Dana White: St-Pierre shoots down TMZ rumors, rematch with Hendricks on track

A rematch between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks will happen, according to UFC President Dana White, and the fight could place on the promotion’s annual Memorial Day weekend event in Las Vegas.

In an interview Monday with the LA Times, White said St-Pierre is taking a vacation “off the grid,” but not a hiatus from the sport as he originally announced following his split-call win over Hendricks at this past Saturday’s UFC 167.

“As far as a rematch, we’re on schedule and I’ll have a date within a couple weeks,” White said. “I feel confident that Georges is fine with that and all is on track.”

St-Pierre’s post-fight speech initially brought anger from White, who said following the event that the champ owed a rematch to Hendricks in light of the first bout’s controversial scorecard. The UFC president later calmed down after a private meeting with St-Pierre and expressed confidence that a rematch would take place.

St-Pierre defended his title a ninth time by winning three rounds on two of three judges’ scorecards at the pay-per-view event, which took place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and was overseen by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The fight’s first round proved to be pivotal in the final tally, as NSAC judges Tony Weeks and Sal D’Amato gave St-Pierre (25-2 MMA, 19-2 UFC) the frame while judge Glenn Trowbridge gave it to Hendricks (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC). The welterweights split the remaining four rounds.

White blasted the scores and the NSAC, but on Monday clarified the times, “it’s not the commissioners who I have a problem with. I have great respect for the commissioners. I honestly believe change is going to happen, that the athletic commissioners in Nevada will fix the problem.”

The fight was the toughest challenge of St-Pierre’s reign as champion, trainer Firas Zahabi on Monday told MMAjunkie. The champion was badly marked up after the fight and received stitches under his right eye. Zahabi said he also sustained a punch to the eye that robbed him of his sight during the bout.

At UFC 167's post-event press conference, St-Pierre said he was “going crazy” and losing sleep in dealing with personal issues that he declined to identify. On Monday, White said the 32-year-old fighter refuted a TMZ report that his problems stemmed from an unplanned pregnancy and the illness of his father.

“(St-Pierre) is denying those rumors that TMZ is reporting about those two things,” White said.

UFC 167 drew a live gate of $5.7 million, making it the second most lucrative MMA event in Nevada history. The pay-per-view proceeds are also expected to earn millions for the UFC, which means a rematch could also do big business.

Per the NSAC, St-Pierre is suspended until Jan. 1, 2014, while Hendricks could be out for six months unless cleared for a right knee issue.

For complete coverage of UFC 167, check out the UFC Events section of the site.