Dana White has firmly put the kibosh on Georges St-Pierre’s much-discussed potential return to the Octagon.
Many expected St-Pierre’s comeback after … well … he claimed he had made the decision to come back.
The former long-time welterweight champion, who is tied atop the list of all-time UFC wins, outright said he had gone through a trial training camp at Tristar and announced “I’m ready” during a June interview on The MMA Hour.
A super-fight with middleweight champion Michael Bisping, the other man to hold 19 wins in the Octagon, was toyed with by both parties. But UFC president Dana White announced on Friday that there would be no fairytale return for GSP.
“Georges St-Pierre will not fight again,” White told a scrum of reporters in Las Vegas. “I’ve said that before and I’ll say it again.
“Georges St-Pierre is done. He is retired. He will not fight again.”
It was believed that the UFC’s deal with Reebok, not in place when St-Pierre was last an active fighter, would act as a stumbling block in negotiations with the Canadian.
And White claimed that, regardless of what ‘Rush’ says, the return is simply not on the cards.
“He doesn’t have to tell me (whether he’s coming back or not),” White said.
“I’ve dealt with him, and we’ve been dealing with this thing. I’ve been in this since I was 19 years old and I know the mentality of a fighter that wants to fight and I know the mentality of a fighter that doesn’t want to fight.
“He’s been saying that for a long time (that he wants to come back). I wholeheartedly believe you will never see Georges St-Pierre in the Octagon again unless he’s cornering somebody.”
