UFC champ Georges St-Pierre on if he'll defend middleweight title: 'I don't think so'

Those worried Georges St-Pierre would never defend the UFC middleweight title may have had their fears realized. From all indications, the champ won’t be sticking around the weight class from too much longer.

The past week has been a rollercoaster for St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC). UFC President Dana White said several days ago he would be “super pissed” if St-Pierre doesn’t defend his title against interim 185-pound champ Robert Whittaker, but then just days later it was revealed “Rush” is dealing with a case of ulcerative colitis.

St-Pierre, the former longtime welterweight champ who claimed middleweight gold with a third-round submission of Michael Bisping at UFC 217, is uncertain about what the future holds given his medical issue. He believes the colitis was brought on by the weight-gain program he used to help switch weight classes, and given the negative affects, St-Pierre said remaining in the division to defend his belt may no longer be an option.

“I’m not sure if I will compete if I will go back to 185,” St-Pierre told TSN in Canada. “I don’t think so.”

St-Pierre said he has no regrets about his dietary approach to bulking up, because he did it “the natural way.” With his current medical situation, though, his next move remains to be seen – it just likely won’t be a title defense.

“I did what I did; I learned from my mistakes,” St-Pierre said. “I don’t think it’s a good thing to do, to force myself to eat to gain muscle mass. I’ve always been against performance-enhancing drugs, and I did it the natural way. There’s no easy way. I did it the hard way. It was to gain weight and to maintain my muscle mass and it was very hard and it was not healthy. I think the body has a natural weight that it can perform at its best athletic ability. For me, the wight I have now is my perfect weight.”

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