Georges St-Pierre returned after a lengthy absence from fighting to face Michael Bisping at UFC 217. Unfortunately, even though he won, St-Pierre would only remain champion for a number of weeks before vacating…
Before vacating the welterweight title in 2013, Georges St-Pierre was widely regarded as the best MMA fighter on the planet. Having held the title during his second reign for more than five years.
Citing personal issues, St-Pierre gave up the belt following a sketchy decision win over Johny Hendricks. The Canadian star also voiced concerns over drug testing standards in the sport.
Ironically, the same man who had come so close to dethroning St-Pierre has gone 3-6 since the stricter drug testing policies were enforced. Was GSP right to walk away when he did? Perhaps so, perhaps not but fans were still thrilled to see his return in 2017.
Facing Michael Bisping at UFC 217, St-Pierre made his 185-pound debut and won the title with a submission in round three.
GSP Vacates Again…Then Loses a Ton of Weight
Just moments after winning the title, it was already clear that GSP wasn’t going to be sticking around at middleweight. Weeks later it was confirmed, St-Pierre was going to vacate the title after talking about health concerns.
‘Rush’ claimed he was suffering at 185 pounds and that he had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Interim boss Robert Whittaker was promoted to full champion and GSP again took a leave of absence from fighting.
Now, three months after his long-awaited return, St-Pierre looks more like an average size lightweight in recent pictures:
Wow…
Although he doesn’t appear to be in bad shape, St-Pierre has clearly dropped around 30 pounds since fighting Bisping at UFC 217. Speaking on social media, St-Pierre had the following to say:
“I now understand the health issues that I had during my last training camp,” St-Pierre wrote. “I hoped my condition would improve after the fight but unfortunately it got worse and I had to go straight to the hospital for a colonoscopy when I came back from vacation last Wednesday.”
“The diagnosis is ulcerative colitis and I am now taking medication that will hopefully appease the symptoms. My health is my #1 priority right now, I’m still a very happy man, thanks for your support!!!”
Here’s a video of St-Pierre balance training, again looking very much smaller:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfq1VH_ABK_/?hl=en&taken-by=georgesstpierre
Dana White Knew
The UFC president made no secret in voicing his concerns over GSP staying at 185 pounds or even fighting again:
“Listen, I had him sign a contract that said he would defend against Whittaker for a reason. Because I knew he wouldn’t.
“At the end of the day, there’s a reason I put that stuff in the contract for him to sign,” he said. “Am I shocked? I don’t think anybody’s shocked. He came out, and he hand-picked Bisping and went away again. So, whatever. It is what it is.
“He doesn’t want to fight anybody at welterweight,” White said. “That’s why he fought Bisping. He didn’t want to fight Woodley. He didn’t want to fight ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. He didn’t want to fight any of those guys. He only wanted to fight Michael Bisping. He did, and now he’s off again.”
