Georges St-Pierre terminates UFC contract: 'I'm a free agent'
If Georges St-Pierre does fight again, it won't be with the UFC.
The welterweight legend appeared on "The MMA Hour" on Monday to announce that he has terminated his contract with the promotion.
"You heard it right," St-Pierre said. "I'm a free agent. My lawyer terminated the contract with the UFC."
According to St-Pierre, negotiations between his team and the UFC broke down after Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta sold the promotion to WME-IMG this past July.
"I think we were close to an agreement at some point until big news arrived, the news that the UFC got sold to the new owners," said St-Pierre. "We were told that everything was put on ice until the new owners take charge. ...
"Finally, the new owners come and tell us that Lorenzo's offer was off the table. And it was like a shock for us because we felt like we were making progress, we were almost there."
St-Pierre suggested that things may have gone differently if he had continued dealing with Lorenzo; instead, it appears that the promotion may have missed its chance to bring the fighter back into the fold.
"(St-Pierre's lawyer) James Quinn gave them a legal deadline because I already have a contract with the UFC, a 2011 contract," said St-Pierre. "He gave them a deadline to give me a fight because I wanted to fight. Even during that deadline, I remember we didn't have any news, no e-mails, and I was always waiting for phone calls, and I hear Dana (White) saying in the media that I didn't want to fight, that I didn't have it in me.
"I know it’s probably a strategy on his part, but I didn’t have any news until the last day of the deadline very late at night."
GSP has not competed since Nov. 16, 2013. In his final UFC bout, he won a narrow split decision over Johny Hendricks. St-Pierre announced that he would be taking time away from active competition shortly after that win.
Talk of a GSP comeback came to a fever pitch this year when the Canadian confirmed that he had entered the USADA drug testing pool and that his representation was in negotiations with the UFC. As talks dragged on, White repeatedly questioned St-Pierre's willingness to fight, with St-Pierre saying that his concerns were primarily centered around compensation.
St-Pierre has several prominent sponsors in his portfolio, including a lucrative deal with Under Armour that would conflict with the UFC's exclusive partnership with Reebok. That financial security is what makes it easier for St-Pierre to resist the siren's call of the Octagon.
"I'm very disappointed, but I think I'm in a great position because I got out healthy and wealthy," said St-Pierre. "I have a lot of options. If you talk about most fighters in the UFC, they are starving. And for the UFC it's very easy when you keep a lot of your staff starving, they are easier to control.
"If you look at other sports like NBA, NFL, NHL, the (revenue split) between athlete and owner is about 50/50. But if you look at the UFC, athletes make less than 10 percent. It's unfortunate for us, because a lot of the fighters don't have the options that I have. I've never been afraid to stand for what I believe is right."
In 21 UFC appearances, St-Pierre compiled a 19-2 record with two welterweight title wins. In his second reign, GSP strung together nine straight defenses, the second-best championship streak in company history. He holds wins over every notable fighter at 170 pounds, including Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, and Nick Diaz.
St-Pierre was looking to add to that legacy when the UFC returned to Toronto in December for UFC 206, but it's unclear now when or if he will get to compete again in front of his Canadian fans.
"I truly believe it would have been a win-win scenario if I would have fought in Toronto," said St-Pierre. "They would have made a lot of money, I would have made good money, but unfortunately because it's not happening I'm losing, I believe the UFC is losing, but the biggest loser in all that is the fans."
The UFC has yet to address St-Pierre's comments.