White: I have no idea why GSP keeps complaining
“Georges St-Pierre can get as kooky as he wants to get and say whatever he wants to say, but I would never repeat what he told us,” said Dana White.
Fight Hub TV founder Marco Villegas recently spoke with Freddie Roach, sometime boxing coach for former UFC welterweight champion Georges S-Pierre. Roach offered some critical remarks about UFC president Dana White, based on conversations with St-Pierre.
This follows a series of measured back and forths between the pair.
Last month GSP said that part of the reason he is taking a break of indeterminate length from MMA competition was because of the UFC’s insufficiently rigorous drug policy. St-Pierre also said fighters won’t speak out on issues because of fear of repercussions.
White responded to that by saying “This whole Georges St-Pierre thing is shocking, weird and it’s insane.”
This time, Roach was asked if St-Pierre had confided to him about whether it was mental or physical issues that made the Canadian want to take two years off.
“He was telling me he had headaches and so forth,” related Roach. “When I hear that it’s like I want to get him checked out completely. I told Georges to see his doctors and make sure he is 100% and healthy before he makes a decision. It’s really easy to make a decision after a tough fight like that and after Dana talking really bad about him. You get him depressed a little bit and drag him down, instead of most promoters who would try to build you back up, but Dana’s not that kind of cat.”
“I was a little mad at Dana for doing that… I’d think about going to another company if that was me. But there’s really a monopoly. The UFC is the only game in town. [However] It is the big time, and I’m sure if Georges wants to come back, Dana will be the first person to welcome him back.
White responded to the remarks during an appearance on FOX Sports Live Wednesday night.
“The crazy stuff I keep hearing back from Georges St-Pierre is unbelievable,” said White as transcribed by MMAFighting. “No, Georges St-Pierre never complained to us about headaches. Georges St-Pierre has never publicly said the real reasons why he stepped away from the UFC for a year. When he sat down with Lorenzo and I it was a whole different set of issues, personal problems. It had nothing to do with headaches or drug testing or anything else that’s been said
“Not only did he tell us it was personal issues, he told us what the personal issues were. I have no idea [why he keeps complaining]. I don’t know if he’s just trying to draw a smokescreen to what he’s really dealing with and doesn’t want to publicly talk about? I don’t know.”
“When Georges St-Pierre fought I called it like I saw it. I didn’t think he won the fight. I thought Johny Hendricks won the fight. That’s my opinion as the president of the company and as a fight fan. What Georges St-Pierre told us in private I would never repeat. He can get as kooky as he wants to get and say whatever he wants to say, but I would never repeat what he told us.”