We posted earlier about former UFC Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre’s interview with RDS.ca and GSP’s frustration with the UFC’s foot-dragging on improved testing for PEDs were a big part of his decision to renounce his belt and take a break from the sport.
Now a more extensive translation of GSP’s French language comments has been posted by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani and it adds some more nuggets, including the dreaded “M” word: monopoly:
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“The only thing I want to say is, I wanted to do something to help those who are honest in the sport. Believe me or not, I never took drugs in my life. I’ll take a lie detector test, I don’t care. I’m for anti-doping tests. I think it’s a big problem in the sport.
“This is a relatively new sport. There’s one organization that has a monopoly, so the fighters don’t have much power. They can’t really talk because if one says what he thinks, he will get punished.
“If we want the sport to be accepted worldwide, like baseball, hockey, football, soccer, I believe [drug testing] is the thing to do. I think it’s just a matter of time before it happens, it’s just that I tried to make it happen now. Maybe they didn’t like the idea because if I did it now, it would lead to others doing it and maybe that’s not something they wanted to happen.
“It disappointed me. You know that there are things I can’t say. I’m holding back. I’m a public person.”
These are the proverbial fighting words and it will be very interesting to see how the UFC’s combative President Dana White chooses to respond. GSP has already mentioned that Dana’s comments about his desire for improved drug testing and comments at the UFC 167 post-fight press conference were factors in his decision to renounce the belt.
Watch highlights from the press conference that some say was the last straw for GSP vis-a-vis Dana White and the UFC. Decide for yourself if Dana White went over the line.
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