Photo credit to MMAFighting.com
It wasn't too big of a shocker that long-time welterweight champion and future UFC hall of famer Georges St-Pierre left the sport back in early December for "personal reasons". He stated after UFC 167 that he needed time away, and prior to his bout at UFC 167 rumors were flying around, in addition to statements from his managers and mentors, that St-Pierre would be retiring in the cage if he won. Surely enough, St-Pierre announced after the fight that he would be "taking some time away" before officially vacating the belt and walking away from the sport in early December.
Now, a month later, St-Pierre claims that it wasn't only personal reasons that forced him into walking away from the sport.
Prior to his fight against Johny Hendricks back at UFC 167, Hendricks and St-Pierre both claimed they had interest in doing extra drug testing leading up to their fight. Hendricks proposed they use VADA, or the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. St-Pierre agreed and even offered to pay for Hendricks' testing. Hendricks backed off however, stating he had questions about VADA's impartiality.
Today, in an interview with RDS.ca, St-Pierre fired off at the UFC for not supporting him in extra testing for his fight against Hendricks.
"I tried to change the sport." he said. "Unfortunately, there were other people, for different reasons, maybe for money, maybe in fear of losing money, because if you cancelled the fight because someone tested positive there are millions of dollars [lost]. Also, the sport's image. If you start testing everyone, how many will get caught? I don't want to say in public because I don't want to accuse anyone, but the sport's image will be hurt.
"Don't forget, I have internal information. I am an athlete. I know what goes on, so that disappointed me greatly." St-Pierre said.
St-Pierre ended up being the only one tested by VADA and hinted at his feelings regarding the matter in his conference call announcing his vacating if the belt. Many speculated this was part of the reason that St-Pierre walked away, and several media members asked UFC president Dana White about it on the conference call. White simply responded "no."
"The only thing I want to say is, I wanted to do something to help those who are honest in this sport. Believe me or not, I never did drugs in my life. I'll take a lie detector test, I don't care. I'm for anti-doping tests. I think it's a big problem in the sport.
"This is a relatively new sport. There's only one organization that has a monopoly, so the fighters don't have much power. They can't really talk because if one says what he thinks, he will get punished.
"If we want the sport to be accepted worldwide, like baseball, hockey, football, soccer, I believe it's the thing to do. I think it's a matter of time before it happens, it's just that I tried to make it happen now. Maybe they didn't like the idea because if I did it now, it would lead to others doing it and that's not something they wanted to happen.
"It disappointed me. You know there are things I can't say. I'm holding back. I'm a public person."
St-Pierre says his family was very supportive of his decision to walk away from the sport, but St-Pierre still left the possibility of a return open, depending on what happens with drugs in the sport in the next few years or so.
"No one wants to talk about it, but I think we need to talk about it. It's a problem." St-Pierre said in regards to drugs in MMA.
"I wanted to remain diplomatic, but unfortunately there were people who weren't ready to change things. I'm certain it's a question of time. And maybe if things change one day, I'll return."
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