UFC’s Dana White rips Georges St. Pierre for vacating title

When Georges St. Pierre announced he would come back from a four-year hiatus to challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title, UFC president Dana White insisted on putting a clause in the contract that St. Pierre would defend the belt should he win it.

White said he still wasn’t surprised to learn it wouldn’t happen.

St. Pierre won the belt with a third-round submission of Bisping last month but has decided to vacate the title, a decision that was announced Thursday.

“At the end of the day, there was a reason I put that stuff in the contract,” White said Saturday night after UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno, California. “Am I shocked? I don’t think anyone’s shocked.”

St. Pierre has ulcerative colitis, but White said he thinks the reasoning extends beyond the illness.

White said he thinks St. Pierre seized on the chance to defeat a vulnerable champion to collect a check and make history as a two-division champ. He held the welterweight belt for much of his career before vacating it and walking away from the sport in 2013.

“He came back, he hand-picked Bisping and then he went away again,” White said. “So, whatever. It is what it is.”

St. Pierre has said he is unsure of his next move, but he definitely won’t be defending the belt against interim champ Robert Whittaker, who now becomes the undisputed champion.

“I had him sign a contract that said he would defend against Whittaker for a reason: Because I knew he wouldn’t,” said White, who added that he isn’t sure St. Pierre wants to fight again.

The prevailing thought is St. Pierre will move back down to 170 pounds, the weight at which he made his mark for so long, but White is skeptical.

“He doesn’t want to fight anyone at welterweight,” White said. “That’s why he fought Bisping. He didn’t want to fight (champion Tyron) Woodley, he didn’t want to fight ‘Wonderboy’ (Stephen Thompson). He didn’t want to fight any of those guys. He wanted to fight Michael Bisping. He did, and now he’s off again. I’m not shocked. I’m not mad. It just is what it is.”

Whittaker will defend the belt against former champ Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC 221 on Feb. 10 in Perth, Australia.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.