Georges St-Pierre Shoots Down Rumors; Rematch Already in the Works
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre fueled a quagmire of conjecture following his UFC 167 victory over Johny Hendricks, saying, “I am going to hang my gloves up for a little bit and make sense of my life. I have to go away for a little bit at least. Personal things are happening. I have to step away for a bit; that’s all I can say right now.”
He might have been better off saying nothing at all.
One Monday, celebrity gossip site TMZ.com reported that St-Pierre’s “personal things” were having to deal with the declining health of his father and an unwanted pregnancy.
St-Pierre’s sister on Monday shot down the speculation about their father’s health.
And on Tuesday, UFC president Dana White spoke with the L.A. Times, telling reporter Lance Pugmire that in a conversation he had with St-Pierre, the champion denied both of the rumors reported by TMZ.
“(St-Pierre) is denying those rumors that TMZ is reporting about those two things,” said White before adding that he is already working on a rematch.
St-Pierre’s comments following the fight, both in the Octagon and later at the post-fight press conference, made it sound as if whatever issues he is dealing with would force him to step away from fighting for an extended period of time. After having discussed those issues with St-Pierre, White was confident that his champion’s problems weren’t as dire as they felt to him.
Confident that St-Pierre’s head was now in a better place, White believes that details of a rematch between St-Pierre and Hendricks would come together quickly.
“As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks,” White said. “I feel confident that Georges is fine with that and all is on track.”
White declined to speculate as to a date or location for the proposed rematch. He said St-Pierre is currently “going off the grid” on vacation to recuperate from a very tough fight.
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