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Mixed martial arts star Georges St-Pierre says the Ultimate Fighting Championship's hesitant position when it came to stiffer drug testing greatly influenced his decision to take a break from the octagon.

St-Pierre said Tuesday a lack of strenuous drug testing was one of the factors that led to his decision to step away from the sport.

"It bothered me greatly, it was one of the reasons I decided to step aside," St-Pierre said Tuesday.

He vacated his welterweight title and took a hiatus from the sport in December, citing a need to lead a normal life and deal with mental fatigue.

The 32-year-old confirmed when asked by a reporter that his employer, the UFC, did not support him when he proposed drug testing in the weeks preceding his Nov. 16 fight against Johnny Hendricks.

St-Pierre stepped away following UFC 167 where he won a controversial split decision over Hendricks. After that fight, he said he needed time away to sort out some personal issues.

The star fighter was prudent in his comments Tuesday, being careful not to point fingers at any one person or fighter. He stressed he wasn't accusing anyone of steroid abuse.

St-Pierre said he wanted to bring the sport he loves to "another level" of testing and help those who are honest in the sport.

"I tried to change things, and unfortunately, maybe for money reasons, maybe for image, they were not ready to do that," St-Pierre said. "I tried to (bring about) change in a very diplomatic way and it didn't work so it's unfortunate, but I believe it will happen sooner or later."

Main points :

Didnt like the way UFC reacted by not supporting him in his will to clean the sport and mostly by backing Hendricks when he chose not to do the test even tough he agreed at first.
Says that UFC stance on doping is one of the main reason he decided to quit
He says fighters have no power to express their opinion. UFC management has all the power on decisions. Players who would contest the organization would be punished.
There's too much on the line for them to clean the sport. Also, there are nasty things going on behind the scenes he can't talk about.
Direction of where the sport is going is very idiotic. He wants to do everything he can to change the sport.

Cammo101 wrote:A lot of this just sounds like sour grapes from GSP. He wasn't complaining when the UFC made him rich.

“He said he needed some time off because he had all these personal issues going on in his life. We said do your thing” White said. “He vacates the title … and we’ve left the guy alone. We’re not asking him to do anything. Guy’s out doing more interviews now than he did when he was fighting. Said he wanted to disappear for a while and go away. But here we are, talking about Georges St-Pierre. We’re trying to get him on the phone. It’s so weird.”

UFC chairman and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta called GSP’s comments disappointing and, according to White, attempted to contact the Canadian.

“Lorenzo reached out to him. Lorenzo still hasn’t heard from him. If Georges St-Pierre wants to talk like a man he can pick up the phone and call us or come see us face to face but everything that he said is ridiculous,” White said. “If Georges felt that way he should have said it to our faces, or to my face. I’m not very sensitive, you’re not going to hurt my feelings.”

The outspoken UFC president added that he believes GSP’s comments might stem from White’s post-UFC 167 speech where he stated he thought GSP lost the fight.

“What I heard is Georges St-Pierre is upset about some of the things I said at the press conference and he’s upset that I said that he didn’t win the fight, that I thought Johny Hendricks won the fight,” White explained. “But if that’s the case, call me man-to-man. Let’s talk on the phone, let’s sit down face-to-face. I talked to him after the fight face-to-face (and) he didn’t say any of that to me. So the whole thing is a little weird.”

cowboyronnie wrote:The UFC didn't "make him" rich - they had a mutually-beneficial contract...it wasn't benevolence. Both sides are happy with the deals made.

Cammo101 wrote:I don't think it is fair to compare the UFC to someone like MLB. Baseball does whatever they want and make their own rules. The UFC has to answer to all the different commissions and their different rules. It is not so simple for them to put together a testing program. I agree the UFC needs to step up their testing, but there are a lot more bells and whistles than the usual sports league.

REDDzone wrote:

Cammo101 wrote:I don't think it is fair to compare the UFC to someone like MLB. Baseball does whatever they want and make their own rules. The UFC has to answer to all the different commissions and their different rules. It is not so simple for them to put together a testing program. I agree the UFC needs to step up their testing, but there are a lot more bells and whistles than the usual sports league.

The ufc gets to hide behind the commissions. They do an atrocious job due to lack of funding and when someone gets upset that a dude is roiding so obviously right in front of our eyes, Dana gets to play the "we are tested by teh government!" card.

REDDzone wrote:Also Dana came out last night and said that GSP didn't go through with the increased steroid testing for the Hendricks fight. A short search bears that out to be an embarrassing lie, as per Dana's MO. GSP posted the pictures of his test results from said additional testing.

God it rubs me the wrong way when fatty Dana boxerciser is here talking about how GSP needs to be a man and all this. He said the same sh*t about Randy last year. Dana is literally the keyboard warrior personified.

But anyway, its impossible that ufc is a monopoly because their competitor is owned by a rich company, and its fine that we have circus freaks like Vitor knocking dudes out because despite him testing position in the past because Dana can hide him away in Brazil and self-regulate, oh and also because of teh gubment.

Cammo101 wrote:Of course they are. But when that was happening, GSP wasn't complaining about the UFC being a monopoly, because it helped him make money. Nothing like reaping the rewards of something and then bitching about it afterwards. It's hypocritical, and also incorrect, as the UFC is nothing close to a monopoly.

REDDzone wrote:I'm not a fan of comparing ufc to other sports leagues, but I do agree that the ufc isn't a monopoly.

Bernman wrote:

Cammo101 wrote:You know full well he's right and it's a pseudo monopoly. When one big business buys up a bunch of the others, then sabotages the only one left that's actually trying to compete with them by creating a false competitor and blackballing prospective future employees who dare ever deal with the much lesser business which they in part made sure of thru those nefarious means - that's a monopoly like state that's been manufactured. MMA is nothing like major American pro sports where one league is dominant. There are unions and teams (30 pseudo independent organizations within 1 big dependent one) to keep owners relatively honest toward the athletes. In MMA there's Bellator....

Jasen777 wrote:

REDDzone wrote:I'm not a fan of comparing ufc to other sports leagues, but I do agree that the ufc isn't a monopoly.

It's really close. Though it's semantics perhaps. A monopoly does not have to be a organization that literally has complete control over a market. When Microsoft was labeled one, there was still Apple and Linux operating systems for instance.

Askren vs. GSP for the One FC belt!

Cammo101 wrote:Most fighters in the UFC don't make a whole lot more than they would make in Bellator or WSOF. Really, it is the top guys who benefit financially being in the UFC instead of other orgs. The regular Joe fighters are in the UFC because they want to fight the best fighters or because they want to make a run at being one of those top guys and making big money.

The UFC is not doing anything to keep a company like Bellator from being successful. Bellator has all the pieces in place to be a major player in MMA. Being a monopoly means you have no chance to compete in the market

Bernman wrote:That's an outright lie. Steering top prospects away from Bellator by making it look like they won't sign them in the future if they go there, and starting a phony competitor to the #2 to take more prospects and perception away from them, is the definition of doing unethical (possibly illegal) things to keep Bellator from being successful.