Georges St-Pierre, arguably the greatest fighter to ever grace the Octagon, claims he has left the UFC.
The former UFC welterweight champion dropped the bombshell on The MMA Hour, saying his lawyer terminated his contract with the promotion after a deadline to offer him a fight passed. He said he was negotiating a new deal with former CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, but talks broke down when Zuffa sold the UFC to WME-IMG earlier this year.
St-Pierre said he hired lawyer James Quinn to evaluate his old contract from 2011 when the new owners pulled the offers Fertitta had made. Quinn gave the UFC a deadline to offer St-Pierre a fight and GSP claims he received an offer to fight Robbie Lawler just before the deadline was about to pass.
However, he decided not to accept the fight after Lawler withdrew from UFC 205. St-Pierre wants to fight soon, and he believes Lawler will be out of action for a while following his knockout loss to Tyron Woodley, so he turned the offer down.
“I’m in a great position in a way because I got out when I was healthy and wealthy. Most fighters in the UFC are starving. When you keep a lot of your staff starving, they are easier to control. I’ve never been afraid to stand for what I believe in. For me, it’s not personal, it’s just business.”
Earlier this month, Dana White told BT Sport that he thought GSP didn’t want to return to fighting, suggesting that the Canadian superstar never really enjoyed the sport when he was active.
“I’m telling you again, I don’t think GSP wants to fight. I keep saying this. You guys know fighters as much as I know fighters, do you think GSP wants to fight? GSP wasn’t crazy about fighting when he was fighting! Now three years later he’s just dying to fight? He’s not. I don’t think he is.”
St-Pierre heard White’s comments and he wasn’t impressed in the slightest. He maintains he is ready to fight and thought making his comeback at UFC 206 in Toronto would suit all parties. He made sure to point out the amount of money he was asking for was very reasonable.
“I try not to take these things personally, but I feel a little bit attacked. Like saying I’m trying to manipulate the system and stuff like that. I truly believe that what we asked was totally reasonable. For me, it’s completely illogical that this fight didn’t happen in Toronto. We would have both been winners, we would have been winners on both sides, and now instead of that, we’re all losers, especially the fans. We’re all losers.”
Had it not been for the UFC sale, St-Pierre believes the outcome might have been different and he would have received the contract offer he wanted. He felt that Fertitta was way more cooperative, but that wasn’t the case with the new owners.
“I believe if Lorenzo was still there, it would maybe be different. We were making a lot of progress when we were talking to Lorenzo, but when the new owners came, all the offers were off the table. It was a big step back and it was insulting.”
In St-Pierre’s eyes, his contract has been terminated, he’s a free man and he has a lot of options.
“The reason why I want to go back and fight is because I feel I’m at my best right now. I’m truly confident that I can beat the guys that our champions right. I’m that confident. At least I’m a free man. Now I’m free and I have other options. I’m not caught up legally in a contract. I’m a free man.”
However, the UFC sees this story very differently. In a statement released on Monday, they claim GSP remains under contract and they hinted there could be a legal battle in the near future.
“Georges St-Pierre remains under an existing agreement with Zuffa, LLC as his MMA promoter. Zuffa intends to honor its agreement with St-Pierre and reserves its rights under the law to have St-Pierre do the same.”
This could get ugly.
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