Georges St-Pierre’s Trainer Says It’s “50/50? Whether or Not the Champ Returns to the Octagon

Everybody has been waiting and wondering what the next step is for UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre ever since his post-fight comments following a difficult five-round split-decision victory over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November.

St-Pierre said, “(I’m going to) hang my gloves up for a little bit and make sense of my life.”

In the weeks since, St-Pierre has refuted several rumors about him and his life, but has also remained in a cloud of mystery by telling TMZ.com, “I’m stepping out, but I’ll be training for myself.”

We know that St-Pierre went on a brief vacation following the Hendricks fight. He then returned to Montreal, where he began teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at the Tristar Gym again, but we still don’t know where his head is at in regards to a return to the Octagon.

Even his head trainer, Firas Zahabi, doesn’t have any definitive answers.

In a recent interview on Sportsnet in Canada, Zahabi told interviewer Joe Ferraro, “Right now, it’s just about clearing his emotions, finding out what he wants to do with life. He’s been fighting for so long, he’s been putting off his social life for so long, making a lot of sacrifices. It’s been almost seven years now he’s champion. He’s had 22 fights in UFC.

“I think he needs to settle down, settle his mind, and figure out what he wants to do.”

What that means as far as St-Pierre returning to defend his belt and continue his UFC career is uncertain.

Zahabi is easily one of the people in St-Pierre’s inner circle that is closest to him, and understands what the champion is going through, but even he couldn’t put solid odds on what St-Pierre’s future holds. Perhaps, as Zahabi noted, St-Pierre himself hasn’t made that determination yet.

“It’s 50/50 (if St-Pierre returns to fighting) and I don’t think he knows either. If he ends it this way (after defeating Hendricks), I think it was good. He showed heart. He showed guts. He showed he’s a fighter.”

Zahabi did not give a timeline in regards to when he expects St-Pierre to make a decision regarding his future.

Watch the full Sportsnet interview with Firas Zahabi here. The interview covers Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald, and numerous other topics.