UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre Takes Indefinite Leave from MMA

Considered one of the best pound for pound fighters of all-time, Georges St. Pierre has decided to take an indefinite leave from fighting after an admirable 13-year professional career.

Best known as GSP (aka. Rush) by mixed martial arts fans, the 32-year-old decided to notify UFC president Dana White of his departure during a conference call with members of the media on Friday.

“I’ve been in this sport for a long time,” St-Pierre said on Friday’s call. “I know the UFC is a business. But right now, I need to take a break. One day, when I feel like it, I might come back.”

The stress and rigorous training schedule was playing a toll on GSP, both mentally and physically, so he decided it was time to take a break and focus on some issues at home.

“It’s like every fight I am carrying weight on my shoulders. And with every fight you add weight. So at some point it becomes hard for me to carry it,” St. Pierre added. “Mentally, I just feel like I cannot go through another training camp right now. And I don’t know when I will be able to again, and I don’t want to make the UFC wait. So I will vacate my title. And some day, when I come back, I won’t have the red stickers on my glove. I will have the blue sticker, and I will be the challenger.”

Since GSP is leaving the sport, he leaves the welterweight championship title vacated.  A title match at UFC 171 between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler will fill the empty spot.

Dana White supported GSP’s decision to leave the sport saying, “He said he has a lot of personal issues. This is fighting, and you have to be 100 percent. And if you aren’t, you should sit on the sidelines until you get your stuff cleared up.”

Georges St. Pierre became the undisputed UFC welterweight champion after defeating Matt Serra by TKO (knees to body)at UFC 83 in 2008. Since then, he defended the title nine times until he vacated it on Friday.