have that drive and that desire that he once had. And if you don’t have that, no, you shouldn’t fight.”
At face value, White’s surprisingly negative stance seems odd, but perhaps suggests that behind the scenes, negotations with St. Pierre’s management team regarding the terms of his return aren’t going smoothly.
