Dana White: Georges St-Pierre's VADA stance before UFC 167 'a little weird'

BOSTON – Maybe Dana White isn’t used to fighters volunteering to foot the bill for things.

Maybe he doesn’t understand why one of his champions would put himself through any additional hardships in the buildup to what many believe is his most dangerous opponent yet.

But he knows one thing when it comes to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and his new insistence that he’ll pay to be drug tested himself by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association: “It’s a little weird,” White said at a Wednesday charity event in Boston, where he is for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 26.

St-Pierre (24-2 MMA, 18-2 UFC) in November meets Johny Hendricks (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 167. And the champ recently said as long as there are those who want to lob performance-enhancing drug use accusations his way, he’ll shut down any doubters by undergoing VADA testing on his own.

“For me, when they accuse me, I take that as a compliment,” GSP recently told MMA Fighting. “I believe they compliment my athleticism. I want to prove also that it’s possible to be champion without using drugs, and I know VADA is the most professional.”

Earlier this year, St-Pierre offered an invitation for his opponent to undergo testing, as well.

But with UFC 167 taking place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 16, White perhaps doesn’t see the need for his fighters, and his current most long-reigning champion in particular, to go out of their way to be tested.

“We’re regulated by the government – the government comes in and does all the drug testing,” White said. “Georges St-Pierre is one of those guys that people have been talking about (being on steroids). B.J. Penn said he was on steroids. Somebody else said he was on steroids. And he said, ‘I’ll pay for my own VADA testing,’ which isn’t cheap and it’s a pain in the ass.

“He doesn’t have to do it, but I guess he wants to do it. What are you gonna do? Knock yourself out, Georges. Good luck.”

St-Pierre fought Penn at UFC 94 in January 2009, dominating the former lightweight and welterweight champion over four rounds before Penn’s corner stopped the fight. That was his second defense of the title, and he since has gone on to defend it six more times, all by unanimous decision, against Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Jake Shields, Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz.

Under VADA testing, fighters agree to be tested randomly throughout the leadup to their fight – outside the normal testing that might be done by a ruling commission body. Thus far, it has not been deemed a cost-effective way to act as a deterrent from fighters using performance-enhancing drugs.

For more on the UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Georges St-Pierre)

John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Boston.